There has never been and never again will be a child just like yours. Even though babies are born every day, the birth of your baby is sacred, unique, and extraordinary. Connecting to this unique heart energy of your baby will be a profound experience for you, allowing your internal trapdoor of love to release….
Parenting
Four Simple (but Impactful) Ways to Live a More Ethical Life
Ethics (noun) – moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity; the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc. The path to green and healthy living has many detours into ethical-dilemma territory. You don’t mind occasionally feeding your family via the drive…
Good Sports: Encouraging Healthy Competition
It’s no fun to lose. When your child tries really hard and doesn’t get the results she intended, you can help her see it as an opportunity to succeed. Or if she does well, instead of bragging on herself, you can show her how to respectfully celebrate her achievement. Whether it’s a family board game…
What to Do If Your Child Gets into Legal Trouble at School
Parenting is full of surprises. No matter how mindfully a parent approaches the various aspects of the parenting game, unexpected things are bound to happen. It’s what makes life dynamic. As our sweet babies grow up and go off to school, we lose a certain amount of influence over how they spend their days. They’ll…
5 Questions to Consider Before Buying Your Child a Smart Phone
A single generation ago, it would have seemed extreme to buy your teen or tween a cell phone. Not anymore. Smartphones have so fundamentally impacted modern communication that today mobiles are all but a necessity: pay phones are a thing of the past and landlines are on the way out too. As of this year,…
In Appreciation of Fathers: Supporting New Dads & Dads-To-Be
As I spent my weekend reading books on birthing and breastfeeding, I was inspired to write something for the fathers. During Lamaze classes, I used to spend more time listening to and working with the fathers as compared to the mothers. Funny as it seems, I practice that for a reason. Fathers are commonly forgotten during these nine…
Pampering Essential Oil Giveaway
We are all about taking time for us. It’s essential! To help you relax and get a little lift, we have teamed up with Breathe, Love, Play for a great giveaway. One lucky winner will receive 1 Young Living Tranquil Roll-On, 1 Young Living Stress Away Roll-On, and 1 bottle of Young Living Lavender essential…
From Ancient Times to Modern Parenting: The DIDYMOS Babywearing Legacy
Sometimes it’s tough being the first one in the neighborhood trying a new thing. While babywearing is far from new, its journey into the mainstream consciousness has been a slow one. Back in 1972, Erika Hoffmann knew this exact feeling. At a time when it was practically unheard of for children to sleep with their…
Setting Cell Phone Rules
It takes a fair amount of self discipline to manage the responsibility of a cell phone – and most kids are not ready for that before middle school, if then. In fact, since the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until the mid-20s, middle schoolers are famous for not having as much impulse control as we’d…
Roughhousing & Developmental Play
A kitten makes a sideways run to pounce on her unsuspecting sibling. Two puppies growl and nip each other, all the while thumping their tails with glee. Roughhousing comes naturally to young animals (even non-predatory animals), so it should be no surprise our kids have the same instincts. “Play fighting” can actually help kids learn…
How to Prevent Digital Eye Strain
As our kids get older, life gets more complicated. Harder assignments. Bigger emotions. Scarier topics. We do our best to provide a nurturing environment for them to vent and relax and just be themselves while hoping to maintain safe boundaries. One thing that skyrockets when children start reaching their tween years is their digital use….
Guided Relaxation: Spring Renewal
Children love the use of the vivid guided imagery for fun and stress relief. Simply read the words to your child in a relaxed manner as they settle into bed or at nap time. These peaceful guided relaxation scripts are written by Mellisa Dormoy of ShambalaKids. Her guided relaxation audios help children and teens relieve stress…
4 Ways To Maximize Your Connection With Your Kids
There’s no doubt that good schools and rockstar teachers are key to kids getting a quality education. However, the education that will really stick with kids is the one they get at home. According to Maurice Hedish, LCSW and and creator of Specialized Family Therapy, children go through new stages of development every 5-7 years….
Jen Boulden on Parenting & Living Your Passion
With many lessons learned after a half career in NYC media startups, in 2001 Jen Boulden placed her bets on an inevitable green business revolution and received a “green MBA” from GWU. After graduating she co-founded Ideal Bite, a daily email publication dedicated to “light green living.” Within a few short years, Ideal Bite amassed…
A Mindful Approach to Naming Your Baby
Naming stories are the best. Ask your closest friends about where their names came from, and you’re sure to get a good story or two. You could find out that Lindsay’s parents named her after their favorite bank teller. Lewis was named for his great-grandfather who brought the family to the US. Or Maddy was…
The Spring 2017 Issue of Green Child Magazine is Here!
The Spring 2017 issue of Green Child is here! You’ll find natural parenting advice for all ages & stages… from handling baby’s first fever to creating a safe environment for your preschooler’s roughhousing to helping set rules for your teen’s first cell phone. You’ll also find healthy recipes, a peek at our favorite books in…
Taking Care of Yourself When Your Child Has Special Needs
After our baby was born, one question that I still remember (almost five years later) was whether my husband and I had gone on a solo date yet. I couldn’t imagine leaving the baby out of sight, as I was blissfully consumed in protecting, nurturing, feeding, and loving my newborn. Honestly, I was just getting…
Why & How to Embrace Minimalist Parenting
For many years, the parenting climate has been all about more. More expert advice, more gear, more competition, more fears about safety, and more choices to make about education, nutrition, and even entertainment. The result? Overwhelmed, confused parents and over-scheduled, over-parented kids. Fifteen minutes of decision-making here and there may not sound like much, but all the time and…
Early Moments Matter
Each year on Valentine’s Day, we try to focus on truly worthwhile ways to bring more love to those around us. Whether you’re celebrating a little more sustainably, showing your loved ones how much they mean to you, or making an impact on someone you may never meet… it all adds up to more collective…
Babywearing Basics: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Carriers, Wraps, & Slings
Babywearing is a practice that goes back to the dawn of time because of how perfectly and wonderfully it works. Babywearing truly is simple and seamlessly compatible with this thing we call life. Wearing can offer newborns the constant warmth and security that they need; enable simple on-demand breastfeeding; give parents hands so they can care…
How A Repeal of the Affordable Care Act Could Impact Women and Families
Donald Trump campaigned on the promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA or Obamacare). Within hours of being sworn in, the new President issued an executive order to “seek the prompt repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” What steps Congress will take to strip away the provisions…
I-ddiction and the Decline of the Close-Knit Family
Having children is one of the most beautiful experiences that you can share with the person you love. It’s a right of passage in life, the ultimate sign of maturity in an individual, and perhaps the most selfless gesture you will ever make. When you have a child, you admit that the world doesn’t revolve…
Loving Myself Through the Wild Sea of Motherhood
New year, new you! This is a term that so many of us hear in the beginning of every year. You might sit down and stare at a blank piece of paper as you begin to write down all of your intentions and changes you want to make for the new year. I know I…
Raising children in a healthy atmosphere (when you may not have had one yourself)
I grew up in a typical American home of the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Yes, there were times I got myself into trouble, but for the most part, my social life was filled with wondrous discovery. We explored the world around us, jumped fences, built fortresses in trees, and generally had to create our own…
