Positive Discipline Parenting Blog
Sproutable's Positive Discipline blog.
Real tips. Real talk. Read & grow.
Latest post
Navigating Sleep Regressions in Your Little One’s Developmental Journey
I once worked with a family whose child, an eccentric 18-month-old, was learning a new song. They told me that every night for three nights in a row, their child would wake up in the[...]By Jade Folk
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How to Talk to Kids about Social Distancing
We can’t expect young children to truly understand what social distancing looks like in public spaces. Just like any skill, we have to break it down into small steps and meet them where they are developmentally. It’s important to understand that the ability to inhibit our actions actually comes from a very high-level brain function […]By Julietta Skoog
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My Emergent Identity as a Parent
I was having a really tough day. You know those days when everything seems to fall apart at the seams. When you didn’t get enough sleep, there’s no food for breakfast but the cold eggs your kid left behind and no amount of coffee will wake you up. On this rough morning, I just felt […]By Alanna Beebe
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My Top 5 Toddler Parenting Tools
My little baby is now a full-blown toddler. Every stage of development has been such an exciting leap, but it’s at this stage that I’m getting a glimpse into the inner dialogue of my little one’s brain. He is learning to talk and along with language comes a newfound sense of independence and autonomy. This is great when I need to clean up after meals or shoot off a couple of emails, because he can now play by himself for longer periods of time, or even better, help me around the house. It’s a challenge when I have an agenda of what needs to happen now and it doesn’t align with HIS plan. I now understand why virtually every parent of a toddler says their child is “strong-willed”. There’s a parenting myth about the terrible two’s, but what I’ve found is that it doesn’t have to be so terrible if you have some solid Positive Discipline parenting tools in your back pocket.By Alanna Beebe
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When You are Not on the Same Parenting Page
The other day my nine-year-old came home from school super bummed. She grew teary describing her frustration with the inequity in P.E. teams made by the teacher. Time and time again, her team continued to lose while “all” of her other friends were on the other team. I validated her feelings, kept my face open and empathetic and gave her a big hug. “That must feel unfair. I would feel sad if I was playing against my friends too...By Julietta Skoog
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Feelings, the First Foreign Language I Learned as a Parent
How will we practice? How are we going to teach them to name their feelings, express themselves clearly and assertively, and not internalize or explode their stress or negative emotions? When our children are scared, mad, or so sad, their irrational brain has taken over and is only able to yell, “Fight! Run away! Freeze!” We can guide our children into their “rational” brain by helping them feel safe and understood, while teaching them to name and express their feelings in positive ways.By Julietta Skoog
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Destination Nowhere
Two years ago I took a mindfulness workshop at the University of Washington. We learned about the basics of mindfulness (being completely present, without judgment) and learned breathing tools to integrate it into our work life. One of the practices included mindful walking.By Julietta Skoog
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