It’s nice to write for different websites that use different formats. Some sites want short articles, other sites want longer ones and each site has a different “flavor” to them. I’m still the Parenting Teens Feature Writer at Suite101 and the writer for Greenville Parenting Examiner. At BlissfullyDomestic.com, I’m a contributing writer for the “Kids” section although I can also contribute to other areas.

You should check out the Blissfully Domestic site. The site includes articles about fashion, home, entertainment, arts & crafts, writing, relationships and more.

Here are links to some of my articles and some other articles that you may find interesting: (click on the titles to direct your browser to the full articles)

What Plain Paper Offers to Preschoolers that Coloring Books Can’t

When choosing art activities for preschoolers, plain paper has distinct advantages over coloring books  and coloring pages that are printed with an image.

Potty Training Without Using Rewards

Many parents automatically associate potty training with the use of rewards such as candy, stickers or stars. But it’s possible to teach kids to use the potty without any tangible rewards at all.

Fun Ways to Teach Kids Ages 4-8 about Weights and Measures

Parents can teach kids to notice measurement concepts by trying one or more of the hands-on “around the house” activities listed below.

Nurse In Event in Greenville. Photo by Kelly Pfeiffer©

Hi parents!

I had a great time visiting with the moms at the “Nurse In” event this morning outside of WORD 106.3 radio station on Garlington Road, in Greenville, SC. I took pictures and they can be viewed in a slide show in the first article listed below.

I’ve written 4 articles about the peaceful protest “Nurse In”. Click on the titles below to redirect your browser to the articles.

The first two articles listed cover the event:

Nurse In event: Greenville, SC moms nurse babies outside radio station in protest (13 photo slide show of this event included)

Elizabeth Hitchcock: Organizer of Nurse In, peaceful protest in Greenville, SC and other US cities

These next two articles were written BEFORE the event happened to announce the event and to explain the situation that warranted the event:

Moms outraged: Negative breastfeeding comments from Russ and Lisa radio show

Nurse In peaceful protest scheduled for August 2 at Greenville area radio station WORD 106.3

Elizabeth Hitchcock nursing. Photo by Kelly Pfeiffer©

Judge Hitchcock sporting a pro-breastfeeding T- shirt. Photo by K Pfeifer©

Photo by Denise Docherty on StockXChange

“Moral behavior is based on relationships,

not rules.”

The sentence above is my favorite so far in David Walsh’s book. No: Why Kids of all Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.

The sentence that follows the one above is, “In chapter 5, I will spend more time explaining the secure connection that is the basis for discipline and for an effective No.”

My childhood, my life experiences and my training in social and emotional development all support the view that “moral behavior is based on relationships, not rules.”

As some of you may have heard of read, the brain is hard-wired to CONNECT to others. We humans are social creatures and it is within a social setting and social context that children learn (or do not learn) to distinguish between what is moral and what is immoral.

I am eager to read on, to see what Dr. Walsh will share in chapter 5 about the connection between the parent child relationship and moral development. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know the highlights and what I learn.

If you’d like to read with me, the Greenville County Library has several copies of

No: Why Kids of all Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It by David Walsh, Ph.D.

Photo by Dmitry Mayatskyy on StockXChange

Parents of Greenville, SC, get ready to spend less money and more time with your kids.

As the Greenville Parenting Examiner, I’ve launched The Quality Time Project©, a web presence to support parents in building a better relationship with their children through spending engaged quality time together.

The Quality Time Project©

• encourages parents to spend focused one-on-one time with each child on a weekly basis
• offers ideas for parents and kids to spend quality time together
• highlights resources in and around Greenville, SC for spending parent-child time
• gives ideas that cost around $5.00 or less

The Quality Time Project© is an ongoing series of web articles, all of which remind and encourage parents to make parent child quality time a high priority. Some articles such as Mother Daughter Tea Party for Two in Greenville and Frankie’s Fun Park and $5.00 offer an unusual twist to spending time together. Other articles such as Card Game and $5.00 Snack at a Locally Owned Business remind parents of old fashioned fun that might seem “novel” to today’s kids.

I hope that parents, who aren’t already doing so will begin to set aside an hour each week to spend with each child. Some parents may perceive that they spend a lot of time with their kids, but is it engaged time? A parent and child riding in a car together can be engaged with one another or not, depending on how the time is spent. Setting aside an hour each week can help parents plan ahead to drop everything, not take phone calls and build a stronger parent child relationship.

Visit the Quality Time Project© introduction article and subscribe to the Greenville Parenting Examiner feed to receive new articles as they are published.

I’m reading No: Why Kids of all Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It by David Walsh, PhD. I borrowed a copy of the book from the Greenville County Library System. I’m only on page 35, but it so far seems very compatible with my views and with Positive Discipline and with what most people think of “good parenting” in general.

Published in 2007, the beginning of the book discusses popular culture in the US and the effect it and the media has on kids. Walsh makes the point that media influence is “big” for our kids and for many kids, it creates a sense that one “needs” items such as fancy cell phones, special ring tones, a designer look of fashion, video games, etc.

I have to agree with Walsh that media sure doesn’t help parents. Parents must fight extra hard against today’s media influence. But it’s not impossible to set appropriate limits for kids and parents out there, yes, you may feel like you’re the one parent who’s different from the rest. But you are in charge of your children and don’t let what others decide influence you too much.

If you are one of the parents who needs permission to stick to your guns, there, you just got it.

Kids definitely need to hear no and I’m looking forward to Walsh’s ideas on the “how to say it” part. I’ll let readers know what new ideas I learn.  And while you’re waiting for me to post the ideas or on me to return the book to the library so you can check it out, you can also read Barbara Colloroso’s book, Kids Are Worth It: Giving Your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline. I’ve read it and I know she has some effective strategies for saying “no” to children. (Actually the Greenville County Library has five copies of Walsh’s No: Why Kids of all Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It, so you can read along with me if you want.)

Since I’m not teaching any parenting classes this summer, I’m concentrating more on my freelance writing work. I did take a 5 day trip to a barrier island in South Carolina and I’ve spent a day or two at the lake.

So, it’s back to work now for the rest of the summer. I’ll be posting more articles here at my blog, but for now here’s a sampling of the writing I’ve done this summer. I know you locals will enjoy the information about activities and information for families and kids in Greenville SC.

I’ve written over 40 articles on the Greenville Parenting Examiner Site, but here’s a sampling of a few.

Free Kids Cooking Class in Greenville

Wet Places for Kids to Cool Off in Greenville

Mice on Main Free Activity on Main Street in Greenville

Saturday Market in Downtown Greenville – Fun for Families

Free Outdoor Movies at Heritage Park in Simpsonville

Click on any of the article titles above to see the full article on Greenville Parenting Examiner.

Wow!  Have I had a busy spring!

I taught more parenting classes this past school year than ever before.  Recently I’ve been busy with one of my new writing jobs.

I’m the new “Greenville Parenting Examiner”, writing short articles about local information relevant to parents in the Greenville area. If you have story ideas or events that you feel should be promoted, e-mail me the information and I’ll consider writing an article about it.

I’m still the Parenting Teens feature writing at Suite101.com also. That writing does not have a local focus, but rather is a place for general information that any parent can apply to parenting teenagers. If you have story ideas for that section as well, e-mail me at KellyPfeiffer@THINKitTHROUGHparenting.com with ideas.

I’m also a contributing writer for the Kids Section at BlissfullyDomestic.com. I also contribute to other areas at Blissfully Domestic when I can.

The articles I’ve published so far at Blissfully Domestic are:

• Fun Ways to Teach Kids Age 4-8 about Weights and Measures
• Puzzle Ribbon Symbol Recognizes Autism Awareness
• The Babies Movie – Insights into Child Development and Parenting Styles

The Article is called

The Long Term Effects of Spanking

Read the full article at the Title link above.

5 Criteria for Effective Discipline

As usual, I couldn’t move out of my seat until the end of the show. I know, I know, it’s “television” and the drama is intentionally hyped up. Yes, I get all that. But I’m fascinated to see how parents choose to run their homes and raise their kids. I love it when both families can learn SOMETHING from the experience.

The episode I watched today clashed the issues of

Raising Children to be Independent

De-Valuing Glizt & Glamour

against

Pampering Children,

Buying Daily Gifts for Children

Embracing Sparkling Fashion & Outward Beauty

 Wow! There were definitely two opposite extremes represented in the two families. You can get the gist of the whole show by watching only the first section which is 9 minutes long.

It was really interesting to me (as some of you might guess) to see how one family enables their daughter to be helpless in many ways.

Wife Swap