The Dynamics of Sibling Relationships

Some time back, I read a chapter in Nurture Shock on “The Sibling Effect” where Bronson and Merryman highlighted the importance of allowing your first child to have friends before giving him a sibling. Most people make the mistake of thinking that having siblings helps a child to develop social skills that can then be

Understanding Your Child’s Love Language

I wrote about the 5 love languages some time back and even though it made sense at the time, the concept still sounded like one of those airy fairy self-help stuff that is easy to sniff at. But after asking Aristotle to take the test (and taking an assessment myself!), some of Aristotle’s behaviours are

Right Brain Education Rule: Love, Relationship, then Knowledge

After our last class at Heguru, the parents were given a short video presentation from Mr Henmi. The subject matter he covered is nothing new but extremely important if we want our children to benefit from our teachings. It is the connection between love, relationship with your child, and knowledge. Far too often, parents jump

Bonding with Baby Begins in the Womb

After the experience with the Braxton Hick’s contractions, I noticed Gareth being rather quiet at night when he is normally most active.  It got me a little worried and I stayed up waiting to feel his movements.  After putting Gavin down to sleep, I played a little Mozart for Gareth because the music always seemed

Bonding with Baby – Being the Primary Caregiver

If you’re a first time parent who has never really been comfortable with kids, it can be tempting to offer your baby up to someone else who is “more experienced”.  Watching a nanny, your mother or your MIL handle the baby with acrobatic skill will surely put a damper on your confidence as a parent

Bonding with Baby – How Co-Sleeping Helps

I had a lot of issues with this idea at the start mainly because hubby and I are rather violent sleepers.  We swing wildly in our sleep and have been known to punch, slap and kick each other on occasion.  I feared that if our son slept in the same bed, he might end up

Bonding with Baby – How Breastfeeding Helps

Aside from all the other benefits that breastfeeding offers, for me, the primary benefit of breastfeeding my son was that it made me feel like Mum. When Gavin was born, I was surrounded by people who all knew more about babies and children than I did.  They knew how to hold the baby, bathe the

The Importance of Bonding with Your Baby

The first step to raising a happy, confident and successful child lies in developing a strong bond with your child.  Without that bond with your child, how else can you guide them, teach them and shape them? It is easy to assume authority over a child as a parent and expect your children to obey