The Dance Of Parenting

A unique manual to raising a child—for parents everywhere—using the metaphor of dance to provide expert, comforting advice. Having children and raising a family should be the greatest joy in one’s life, but it is a role that requires tremendous responsibility and patience. As parents, our job is to provide a strong foundation for our children, so that they can eventually grow up to become self-sufficient adults. However, just like everything in life, all children are different, some requiring more support than others and to varying degrees over time. Parenting is like a dance between parent and child. The more seamless the movements, the more graceful the interaction. When a parent takes the lead or decides to share, over time with practice, the dance can be smooth and effortless. Nevertheless, when the child is unintentionally allowed to take the lead, the parent-child dance may appear more rocky and unstable. This often occurs when the parent is unclear and at odds with their role. The ensuing battle for the lead may cause disharmony in the relationship and the dance. Parenting is a lifelong commitment that takes patience, thoughtfulness, and skill. The Parent-Child Dance is designed to explain the concept of the dance and act as a catalyst for encouraging parents to begin their journey in making positive changes in their child’s life. Parents will recognize the scenarios and gain insight through humorous examples and step-by-step strategies to avoid disharmony.

Through stories and a breakdown of how-tos, The Dance of Parenting will get you thinking about your parenting experience in a new way. It offers simply laid out parenting skills to help you energize and strengthen your parenting dance. It will accompany you as you develop your enlightened, thriving inner choreographer.

Cultivate effective partnerships between parents and professionals Written from both the parent’s and the professional’s points of view, this book draws upon the metaphor of dance to highlight the essential partnership between teachers, administrators, support staff, and parents of children with disabilities. Rich with humor and heart, the book offers helpful steps for self reflection, personnel preparation, and parent-professional training. Key features include: Practical insights and evidence-based approaches to forming partnerships Easy-to-read, non-technical language that speaks to both the heart and the mind Sample letters, conversations, and other forms of communication between professionals and parents Effective ways to handle difficult situations

Following a unique format perfect for today's world, the renowned author of The Dance of Anger gives us just over 100 rules that cover all the hot spots in long-term relationships. Marriage Rules offers new solutions to age-old problems ("He won't talk"/"She doesn't want sex") as well as modern ones (your partner's relationship to technology.) You'll also learn how to: Calm things down and warm them up Talk straight and fight fair Listen well as a spiritual practice Connect with a distant partner Survive the unique challenges of children, stepchildren and difficult- laws Follow a 12-step program to overcome defensiveness Know how and when to draw the line Take back your marriage when things fall apart Marriage Rules is a treasure chest of lively, practical advice to help you navigate your couple relationship with clarity, courage, and joyous conviction. If one person in a couple follows ten rules of his or her choice, it will generate a major, positive change. All that's required is a genuine wish for a better relationship and a willingness to practice.

The Parent-Child Dance: A Guide to Help You Understand and Shape Your Child's Behavior, shows you how to help your child improve his behavior and become calmer, happier, and more focused. You'll also learn how to strengthen and enjoy your parent-child relationship--without guilt, shame, or blame. Written by pediatric behavioral specialist, Miriam Manela, OTR/L, this sensitively-illustrated parenting guide contains over eighty creative activities and shows you the proven techniques the author has taught to thousands of parents, kids, teachers, and therapists. Get help for your child for difficulties such as over-sensitivity or irritability; discomfort with touch, sound, smell, and taste; overly rough and rowdy behavior; frequent anger outbursts or temper tantrums; anxiety or nervousness; appearing withdrawn or shutdown; difficulty with peers, problems with teachers; and more issues that the author, a pediatric occupational therapist, has successfully treated in hundreds of patients in her private practice. Table of Contents ForewordNote to Parents, Guardians, and ProfessionalsIntroductionChapter One: Stress and the Dysregulated ChildChapter Two: The Child-on-the-EdgeChapter Three: The Princess and the PeaChapter Four: The Heat-Seeking MissileChapter Five: The Squeaky WheelChapter Six: Taking Care of YouResource GuideAcknowledgmentsIndex Recommendations and Praise for The Parent-Child Dance: "Miriam Manela has the key to help you unlock the mystery of your child's challenging behavior...A compassionate, insightful, user-friendly book." -Pat Carroll, host of "Raising Our Kids," WCBS radio. "This book is like having an occupational therapist living in your attic! Through science, step-by-step instructions, and helpful illustrations, Manela and Zwolinski beautifully reveal the secrets of therapeutic, purposeful connection for the benefit of parents and children alike. Let's dance, let's dance indeed!" -Anthony T. DeBenedet, M.D., Coauthor of the Bestseller, The Art of Roughhousing "The Parent-Child Dance is a wonderful resource book for parents and professionals to help children with the range of sensory processing disorders...This must-have book is full of activities that can be easily integrated into play and everyday routines." -Dr. Georgia DeGangi Clinical Psychologist, Occupational Therapist "In this highly readable and practical book Manela and Zwolinski share hands-on approaches and easy to understand explanations of some of the underlying causes of dysregulated child behavior. The easily understandable recommendations coupled with the wonderful illustrations that clearly describe how to implement the exercises combine to make this a volume that parents will find to be a tool that can help them meet the challenge of raising a child with behavioral difficulties." -Dr. David Pelcovitz, Psychologist, Y.U. "The Parent-Child Dance offers many creative activities parents can do with their children at home to help them with some common behavioral issues." -Howard Glasser is Executive Director of Children's Success Foundation & Creator of the Nurtured Heart Approach(r) "The Parent-Child Dance could only have been written by someone with Miriam Manela's expertise, dedication, and insight. In it, Miriam helps you get in touch with your child's inner world, and gives you the tools you need to strengthen your parent-child relationship without blaming or shaming." -Richard M. Zwolinski, Author of Therapy Revolution: Find Help, Get Better, and Move On

Many children dream of being a ballerina. Chin raised with purpose, arms high above head, they twirl clumsily around the living room and leap tirelessly in the air. Sooner or later they're bound to say, "I want to dance." Now what do you do? How do you know if the time is right? Where's the best place to start? In Getting Started in Ballet, Anna Paskevska draws from her training at the Paris Opera Ballet School and and the Royal Ballet School in London and her career as a professional dancer and teacher to offer a step-by-step introduction to dance education for parents with children starting ballet. Paskevska begins with a historical overview of dance and discusses the fundamental virtues and many life-long skills it imparts. Dance teaches children how to cooperate and support each other's efforts; encourages them to work in harmony with others; helps establish a child's spatial relationships; and promotes discipline and responsibility. Paskevska outlines the proper sequence for training in ballet based on a child's physical and mental development. She clearly demonstrates how ballet's early training, focusing on repetition of simple motion such as exercises at the barre and basic jumps, establish pathways for all later movements not only in ballet, but in modern dance, jazz, and tap as well. Written in a clear and accessible style and full of anecdotes from Paskevska's long professional dance-related career, Getting Started in Ballet offers helpful information on types of dance schools and how to select the right school for your child. Included is valuable information on choosing a dance instructor, the role both parents and teachers should play in a child's learning experience, and the qualities the ideal teacher should possess. Also discussed are more practical matters such as the appropriate clothing to wear while practicing, the importance of shoes that fit properly, how to secure pointe shoes, tips for avoiding injury, and how to balance training and performing experience during the formative years. A special chapter covers proper diet, eating disorders, and ways to recognize symptoms of imbalance. Finally, Paskevska touches upon the professional world of dance, attending college as a dance major, and advice on choosing careers that benefit from a background in dance. With forewords by Violette Verdy, a preeminent ballerina affiliated with the New York City Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet, and Sybil Shearer, a pioneer of American modern dance, as well as an extensive appendix of performing arts schools and dance programs throughout the United States, Getting Started in Ballet gives parents the advice they need to make their child's dance experiences both enjoyable and constructive.

Rich with humor and heart, this book provides practical insights and approaches for forming partnerships between professionals and parents for the benefit of children with disabilities.