Author Archives: Alyson Schafer
Valentine’s Day and Parenthood – Let Kids See The Love!
Alyson Schafer in Just Between Us - 1 comment - posted on Feb 15th, 2012Remember Valentine’s Day back in the days before Diaper Genies and sippy cups. Back when you could afford to go out to dinner and you didn’t have to arrange a sitter? The coupleship has to adapt to the inevitable changes that come as we move from being romantic partners to having children and being a family. But does pragmatic parenthood mean an end to romantic frivolity? Amore survives parenthood a lot better in other cultures. Here in North American, we subdue the needs of the couple and put our exalted children first. Well, let me appeal to you then through … Continue reading
Holiday Dinner Table Manners
Alyson Schafer in Just Between Us - 0 comments - posted on Dec 14th, 2011Eat… sit… and be merry. Yes, it’s that time of year when we gather around the table and enjoy holiday dinner with our extended family. Joy right? Ahh, not so much, especially if you are stressed about your uncouth seven year-old son’s behaviour. Will he break bread or break wind, or worse, toss bread? Or pout about hating his gravy touching his peas. Shouting “Where are your manners?” is just as much a part of the festive meal as the cranberry sauce. We forget our children have substandard table manners until they’re under scrutiny of company and extended family. Suddenly … Continue reading
Top Tips for Bully-Proofing
Alyson Schafer in For the love of parenting, Get Inspired: Making a Difference, Just Between Us - 7 comments - posted on Aug 31st, 2011School is almost back and that means bullying season is about to start up. Here are my top tips for Bully Proofing: 1. Advocate for a School Wide Anti-bullying Program Work with the home and school association, PTA and school administration to encourage them to adopt a school wide, multi-year anti-bullying program. Simply having a speaker come talk to parents and student won’t make a difference. You need a program, training and all parties working together systematically to change a bullying culture. Don’t sit idly by saying “my school doesn’t have a program” – pick up the torch and start … Continue reading
Ways to Say “No” Without Actually Saying It.
Alyson Schafer in Just Between Us - 0 comments - posted on Jul 14th, 2011I am sure some researcher has the exact number of time the average kid hears the word “no” in a day, but suffice it to say, its plenty!* Kids become immune to hearing “No”. Kids start to repeat what they hear when they say “no!” back to us. Oh how quickly our children learn that the person who can say “NO” is the person who holds all the power. You will find that if you minimize the times you say “no”, your child is more likely to be co-operative. Here are some ways to skirt that nasty word and still … Continue reading
How well do you know your child? Take this Test:
Alyson Schafer in Just Between Us - 0 comments - posted on May 3rd, 2011How well do you know your child? We all think we do, but lets see how you fare. Either ask yourself these questions, or take the list to the family supper table and use it to create meaningful dinner table discussion with your children. 1. Who is your best friend? 2. Who are your enemies? 3. What is your favorite music? 4. What is your biggest complaint about this family? 5. If I could buy you anything in the world, what would be your number one choice? 6. What is you favorite TV show? 7. What accomplishment is your proudest? … Continue reading
Your Family Life In 2011
Alyson Schafer in For the love of parenting, Just Between Us - 25 comments - posted on Jan 11th, 2011Happy New Year! I hope you’ve had a safe and happy holiday with your loved ones. I sure did. So many of you sent me notes, cards, emails or tweets sharing pictures of your children and showing gratitude for how I’ve helped your families. That is so gratifying and touching to hear. Thank you all for letting me know my work is making a difference in the world. Now that it’s New Years Day, many of you will be making resolutions, revisiting what’s important and setting new goals for the year. I thought it might be a good idea to … Continue reading
Parenting on the Same Page
Alyson Schafer in For the love of parenting, Just Between Us - 2 comments - posted on Nov 3rd, 2010Do you and your partner fight over how to discipline the children? Tired of playing good cop / bad cop? Maybe these tips will help: DO’s Expect Parenting Differences: heck if you both did it exactly the same, one of you would be redundant. Agree to Disagree: Know and accept somethings will never be resolved in how you parent. Its better to accept differences than continue to fight over them. Maximize the Opportunity of Differences: If one is better at getting bedtimes to go smoothly, and another is calmer helping with homework, divide your tasks up to … Continue reading
Thanksgiving Exercise In Gratitude For Your Family
Alyson Schafer in For the love of parenting, Just Between Us - 2 comments - posted on Oct 8th, 2010Happy Canadian Thanksgiving weekend! I hope you enjoy this long weekend and have some nice relaxing family time together. The holiday is about giving thanks, but too often children only hear what is “wrong” with them, and about “problems”. We don’t talk enough about what is going right and what is gratifying about being in our families together and about the joys of our relationships. We gotta amp that up more! Why not get started this weekend? At your Thanksgiving dinner, you could go around the table and pose the question ” One thing I like about being in this … Continue reading