Your Child's Journey

wisdom for the big steps little children take

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Toys and Play

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This past weekend we had the honor and privilege of having our adopted daughter with her husband and 7 month old boy stay with us for two days. What a tremendous joy to see her baby! He is the solid-pack type boy like both of mine were. He is attentive, inquisitive, and very easily pleased. Though he is teething, most of the time he beamed a gorgeous smile whenever we caught his eye. I thought a lot about toys and playing with babies and small children. So this month I’m going to revisit the topic of play and toys.

Play is a child’s work
The first thing to remember is that though play is fun for children, it is also their work. They are learning something constantly. They are learning that no matter what they do, they cannot get the attention of the powerful people around them, the adults. Hopefully none of the children represented by those of you receiving this letter are learning that lesson! Or they are learning something new or practicing what they have been learning. They learn by observing, by trial and error, by testing the results, and by practice. There is much we can do as the adults around them to help them learn. [Read more…]

Sibling Rivalry and Squabbles

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I was reading some articles on ways to survive the school break. Summer means hot days and far too much time for siblings to spend together. Moms have to survive the squabbling, tattling, brawls and bawls.

So here are some of the good and crazy ideas that moms have used to stop the fights:

A Target for Life

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I want to share an article written by Rachel Stafford, published in Mamapedia.com. She experienced, in a poignant way, the importance of special moments of connection with her child. I hope you find little, daily targets that will make good memories for you and your children.

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I reached into her pajamas drawer unconsciously grabbing the worn polka-dotted flannel that felt like home in my hand.

“Those don’t fit me anymore, Mama,” my 6-year-old daughter informed ever so gently, as if somehow knowing those words could literally break my heart.

“Are you sure they don’t fit?” I asked with a hint of desperation in my voice. “Could we just see?” I already had the head opening of the pajamas prepped and ready for her curly head of hair.

My easy-going child shrugged and happily pulled the pajamas over her head to appease me. But as she struggled to stuff her 6-year-old arms into size 4 armholes, we began to laugh.

“Okay, you were right, “I grinned. But honestly, I wanted to cry. [Read more…]

A Tale of Three Fathers

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Since we celebrate Father’s Day in June, I thought I’d write my tale of three fathers for Your Child’s Journey and First Steps bulletins.

The Message Bible translates Paul’s comment in 1 Corinthians 4:15, “There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up.”

That describes well the three fathers I have in mind to tell about. These three fathers willingly took the time and effort to help their children grow up well.

The first of these three fathers is my own father. He is father to four girls and two boys. I am the first of his children.

[Read more…]

Symptoms to Call Your Doctor About

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When you become a parent, you earn a medical merit badge of sorts. Whether you’re sopping up a goopy nose or extracting a dangling-by-a-thread baby tooth, eventually few things faze you. But sometimes it’s tough to tell what warrants a call to your doctor’s office: Which temperature actually classifies as a “high fever”? What kind of tummy ache means your child has more than your average stomach bug? And when something truly frightening happens — say, your child suddenly breaks out in hives — should you call your pediatrician or head straight to the E.R.?

“Parents should always err on the side of caution and seek immediate medical care when they’re worried about something,” says Anita Chandra-Puri, M.D., a pediatrician at Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group, in Chicago, and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, to give you more specific guidelines to follow, we talked to top pediatricians about the 12 symptoms that always require medical attention.

[Read more…]