This is Part 2 of a collection of posts used to write my book How to Raise a Mindful Eater
Several months ago Big A started going in her brother’s room to jump on his bed. She eventually started referring to it as her morning jumping, afternoon jumping, and nighttime jumping. Apparently, his bed was bouncier than hers.
But when we discovered what happened as a result of this jumping, a hole in the mattress, we ordered her to stop. The very next day she was in tears because she missed her jumping so much. We found a solution so she could keep jumping, but we also realized how this activity had become her way of self-regulating and dealing with daily stressors.
I know that to write a book on teaching kids moderation the topic of self-regulation needs to be examined. Children who cannot self-regulate are more likely to use unhealthy habits to cope with stress. I recently chatted with Dr. Stuart Shanker, self-regulation expert, CEO of the MEHRIT Centre and author of Calm, Alert and Learning. It was a pleasure to pick his brain and I learned a lot about a topic every parent should know about. (more…)
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