Pause Parent Repeat

Will you invite the tooth fairy into your home?
From superstition to persuasion to encouragement - the tooth fairy has played many roles. Maybe empowerment is the next evolution of the tooth fairy's role in the shedding of baby teeth.

Children are far more fascinated by the realness of life than the made-up make believe that we sometimes invent to motivate behavior at best and manipulate it at worst.

What’s missing, for me, is information and knowledge to empower children through change.

https://open.substack.com/pub/pauseparentrepeat/p/do-you-believe-in-the-tooth-fairy?r=2so6ug&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

For National Pediatric Dental Health Month - we had a little fun with loose teeth and learning about the infamous tooth fairy! Available Feb 28 at 8pm. Click below to learn with us.

Do You Believe in the Tooth Fairy? The Tooth Fairy: Past, Present and future

The Caitlin Clark Effect: for her... for him... for all of us
Thoughts from a girl and mother as the world around us changes.

Available tomorrow - February 21st - click below to receive

Caitlin Clark: for her... for him... for all of us Parenting as the world around us changes.

Valentine's Day is tomorrow! Looking for a last minute idea to celebrate with your little one(s)?
This is from a dear parent I'm lucky enough to know and learn from - Tara!!

1 Surprise them when they wake up and come into your living room in the morning - and find - balloons ready for them! Bonus if you grab pink, red, and/or white!
2 Lean into the moment and play!
You can try keeping as many in the air as possible while your child experiences a "raining love" effect
You can play keep the balloon in the air if your child is 3 or older
You can blow on the balloons as they see how air can move the balloons with ease (straws are handy for this)
Let your child lead and join whatever idea comes to mind!!

Available Wednesday, February 14th! Click below to receive

Happy Valentine's Day! withL.O.V.E. from our family to yours!

A “good to know” as you support your child in writing their name:

Letter Formation Matters
Anytime our brains have access to repetition we learn more efficiently. This is true for handwriting as well. Imagine doing all of these incredible coordinating tasks:

eye-hand
pencil-paper
pressure-movement

in 100 different ways instead of just 26.

If we take the time to show our children letter formation consistently, they will be better equipped to learn to write the letters. The key here is show, model, invite, remind. NOT drill, erase, re-do. Learning is messy and mistakes help us learn. Before I taught kindergarten I didn’t even know letter formation existed - but luckily it does! Funny how much a person doesn’t remember ever learning! If you’re like me, you might need to brush up on letter formation for print letters so that you can model consistently.

Here you go:

Green is where you begin, Red is next. Most letters are continuous, meaning you keep the writing utensil on the paper for the entire letter. When children can feel the formation, they are better able to remember it and learn it to the state of automaticity (which is what you and I do) we can form letters almost without a conscious thought.

For more on making Valentines with your child(ren) visit: https://pauseparentrepeat.substack.com/p/valen-time-valentines

Supporting Name Writing on Valentines
If your child (not you, lol - because of course you are!) is interested in learning to write their name, but maybe they’ve never tried or are showing frustration or are worried about making a mistake - focus on what they can do.

Can they form the first letter?

Can they draw a horizontal line where they want their name to go?

Can they use letter stickers to make their name?

It’s far more important that they feel genuine pride in what they made, than that they made you proud. So notice what they CAN do - notice their effort - the progress, not the finished product.

A few “no thank-you’s”
A few things that you might see out there as popular or even advised ways to help your child that are not helpful in reality.

Dot Letters
When we make dots in the shapes of letters, the child simply looks and focuses from one dot to the next - missing the opportunity to see the shape and form of each letter.

Save it for true Dot-to-Dots, not name writing.

Instead, grab a yellow marker or highlighter and write their name. They can write on top if it while the letter formation is preserved and they build habits of keeping their pen/pencil/marker/crayon tip on the paper as opposed to the up down/up down with the dots. BIG withL.O.V.E. moment - they can observe how you form the letters. Children learn so much through observation.

No need to make valentines FOR your children - here's a look at making Valentines with them!

Finding the with is like most skills, the more you practice, the better you get at it. In this case the more you pause and look for with, the easier with becomes to find. And finding it is oh-so-worth it.

with looks different depending on what you’re doing, how old your child is and how much experience they’ve had previously. I know this can feel uncomfortable because our brains love predictability and standardization. Maybe that’s why parenting in general can be uncomfortable - and why there’s no manual.

Making the time to choose valentines with our children so that they can send love out into the world in a way that honors whatever stage they are in!
https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/valen-time-valentines

Latest withL.O.V.E. Wednesday post - Valen-Time Valentines - Making the time to choose valentines with our children so that they can send love out into the world in a way that honors whatever stage they are in!

Valen-time Valentines How to make the most of making valentines with your little one(s)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2z5MrauNt3/?igsh=MTBhejh2MWY4bno=

Babies can do so much with regard to care of self skills. Throwing the diaper away, in the moment, may feel easier to do for them - it’s actually a great “with L.OV.E.” Opportunity. The with starts by carrying baby with you and throwing it away together. Or simply throwing the diaper away within view of baby so they can observe. Over time they learn the process and pattern. Diaper off, diaper on, throw it away. And when they’re ready they’ll show you. In this video- Josh was going to throw the diaper away with TJ, When TJ reached for it Josh was ready- he handed him the diaper and reversed roles. There are so many ways to include babies in every day tasks- that may be mundane to you- but are just the right level of challenge for them - and challenge feels good! #pauseparentrepeat #parenting #careofselfskills #withLOVE #children #family #familytime #learningopportunities

We notice and get curious to understand because...

Children grow at an incredibly rapid pace and they need us to grow with them.

Check out one remedy for Decision Fatigue caused by the ambiguity and uncertainty of what's most important or most urgent as a parent - Prioritization!

https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/prioritization-power-station

Parent Life is BUSY!! Here's a way to close those tabs!
Prioritization - A remedy for Decision Fatigue caused by the ambiguity and uncertainty of what's most important or most urgent as a parent
https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/prioritization-power-station

https://pauseparentrepeat.substack.com/p/the-prioritization-power-station

Available January 31st!

The Prioritization Power Station A remedy for Decision Fatigue caused by ambiguity and uncertainty of what's most important or most urgent as a parent

Chasing kid clutter around like I am? Check out the Clutter Cart!
https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/tidy-up-time-the-clutter-cart

Available Jan 24th

https://open.substack.com/pub/pauseparentrepeat/p/the-clutter-cart?r=2so6ug&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true

What's a PAUSE CARD?? It's a tool that helps your young child engage in Tidying-Up!!
https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/tidy-up-time-overcoming-resistance-to-putting-toys-away

Our Tidy-Up Time has been close to non-existent lately - here's one tool that has helped turn that around!
https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/tidy-up-time-overcoming-resistance-to-putting-toys-away

2nd Substack Post Coming Tomorrow! Click below to receive!

Tidy-Up Time: Overcoming Resistance to Putting Toys Away

As the New Year begins, perspective can be our best friend when it comes to parenting.
https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/the-5-year-plan-i-never-thought-id-write

First Substack Entry coming tomorrow morning - click below to receive!

The 5 Year Plan I NEVER Thought I Would Write... Welcome to "with L.O.V.E. Wednesdays". This content is inspired in real time as I write about my own PAUSE before I parent, calling upon research and the many lessons learned as a kindergarten teacher turned founding elementary school principal.

Elf on the Shelf: Friend or Foe? If you have an elf in your home - is your elf doing things you hope your children emulate?
https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/elf-on-the-shelf-friend-or-foe-mini

I have come to the hopeful conclusion that I am the Heart of Our Home. Perhaps, if you are reading this, you are too.

https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/the-heart-of-your-home

Sometimes pausing to redefine what's always been creates space for more connection and a whole lot of L.O.V.E.!

https://www.pauseparentrepeat.com/with-l-o-v-e-wednesday-series/redefining-gifts-1st-birthday-edition