Contributing Writer: Erica Trainor from the Lil' Iguana’s Children’s Safety Foundation

As parents of toddlers and preschoolers, we’ve all found ourselves saying “don’t” more times than we can count.

“Don’t touch that!”
“Don’t talk to strangers!”
“Don’t go near the water!”
“Don’t eat that!”

Contributing Writer: Lauren Fonvielle

If you’ve ever watched your child struggle with fear, overwhelm, or nervousness — and wished you had a magic wand to help — you’re not alone. As parents, we want to protect and empower our kids, but sometimes we’re not sure how. That’s where EFT (Emotional F...

I believe that all kids are worthy of our respect, trust, honesty. 

Without having to earn it.

Yes, even two year olds.

This is the foundational principle in the Collaborative Parenting Methodology(TM) I used to raise my kids and teach my students. 

Nurturing human connection between adult...

Tantrums are all kinds of T's: Tricky, Terrible, Testing, Trying, and, in any given day, Too Many!  (and Too Loud!)

I know, I'm preaching to the toddler tribe choir here.

You know that my goal is to teach you about another set of alliterative T's: how to Turn Tantrums into Teachable Moments....

Meet Davey, a high-energy, fun spirited little boy who is ALWAYS in motion.

This is toddler Davey loving life way back in 2021.

He's now six years old and the hero in my story-of-the-week on the podcast. 

Why? 

Because he lied to me, and then told the truth to his teacher about lying to me.

A couple weeks ago I scooped up my Goddaughter and headed to the local library. 

Last summer they renovated their infant/toddler play space and it is truly AHmazing now! 

We touched everything, emptied and filled buckets, made stories with magnetic & felt walls, and squeezed countless stuffies for...

 Remember who I am. 

Yep, that is the number one thing I wish I'd done when my kids were tiny. 

Instead, I turned over every part of myself to them. 

Gave until I had nothing left to give, and then, pushed harder.

Of course our job is to meet their needs when they can't, particularly as in...

Meet Sylvie and her collaborative mama and daddy celebrating her 3rd birthday. Last Saturday, was her first “real kid” birthday party.  

The kind where you invite allll the kids from daycare, and hope for the best while expecting the worst!

Picture this: Lots of  littles  running around (ind...

Honestly, I say those words sometimes too. 

Nope - not the swear words. 🤣I'm not a cusser but be sure to listen to this short podcast episode to hear what I DO say! 

I'll hear myself take a *long, deep sigh* and say, outloud, 🗣️"I'm so bored". 

But the truth is, I'm feeling a lot of things in tha...

Gluten and I hate each other. Okay, that's not entirely true.  It’s more like a double dutch jump rope rhyme:

I love gluten but it hates me. When I eat it, I feel icky!

I don't have celiacs or even a ‘gluten sensitive’ diagnosis, but I do know my body.

When I indulge in gluteny-goodness ...

 I just got back from two weeks on the road. I racked up:

• Three climates
• two time zones
• and a whole lot of amazing adventures.

I was in Colorado, meeting clients, writing, and exploring the Rocky Mountains.

The mornings started at 24 degrees, the afternoons finished at 60 but felt like 8...

Christmas 2011 - Also known as the year we hit the reset button on the holiday.

Christmas is the season of giving and receiving between friends, families, and coworkers, but from the perspective of a little one, it’s all about the ‘getting’.  

The way they give back to us, through their smiles,...