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Here we are on the last day of 2016!  I’ve really enjoyed looking back and reviewing my most popular top ten parenting blogs from 2016, and thinking about the impact that these lessons I learned had on me and my family and hopefully on you too.

None of this would be possible without you and your support. So I want to THANK YOU for a fantastic year!

So here they are: My Most Popular Top Ten Parenting Blogs for 2016

Top Ten Parenting Blogs

#10: Screenagers – Setting Limits on Screen Time

The gist: Dr. Delaney Ruston, a Stanford trained physician got the idea to make this documentary when she was struggling over screen-time with her own kids.  She documents the grim reality of the negative impact that too much screen time has on developing brains, and backs up her finding with research.

Why it made the list: I know we’ve all heard a lot about the concerns of too much screen-time but this film broke it down into bite-sized pieces of facts that we can’t ignore.  This film strongly encourages parents to set boundaries on screen-time, as much as we know we need to set boundaries in general parenting.  Dr. Delaney Ruston also offered concrete tips which are also summarized in this post.

#9: The 12 Amazing Benefits of Free Play!

The gist: In her book, The Dolphin Way, Dr. Shimi Kang summarizes the amazing benefits of free play which are summarized very concisely in this article.

Why it made the list:  As with screen-time, we’ve all heard that at the opposite end of the continuum, children are getting less and less time to engage in free play.  However, Dr. Shimi Kang’s points are so important that it moves the importance of free-play up  on the priority list!

#8: Wise Words from Dr. Yong Zhao on Our Children’s Education

The gist:  Dr. Young Zhao explains that we’re entering the fourth industrial revolution, the era of artificial intelligence.  He explains what critical skills our children will need in the work force of the fourth industrial revolution.

Why it made the list:  I found this presentation by Dr. Yong Zhao encouraging and exciting, as did many of my readers and people I talked to after the presentation.  Education is going to need to move more in the direction of supporting children’s creativity and strengths vs. trying to fit everyone in to the same-shaped hole.  Read the article to see the top skills that our children will need.

#7: How Much to Hold On (to our kids) or Let Go

The gist:  Nowadays, there’s a lot of confusion as to how much independence to give our children and how much to hold on, with the intention of keeping closely attached.  In this article, I discuss Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s important teachings on creating dependency but also the importance of developing capability.

Why it made the list:  I see a lot of children who are suffering from very high anxiety and sometimes, it is due to the fact that they are so closely attached to their parents that they don’t believe in their own capabilities.  There is a balance between creating dependency and encouraging independence and this article explains the need for both.

#6: How to Help My Child Be More Optimistic

The gist:  We all want our children to be positive and problem-solving solution seekers, but some children are naturally more pessimistic than optimistic.  In Dr.  Martin Seligman’s book, The Optimistic Child, he discusses ways that we can encourage our children to become more optimistic.

Why it made the list:  There are a lot of children who have told me that their parents don’t truly listen to them, and try to always get them to look on the “bright side”.  I understand the parents’ intentions, and wrote this article to give parents an actual example with a script of how you can validate your child’s negative thoughts/emotions and weave in optimistic thinking.  This article also has two very handy, colour pdf tables to compare the thinking of an optimist vs. a pessimist.

#5: Use This Antidote to Handle Your Kid’s BIG Emotions

The gist:  Dr. Shefali Tsabary, in her most recent book, The Awakened Family discusses using opposite energy to respond to our children’s BIG emotions.  It’s an amazingly simple but highly effective tip,  and she gives the antidote for each kind of behaviour in her beautiful poem, The Gift which is also inside this article.

Why it made the list:  I believe Dr. Shefali’s poem, The Gift should be present in every family’s home.  If we started every day reading this poem, it would help us stay grounded in the heated moments.  If we can model self-regulation for our children, we will give them the gift of being self-regulated adults.

#4: Are You The Protector or The Pusher?

The gist:  In many families, there is one parent who is more concerned with setting limits, behaviour and discipline and another parent who is more focussed on attachment, connection and nurturance.  There is a place for both of these roles and this article explains how to create a combined approach vs. an either-or approach.

Why it made the list: Especially with my families, who have a child with high anxiety, I see this Protector and Pusher dynamic.  As one parent becomes more one way, the other parent feels the need to over-compensate in the other direction, creating a divide.  In this article, both parents can see how both roles are important and how they can become more of the role that they are not as engaged with at the moment.

#3: Disrespect Is Rampant.  Are You Teaching Respect and Manners? (Take the quiz)

The gist:  We’ve heard about the millennials being entitled but how does it all start?  Sadly, there are too many children who are being raised without being taught specific manners and specific respectful behaviour.  Take the quiz to see how your kids are doing…

Why it made the list:  If our society continues to neglect to teach children about respect and manners, we will have more and more young people growing up to be unaware of others and their impact on others.

#2: 6 Parenting Tips from Josh Shipp (Abandoned orphan to Oprah’s guest)

The gist:  I attended Josh Shipp’s presentation about his very challenging upbringing and was very moved by these six lessons that he shared.

Why it made the list:  This is another one that should be on everyone’s fridge!  Josh has a captivating way of describing the six tips that as parents we need to know.

#1:  Lessons I’ve Heard from Teens for Parents with Kids of All Ages

The gist:  Teens continue to tell me over and over again that there parents just don’t get it!  Get what?  Read this article to hear the heartfelt messages that teens want us to hear.

Why it made the list: I ranked this article number one for 2016, not just because it was well-read, but because these are very important messages that teens want us to hear and we need to create awareness and share this information.  There are too many teens experiencing severe distress, and the part we can do to help, is truly listen to what they would like from us.  So even if you read this article when it was first published, I encourage you to read it again, and see how much you retained from the first time you read the article.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list as much as I have creating it.

Thank you again for all of your emails, your Facebook shares and likes, your retweets, your in-person conversations at parent education evenings or in private sessions, and for making this parenting forum and community possible.

I wish you and your families a happy and healthy 2017,

Warmly,

PS.  If you’ve enjoyed these top ten parenting blogs from 2016, please share on your social media accounts and  email to a friend or family member.  You can also follow me on Facebook here.

PPS.  For my 2017 groups to teach children (7-9 years and 10-12 years) about anxiety management strategies and self-empowerment strategies and to register online please click here and click on “upcoming groups”.