Author: Poornima Vijayashanker
-
Patience, Progress, and the Family Traditions That Take Time
Building family traditions with young children isn’t always joyful or easy—especially when those traditions require patience, time, and flexibility. Over the past five years, our annual family ski trip has taught me more about parenting patience, managing expectations, and building family traditions than I ever expected. This is a reflection on what it looks like…
-
Letting Discomfort Teach: A Parenting Story About Friendship
Last year, we visited close friends who have a daughter named Sage. She’s about ten months older than my daughter Evani, who is three. Since we stayed with Sage’s family for a few days, the girls had the rare opportunity to spend extended, unstructured time together—something young children don’t often get. At first, they were…
-
Parenting Communication Skills I Learned During a Hard Season
I’ve shared a lot about what’s worked for me while parenting my three little ones (all seven and under)—what’s helped our family dynamic and strengthened communication in parenting. For example, I’ve written about coaching a shy child to build confidence and communicate and about teaching kids how to interact confidently with trusted adults. But I…
-
Teaching Siblings To Communicate Effectively
Communication isn’t something children either have or don’t have. It’s a skill—and one that is highly teachable through intentional practice, patience, and repetition. In a previous post, I shared how my husband and I coached our middle child through moments of shyness and helped him build confidence. Another theme that comes up often for parents—especially…
-
Raising a Shy Child: Build Confidence in New Situations
Parenthood isn’t a one-way street. Yes, we guide our children—but some of our clearest lessons come from quietly watching them navigate the world. I learned this through my middle child, Kaveh. A Birthday Hint I Almost Missed On his first birthday, we lit the candle, gathered around, and started singing “Happy Birthday.” I expected giggles…
-
How I’m Teaching My Kids to Interact Confidently With Adults
When I was seven, my family lived in a little suburb called Chandler, Arizona—a neighborhood full of kids, open streets, and endless afternoons outside. I never lacked playmates. But every once in a while, my friends were busy with chores, homework, or—tragically—grounded. That’s when I got creative about who else I could “hang out” with.…