by Cecilia Hilkey | parenting
We like it when kids–especially our own–do chores around the house. One of our daughters is a master at cleaning the bathroom. The other one takes out the recycling, the trash, and does all the cat care. They both help with the dishes and setting the...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | conflict, parenting
During a family car ride once when I was little, I got really mad at my big brother. I remember wanting to punch him! I didn’t hit him, but when we were close to home, we pulled into the driveway. I jumped out and, instead of taking my anger out on someone else, I...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | communication, parenting
When I was a kid occasionally my dad would lose his temper. I’m sure he had a decent reason for feeling upset, a long day of work plus maybe I was roller skating through the house, making a lot of noise, or fighting with my brother or sister. I remember seeing his...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | conflict, parenting, tantrums
You might say it’s a child having… A tantrum A melt down Big feelings Getting to the end of their rope Flipping their lid. Whatever you call it, we’ve all experienced it. Every parent struggles, at one point or another, with helping their child through an upset. For...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | conflict, parenting, tantrums
No matter how old your kids are… 2, 12, or 22 years old, at some point they’ve been overcome with emotions. Even us, mature adults have “grown up tantrums” occasionally. We might call it road rage, over-eating, over-drinking, over-shopping, yelling, door slamming, or...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | parenting, tools
I’ve been thinking a lot about “rough spots” in families this week. It seems like no matter how healthy our relationships are, at some point in time things will get a little tough–maybe you even have days, weeks or months of a rough spot. In our family we’ve had...read more
