100 Tips for Nannies and Families

You want your kids to feel free to speak with you about anything that crosses their minds.  You want them to perceive you as “cool” enough to handle well whatever they are thinking and feeling.  What can you do to encourage your kids to speak freely with you, even about difficult topics, and to rest […]

The holidays can be stressful.  Add a marriage, divorce, or re-marriage and it can be utter chaos.  What can you do to minimize the “ARRRRGH” factor at this time of year, especially when your family is experiencing change? Communicate openly, honestly, acceptingly, proactively, and often with your family members. For example, if your re-marriage comes […]

What do parents consider when deciding whether or not they should have any more kids?  Many factors are considered, some of which are unique to the family involved, but the most common considerations for whether or not to have any more kids are as follows. * emotions-do the parents miss the sounds, smells, and feel […]

Parents often ask at what age it’s ok to leave their kids home alone (without adult supervision).  The National Safe Kids Campaign recommends that, generally, kids should be at least 12 years old before they are allowed to stay home alone . . . but there are variables that must be considered.  There’s no one […]

As a parent, nanny, or babysitter, your heart aches when a child’s heart breaks.  In this blog, we will consider one particular heartbreaking experience and how it can be handled.  Consider this: your child’s classmates are all invited to a party hosted by one of the children in the class.  However, your child did not […]

From birth, children are learning about themselves and the world around them.  Using their five senses, they form opinions about who they are, what the world is like, and how they fit in it.  You shape how your children frame their world view, how they build their self-image, and how they come to see their […]

We all want to raise kids who care about others, who exhibit compassion and empathy for others and work to help those in need.  Not only is compassion a desired trait for developing a quality character, our future as a society is dependent on our ability as people to pull together an act in the […]

Your kids get an allowance every week.  Do you make them work to earn their allowance?  What are the advantages of creating “jobs” (chores) for your kids in exchange for earning their allowance? 1. Your kids will learn the value of a dollar. It’s easy for kids (and adults) to go through money like crazy […]

You have three young children in your care.  You want to keep them busy and teach them the joy of learning.  What fun and educational activities can you, as their babysitter, create for the children? Sing songs. Children learn from lyrics. The alphabet song is a good example of learning through song. And since children […]

Naps are great.  Heck, as an adult, wouldn’t you just love to take a nap some days?  But kids need to be weaned off napping as they mature.  It’s a tricky task, weaning little ones off daily naps.  When is it time to do it?  How do you do it?  What happens if you try […]