by Cecilia Hilkey | parenting, professionals, tools
Have you ever had an argument with a spouse or partner that goes like this: The argument gets more and more heated until you start talking about feelings, and then it all changes from clenched jaws to peace and tenderness? It’s pretty amazing that when we talk about...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | homework/school, parenting
After hearing Jessica Lahey, author of the Gift of Failure, talk about the growth that occurs when we allow our kids to fail… After hearing Dr. Dan Siegel talk about when to give your kids a little pushin’ and when to give them a little cushion… I’ve come to the...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | parenting, tantrums
I’m going to talk about something that I’ve never talked about publicly before… a time when I had a meltdown. And I’ve got a 5-sentence mini-script that you can say whenever you are about to lose it. Seriously, it’s gold! First the story, I rarely talk about, when I...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | parenting, tantrums
I want you to meet Dr. Christopher Willard. He’s a psychologist, author of 5 books including Growing Up Mindful and Raising Resilience, father of 2 kids, meditator, and teacher at Harvard Medical School (he’s no slouch!). Chris shares about meltdowns and the brain:...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | parenting
This past weekend Jason, and I hiked up Dog Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border. We started the hike at 6am. It was dark. With my headlamp, I could only see the part of the trail directly in front of me and the outlines of the trees...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | empathy, parenting
A mom of an 8-year-old asked us this… “I don't know what the deal is lately, but I feel like I'm dealing with a teenager. When I try to help her with calming, or offer validation/empathy or suggestions for strategies when she's feeling those big feelings, it may...read more