Parenting Babies:

We are raising babies in a time when extended family is spread out around the country. Most of us don't grow up surrounded by our baby nieces, nephews and cousins. Some of us become parents without ever having held a newborn. Suddenly, we are the sole caregivers of these tiny new people--babies for whom we would sacrifice our entire lives. But how do we know what to do? And how do we know if we are doing it right?

As we physically move away from our family, many of us are also moving away from the parenting techniques used by our parents and grandparents. We bring with us some of the ways we were raised, but we've also found that some of the methods they used when we were growing up are not methods we want to pass on to our children. But what might the alternatives look like? And how will we know if they are right?

Parenting Children:

If you've been a parent now for several years, your pre-child life may feel lifetimes away. Much of your life as a parent may be on auto-pilot--from daily schedules to behavior management to making sure everyone, including yourself, is filling their days with the stuff of life that is fun and fulfilling.

But what about the one or two issues that you still don't feel like you have a handle on? That one problem about which you are always reading books, asking friends or lurking around on the internet after bedtime trying to resolve? And what about the brand new issues that your child presents to you one morning as if he or she crept out in the middle of the night to pick up tips from fellow kids on how to baffle, worry or madden one's parents?

Most of us have friends and family to consult. And we all have access to books written by parenting experts. But even so, we still sometimes feel like nobody's ideas are working. Our friends and family can offer opinions based on their experience with a very small number of children (themselves as kids, their own kids and their friends' kids) and what they know about you and your child. On the other hand, experts base their parenting philosophies on the studies of large numbers of faceless children, offering blanket advice to all parents of all children.

During the most challenging times, it can be most helpful to talk to someone who has the professional knowledge AND who understands your individual child and your parenting style.

I have been working with parents since 1997 on a variety of parenting issues. She specializes in working with families of babies, toddlers, preschoolers and early school-age children and am committed to offering solutions based on up-to-date research on child development AND ideas designed to fit your individual child's needs and your parenting style.

If you would like to talk more about a parenting issue, feel free to call me at 303-916-6929 or e-mail me to set up an appointment.