the Mudroom

It’s back to school time!!

After over 18 months, most kids will be returning to in-person classes this fall.

THIS IS NEW!

We know that kids tend to see everything that's not familiar to them as potential danger, which means they're going to have to adjust to the new routine- and that takes a lot of energy.

On this episode we'll discuss:

- The concept of Restraint Collapse

- How can we transition our kids out of school and into our home?

- What can we do to help them?

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

When we make decisions for our kids we take a lot of factors into consideration: risk chief among them.  

Over the last 30 years parents’ risk assessment has changed dramatically.   

Why was it totally normal for children to play at the local playground unsupervised in the 80s, but now it’s considered neglect?  

The No Child Left Alone study covers exactly this.   

Why do we think something is risky for a child when it objectively isn´t? What has changed in how parents evaluate risk?  

On this episode we'll discuss: 

- What's the `No child left alone study´ 

- The concepts of Moral Coherence and Availability Heuristic. 

- What are you basing your decisions on? 

- How to make sure we are making the correct choices for our kids.

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

Can you recognize the difference between your kid being regulated vs them being happy? Do you know how to help them manage their emotions, what's healthy and what isn´t?

It's very common in this time for parents to mistake their children being calm with them being happy, they also seem to think that it's their job to make their children constantly happy. That's not necessarily true. It's okay for kids to experience emotions other than happiness. They can be upset but not dysregulated, but what's important is to know how to be supportive of them and help them deal with their emotions. This can be tricky given that most of us weren't given the space to experience being regulated and not happy.

On this class we'll discuss:

-The difference between being regulated and happy

- Wys to help you kid manage their emotions

-What´s healthy and what isn´t

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

Have you heard of the zone of proximal development? 

Do you know why your kid seems to need more support to perform certain tasks than others, and when it’s the right time to help them out?

The zone of proximal development is that space between your child’s total independence and total support. 

There’s a common misconception among parents where they think if a kid can’t do it by themselves- they can't do it at all! 

When in fact there’s a gray area there that’s really important. 

How much help are they needing and when? 

It’s important to recognize when they can do something competently with help just as much as when they can do it competently on their own.

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

Do your kids seem to be stressed out even while on vacation? Are you looking for ways to make it a more relaxing time?

When planning a vacation it seems inevitable that the one thing we want to get is rest, but traveling with young kids can be difficult- they’re loud, stressed out and constantly asking for things.

This is why it's important that we stick to our routine as closely as possible, as kids tend to think of “new and different” as “unsafe and dangerous”. But you can still incorporate new plans into your schedule while keeping the basic structure of their day.

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

Does your kid seem to be getting tired of their recreational  activities?   

Can you tell the difference between them being over it and just needing a break?  

Wanting your child to excel is common for many parents.  There's a difference between a child being done with an activity and them quitting when it just got hard. It's important to be able to recognize it.   

This way we can help them reduce the stress an activity gives them and move on to find something they really love, or help them through what's causing them to find an activity they enjoy difficult to maintain.    

In this episode, we discuss: 

- Steps you can take to help your child through this process 

- Identify that you are making the right call when it comes to quitting the activity or pushing them through it

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

Does your kid make constant out-of-place noises?

Have you noticed them doing them even after you've asked them to stop?  

These noises are not arbitrary!   

We could be talking about any kind of noises, loud or soft, chatter, clicking sounds, hand-clapping, you name it.   

This is not them making nonsense sounds, as kids normally do. This is called "filtering".  

These noises are actually helping them stay regulated if they´re experiencing some sort of dysregulation (such as sensory overload or sensory understimulation), it's quite impressive!   

It can, however, get overwhelming for you if it happens constantly. 

Which is why it's important to find a way to address it while still meeting everybody's needs.  

So in this episode we'll cover:  

- Why kids make so much noise.  

- What filtering is. 

- How we can help our children filter so that it's less disruptive.

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

Have you ever wondered why two kids can receive the exact same education and instructions yet one ends up doing better than the other? 

Or why they can start out with the same materials and information and one winds up being considered more capable than the other?  

In this video we're going to cover:  

•What is the Pygmalion Effect? 

•What are the implications of the Pygmalion Effect for your kids? 

•How to use the Pygmalion effect to your advantage.

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

As you venture back out into the wide world have you noticed that your kids are kind of...clingy?   

Even parents of kids who are general independent and fearless are reporting that they're seeing a high level of cling with their kiddos now that things are "going back to normal."   

Are you trying to understand why your child is so clingy?  

In this episode we'll discuss:  

•Why are kids getting so clingy right now?! 

•How to reduce the clinging without dismissing them. 

•Two tweaks to your daily schedule that can make a world of difference.

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices

We are revisiting MudRooms from the past 4 years that newer followers may not have had the chance to brush up on yet.   

Usually, there's one parent who is chomping at the bit to make changes and another who is much more hesitant.   

In my experience it's usually Mom (or the primary attachment figure) who is raring to go and Dad (or the secondary attachment figure) who isn't quite as enthusiastic.   

Usually because the secondary isn't the one caring for the child day in and out.   

In this episode, we discuss a way on how to bridge the gap with disciplining.

Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices