Kids & Company Blog: Behaviour

Sibling Harmony

I grew up in the family of three girls where sibling rivalry was always very  prevalent. In fact as adults I would say in certain circumstances  the sibling rivalry is still there!  Being the youngest of the three I often felt the need to  be careful of what I did and said so as to… [read more]


Helping Young Children Adjust to a New Baby Sibling : Toddlers

Spring brings new babies! I had three spring babies myself! A wonderful time to be on mat leave and a great time to toilet train, the summer after they turn two…. When I had my children, I bought a “cabbage patch baby” for the new brother or sister and presented “their baby” to them at… [read more]


Sleep Training

Sleep training is one of the most controversial and stressful issues for parents. Not necessarily just in the first year but with my eighth child, my husband and I had a middle of the night visitor for five years! It was actually 29 years ago that I was expecting my first son. I certainly didn’t… [read more]


Make Breakfast an Important Part of your Day!

Health Canada recommends that everyone should enjoy breakfast every day. A healthy balanced breakfast should include 3 of the 4 food groups. Children who eat breakfast are known to be more alert and content. I know that it is far too easy to grab a banana or granola bar on the way out the door… [read more]


The Importance of Sleep

Your child and their sleep is one of the most popular parenting topics. Of my eight babies, I had a few great sleepers, some were okay and one or two that were terrible! The last one (maybe because he was my last), came into bed with my husband and I until he was 5!! Clearly… [read more]


Milestones and Learning Styles: Every Child is Different and Things Have Changed Over the Last 30 Years!

Watching your child grow and develop new skills is one of the exciting activities that come along with being a parent. It was always a party in our house when the newest member to the family took their first steps or spoke their first words! But even though we were focused on celebrating our child’s… [read more]


The Benefits of Socialization: Child Care and Playgroups

One of the most important issues that parents consider after the birth of their baby is whether to go back to work and if they choose to do so, how should they prepare their family for this. Does one parent stay home? Do they hire a nanny? Do they send the baby to a child… [read more]


Tidy up time: The importance of cleaning up their own mess

I have always encouraged each and every one of my children to clean up their own mess as well as helping their siblings or friends clean up their messes. They are allowed to make their own food and eat (in certain approved spaces!), through out the house- as long as they cleaned up!   Asking… [read more]


Power Struggles

Power struggles are such a common occurrence with children of all ages for so many different reasons! You would think after the age of five or so they would taper off, but I’d have to say to this day I still experience power struggles… even with my oldest child!

One power struggle that is common for parents is the clothing dispute. Whether it’s your three-year-old daughter who insists on wearing a Christmas dress with rubber boots in the middle of July, or your four-year-old son who refuses to get dressed in the morning, clothing can be a tough one! When my eldest daughter was three years old, she decided that she was going to be picky about her clothing. In fact she decided not to wear clothes at all, and there was no way I was going to get anything on her. This was definitely difficult for us, as the number one rule in power struggles is to ignore the situation and not to engage in the battle.


Behaviour Management

Spanking is such a tough topic and is one that I have strong personal feelings about.
Of course, in the child care world we have a very firm policy on “behaviour management” and a teacher would be immediately let go if they even suggested a spanking policy. We take this very seriously and provide positive reinforcement and redirect the child if they are having a difficult time.