Mom Life According To Elisa

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While awaiting your firstborn, you may have visions of folding laundry or reading a book as your little one coos to himself a few feet away. Then reality hits and between feeding, changing, and doing strange acrobatics you’d never have expected to get this little guy to sleep, there’s no time for anything else. Our babies need us, and that’s a fact, but there are lots of creative ways to hack mom life. Getting your baby comfortable playing alone is one of your best tools. So how in the world do you do it? Well, my first piece of advice is going to sound a little harsh… Continue Reading

There comes a point in every toddler’s life where his favorite word becomes NO! Often this contrariness catches parents off guard, leaving them bewildered and frustrated. Discipline becomes a struggle and punishments seem futile, usually leading the way to a full-blown  tantrum . It doesn’t have to be like this! Here are a few tips to help you turn your little one’s no into happy compliance. Continue Reading

Looking back on our early years, most of us have probably been sent to timeout, or at least remember what that chair in the corner was for. Timeouts may seem like just another part of childhood, but actually, it’s ineffective. Timeout, or forced isolation as punishment, just doesn’t work. Here’s why: Continue Reading

As a former elementary teacher, I used to cringe when I overheard adults demanding, “Say you’re sorry!” to a child after he’d been involved a scuffle with another kid. I couldn’t stomach the obvious lack of remorse when the child parroted out the phrase, and I worried about the loss of the greater lesson of making things right after committing a wrong. So instead, I used to pose a question, “How can you make it better?” And let the children mull it over before they skipped away to help a friend up, rebuild a fallen structure of blocks, and often apologize of their own will. It was special to watch and I felt certain I’d never direct a child to robotically apologize. Then I had a baby. Who became a toddler. And toddlers are a whole other animal. Toddlers bump, push, scream, and throw things. And they have NO IDEA what I’m talking about when I ask them how they can make it better. So I realized that it’s my responsibility to teach my children that skill. Toddlers are brand ne...

Tattling is really confusing for parents. On the one hand, you’re glad that you’re little one has a sense of justice, or at least knows the rules. On the other hand, something inside you knows that at least some of the time, tattling isn’t really right. And of course, it can get plain annoying. So what’s a mom to do? Continue Reading

How many times have you frantically chased down your toddler or screamed a train of “Stop! STOP!! STOOOPPPP!!!” as he approaches a street or other dangerous situation at full speed ahead? If you just want to keep your child safe and also keep your sanity, you HAVE to give stop training a try. Continue Reading