My plan failed.  I’d checked online that the store had Size 4 soccer shoes.  Why?! Why had they sold out just before my son and I got there?  Ugh…soccer practice was starting in two days.  So, the helpful shop assistant called around and found a pair for my little guy…at their big store in the […] The post Why Playfulness Transforms Parenting (And is the Quickest Way to Gain Your Child’s Cooperation) appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

When Pinocchio lied his nose grew and grew. When the boy cried wolf eventually no one believed him. Even our cherished folklore stories shame and scare children into telling the truth only when Pinocchio vowed to never lie again he was rewarded with becoming a real boy.  When the wolf does arrive the flock is […] The post Why I Was Happy When My Son Started Lying (and You Should Be Too) appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas……. There is a magical atmosphere in the air among the trees and snow-covered mountains here in Canada. The days are getting shorter and the lights are twinkling in the village on our island. Our little family values togetherness most during this time. We slow right down and […] The post A Dozen Family-Friendly Cosy Christmas Movies for the Holidays appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

Let me guess, because you choose to parent more consciously I can almost guarantee you’d love to approach Christmas with the same level of awareness and simplicity you bring to your parenting.  The gifts, the food, the events, and the social commitments of the season can leave your nervous system reeling and your children feeling […] The post The Natural Parent’s Guide to Christmas Gifting appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

How many friends’ phone numbers can you remember from your childhood?  Do you recall dialling their home phone, introducing yourself to their mum and asking if you could please speak with your friend? You’d spend an hour on the phone, the curly cord wrapped around the doorway into your parent’s bedroom so you could get […] The post Smartphones, Kids and Inconvenient Truths: What Parents Need to Know appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

The myth of normal separates babies & mothers at birth. The myth of normal expects a social species to sleep alone. The myth of normal believes babies should sleep through the night. The myth of normal ‘teaches’ babies to sleep by ignoring their needs. The myth of normal demands toddlers to share before they’re ready. […] The post The Myth of Normal Parenting appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

“How often is he crying?” asked our counsellor.  “A few times a week.” I replied.  “That’s not enough, he needs to be crying a lot more.” she recommended.  My son was four years old at the time and I’d just been given a prescription for tears. I was shocked. More tears?  Isn’t my job as […] The post Why More Tears Are the Answer to Your Child’s Emotional Well-Being appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

Any parent knows that little kids can cry a river of tears over the seemingly smallest of things.  It might be that they wanted the pink cup, not the yellow cup.  That they wanted one more story after the five you already read.  It might be that brother and sister are unable to see eye […] The post How to Raise Emotionally-Resilient Kids in a Tear-Shaming World appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

We don’t need to be outside long before sensing the magic nature holds.  We feel fuller, freer, more alive.  Its resonance lingers, long after we return indoors. Nature holds magic and medicine for all of us. We understand, intuitively and cognitively, the spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits of the great outdoors. Nature’s calming, restorative power […] The post It Seems Too Simple to Be True: How Nature Transforms Parenting and Childhood appeared first on Raised Good ..read more

Every year, I interview some of the best hearts and minds in the parenting world. I’ve now interviewed over 100 speakers and beyond their scientific research, the letters that follow their names, their TED talks, their credentials, or their books, what touches me most… is their humanity. It’s their willingness to tap into their own […] The post Mama, You are the Change We Need to See in the World appeared first on Raised Good ..read more