M Atkinson
Craft your families’ framework
You don’t want your child to grow up needing assertiveness training. And you want your child to listen to you when you want to get out of...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
Communicate towards a better family life
It’s about the way we phrase things. We’re used to pour a sauce of politeness over our communication with other adults, but also with...
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M Atkinson
2 min read
Connecting to your child on multiple levels 2
You wonder how to get your child talking, since you often get a “Yes”, “No”, or “I don’t know”. It is worth to ask yourself the question...
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M Atkinson
2 min read
Connecting to your child on multiple levels 1
You want your child to listen to you. You want to do fun things together. Why is your child not listening? Why can’t your child just go...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
Break that chain
Create space in your conversations with your children. Avoid misunderstandings and the irritations that follow. Be emotionally supportive...
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M Atkinson
4 min read
A starting point
The mother in front of me says she doesn't know what to do or where to start anymore. She has two daughters in the age of 7 and 8 that...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
Playing Outside
Today, some neighbourhood children came out to play on the square. The swings were very popular, as was the climbing fence. Because I...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
Chestnut shell vs. Hedgehog eggs
A boy comes running towards me with something in his hand. Enthusiastically he asks: Teacher, what is this?! I see a pair of chestnut...
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M Atkinson
2 min read
Collateral speech
I'm waiting for my appointment at the GP. A mum steps out of the doctors' room with her estimated 2-year-old. She is pushing the pram...
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M Atkinson
2 min read
Stop that! Don't do that!
The title of this piece is what I often hear neighbours say to their children. It seems like a clear instruction; the noticed, obviously...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
Happy Birthday?
Two sisters are looking at the birthday wall. This wall has the months of the year with flowers in it for every child's birthday. The...
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M Atkinson
2 min read
Yet
I sometimes wonder what children are being told about their talents these days. I remember figuring out quite early in life (I was 7...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
A heads-up
'Teacher', a 6-year-old girl says, 'did you know that if you are brown, you also have a brown bottom?'.
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M Atkinson
4 min read
Perspectives on Bullying
Last week, a 9-year-old girl came to me and told me she was being bullied by three children. I promised her to have a chat with her and...
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M Atkinson
2 min read
Giving words to meltdowns
It's 6 pm and a boy is crying inconsolably. Nothing I say changes anything, so I tell him I'm going to give him a hug and will talk to...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
No baby's for mum!
A four year old points at my belly and says: You have a baby in your belly! At that moment, that is true, and he says this to me every...
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M Atkinson
3 min read
Nothing but the tablet...
Two parents recently told me they worry about the amount of time their children spend on the tablet. After asking for some more...
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M Atkinson
1 min read
A gift for the teacher
A four-year-old tells me to close my eyes, grabs me by the hand and tells me to follow him. He has a gift for me. I do as I'm told and...
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