• Purposeful Parenthood

    Technology Rules for Purposeful Families

    iPad rules for families

    Matt and I used to have an iPad that we used for our family. Henry worked on ST Math at night after Tate went to bed, and the boys watched Netflix on the weekends. Since one of the boys dropped it and shattered it, we’ve been letting them use our laptops or phones instead. I’m feeling a real need to get them each an iPad. That way, they could both work on Lexia in my office in the afternoon before we leave school. It’s a tricky time because I’m trying to finish up my work. However, before bringing more technology into our house, I want to spend time thinking about … Read More

  • Purposeful Parenthood

    Weekly Family Meetings: How to Facilitate

    Weekly Family Meetings: How to Facilitate

    According to Montessori theory, there’s a real shift that happens when children graduate from kindergarten. They transition from an “Absorbent Mind” to a “Reasoning Mind.” It can be difficult to have one children in one phase and another child in another. For example, we wanted to get weekly family meetings up and running because Henry really enjoys them. However, Tate really struggled to stay focused and participate fully. Now Tate is crossing the threshold and heading into 1st grade this Fall. It’s time to get Weekly Family Meetings up and running in earnest!

    Agenda for Family Meetings

    Here’s a sample agenda—weekly family meetings can go in a number of different … Read More

  • Purposeful Parenthood

    Unconditional Positive Regard: Why It Matters for Kids

    Showing unconditional positive regard for my children

    I have a lot of work to do on myself. If I don’t, I’m at risk of passing along my issues and my trauma to others. Several times a day I think: “I’m too messed up to be a good parent! I’m messing up my kids!” Or I think, “I haven’t done enough self-work to be the kind of leader my team deserves.” In those moments, I take a deep and try to remind myself that we are all on a journey. We are all doing our best. One of the things I am trying to work on the most is unconditional positive regard.

    Unconditional positive regard comes from … Read More