Kids & Company Blog: Behaviour

Posted on: Wednesday October 24th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

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.

Posted on: Tuesday August 28th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

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.

Posted on: Wednesday August 15th, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

In the child care world, we often talk about “transitioning” from one part of the daily schedule to the next. Children might be playing on the carpet and then need to come to the table to have their snack. Most children manage this transition well and when told that it is “snack time” they jump up from their play and run happily to the table.
Some children have a harder time with this and need to be told a few times, “soon it will be snack time”, “a few more minutes”, “start to get ready” and other reminders like these. We find this makes things much easier.

Posted on: Wednesday August 1st, 2012

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

I do consider myself somewhat of a “parenting expert” and this is not just because I have 8 children, but also because many years ago (26 to be exact), I attended a 2-year parenting course called “Children the Challenge”. Since then, I have continued with reading and taking courses every year. While I do not always agree with what I read, I feel that the answer for parents is to read/learn and decide what makes sense for you.

Posted on: Monday March 19th, 2012

Posted by: Kids & Company

One of the most upsetting social faux-pas your baby or toddler can commit in their early years is to bite another child (or adult). One baby is in tears, his or her parents are often upset that their child was used as a chew toy and the biter’s parents are embarrassed. No one wants their little one to be excluded from play-dates and birthday parties for using their teeth a bit too liberally but parents and caregivers are often unsure what to do.

Posted on: Wednesday November 9th, 2011

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

As a woman with 8 children I can tell you that the evolution of being a parent contains many events that repeat themselves. Having children at different stages of development meant that I tackled developmental hurdles like a juggler on a tightrope attached to moving cars. I can tell you this though, there are certain feelings that come up over and over again, and separating from your children – be it for child care, sleepover camp, or university – always feels the same.

Posted on: Monday October 24th, 2011

Posted by: Kids & Company

October keeps catching me by surprise. The cold weather comes and stays. Then I’ve got to excavate the fall and winter clothes from storage and pull out my favorite autumn recipes. I flip the page on the wall calendar and start thinking about Halloween costumes, pumpkin carving, booking holiday travel, and buying new snowsuits for the kids (when will they stop outgrowing one each year?).

Posted on: Friday September 30th, 2011

Posted by: Victoria Sopik

Some people think that the children that bite are “bad children”, this is not true. They are almost always just children that are trying to communicate and to get the attention of their friends and family members.

As a parent with a toddler in child care, you may find that yourself on one end or the other. Your child may be the biter or the bitee. This all might come as a bit of a surprise because most children don’t bite their parents! They are used to getting attention and having their “cues” met..

Posted on: Monday September 12th, 2011

Posted by: Julie Cole

I’m happy to introduce another guest blogger to our page. Julie Cole who is a co-founder of Mabel’s Labels and mother of six. We’re so happy to be able to share her expertise with you. Enjoy!

Posted on: Tuesday September 6th, 2011

Posted by: Kids & Company

We would like to welcome our first guest blogger, Mitali Ruths. Mitali is the mother of two young girls who are both Kids & Company children, and she is also an M.D. who has offered some of her expertise and opinions to us. I hope you enjoy her article on transitions as much as I did.

-Victoria