1) “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. Milk spills, clean laundry dumped on the floor, jumping on the couch…sound familiar? If I would get worked up every time these things happened, I would constantly be stressed out. Yes, it’s annoying when spills happen or when the clean laundry is dumped on the floor (especially on purpose). Just clean it up and move on. Better yet, if your child is old enough, have him/her help you clean it up using the hand over hand method. Older children can also be taught to clean up by themselves.

2) Compliment positive behavior. Most people love to be complimented and children are no different. When they are behaving nicely and you’re proud of them, tell them! It will make them proud of themselves as well! Chances are it will motivate them to act correctly in the future as well.

3) Individual attention is so important. Individualized attention can take many different forms:

• Listening to them tell a story

• Listening to them telling you about their day

• Playing with them

• Reading with them.

Let your child pick what they want to do with you. Children thrive on individual attention. It does not necessarily have to be long a time every day, quality more than quantity is what matters!