Janet helps a struggling parent understand her spirited toddler’s aggressive behavior and offers suggestions to respond more effectively. Transcript of “Hitting, Screaming, Calling Us Names (and What We Can do About it)” Hi, this is Janet Lansbury. Welcome to Unruffled. In this episode, I’m going to be responding to a question I received via email, … Continued
Janet responds to the parent of a 2-year-old who for the past 3 months has been “going through a really bad stage of pulling hair.” This parent describes herself as a Montessori teacher with an intense passion for gentle, respectful parenting. She has tried several strategies to change her daughter’s behavior, but to no avail. … Continued
In this episode: A parent says she feels helpless because her 2-year-old has been hitting other kids. She says her son loves people and enjoys playing with others, but parents are now keeping their kids away from him. She has tried several approaches, but nothing has worked, so she’s looking to Janet for some fresh … Continued
In this episode: Janet responds to a father whose 2.5-year-old is acting out at home and at school by biting, hitting, and sometimes spitting when she doesn’t get her way. The toddler’s dad says he’s tried a respectful approach to curb her behavior, but it seems to be getting worse. This is Janet Lansbury, and … Continued
Hi Janet, My 3.5 year old has suddenly starting hitting, throwing things, and biting my husband and me. Most of what I read seems to apply to toddlers and those with lack of language, but since my son is older and has very advanced language, neither of these apply. During the 2’s he was an … Continued
We’re big. They’re tiny. They’re just learning our rules and expectations for appropriate behavior. They have a developmental need to express their will, and they have very little (if any) impulse control. With these complicated, powerful dynamics in play, why would we take our toddler’s hitting, biting, resistance or refusal to cooperate personally? We get … Continued
Janet’s guest is Dr. Tina Payne Bryson. Her new book “The Way of Play” (co-authored with play therapist Georgie Wisen-Vincent) illustrates how playing with our kids in a receptive manner for even just a few minutes each day helps us to better understand them, while also encouraging their development of social skills, emotional regulation, resilience, … Continued
Janet is joined by inner child healing expert Lavinia Brown, whose previous appearance on “Unruffled” prompted a listener to write in to describe how she’s struggled to control her angry and physically punitive responses to her three-year-old son’s behavior. Raised in an authoritarian household in which she was spanked whenever she disobeyed, this mom has … Continued
Certain behaviors our kids display can really wind us up. In this episode, Janet offers a solution to three common ones. First, tattling—when our kids seem to have the incessant need to tell on friends or siblings for every minor thing they do. As adults, we might label this person as a gossip and steer clear. … Continued
A parent writes to Janet that she’s alarmed and heartbroken about the wedge that’s developed between her and her 4-year-old son, “a very sweet, genuine, kind little person,” due to his increasingly unkind, hurtful behavior. This mom feels she’s tried everything and yet her son continues to hit, kick, pinch, scratch, and run away from … Continued
Janet consults with a distressed parent of two boys who feels stuck in a destructive pattern. She describes how she’s struggling with feeling constantly irritated, overwhelmed, and just angry. “I love my kids more than anything,” she says, “but they’re driving me crazy.” Janet agrees with the mom that boundaries are a big part the … Continued
Raising kids is a learning process, and (no doubt) there’s a benefit to reflecting on the mistakes we make along the way. But Janet believes we can learn even more when we recognize and appreciate our successes, no matter how inconsequential they might seem to us as the time. Maybe it’s the little bit of … Continued
By now, we’ve all heard that Step One for effectively addressing our kids’ behaviors and emotional storms is to first calm ourselves. Sounds simple, but as Janet has often shared, she believes this to be the biggest challenge we as parents face. Here’s good news: Janet’s guest this week is dynamic and passionate educator Mr. … Continued
