This is an excerpt from our Summer 2017 issue. Read the rest of the article by subscribing soon so we can post you a copy or by picking up a magazine from one of our lovely stockists all over Ireland. Tell them we say hi!
By Anna Cole
It’s another summer edition of ‘Positive Life’, and for those of us who are parents, the summer will bring long school holidays and a break from the busy school routine. Ahh, peace at last … until suddenly, out of nowhere, your children are fighting over a cheap bucket and spade, your younger child has just hit your older one, and you are tearing your hair out! Sound familiar? What’s happening for children emotionally when they can’t get along with each other?
At Hand in Hand Parenting, we have observed that when all is well, kids play well together. They can co-operate, empathise, and be spontaneous and creative about how to include others in their play. A couple of days ago, I watched my young son spontaneously include his tired and grumpy pre-teen sister in a family activity by playfully approaching her like a baby cat, eventually curling up on her lap, which helped her to loosen up, get a bit silly, and get involved. I’ve seen him find ways to include his tired Mum in play too. Yesterday he invented the ‘Max sneaks up without being seen’ game, so I could lean tiredly against the kitchen counter and he could turn out some lights and sneak up on me. It loosened me up, we both had some fun, and he headed to bed connected and co-operative.
This is an excerpt from our Summer 2017 issue. Read the rest of the article by subscribing soon so we can post you a copy or by picking up a magazine from one of our lovely stockists all over Ireland. Tell them we say hi!
