POF07: Parenting Right From The Start With Dr. Vanessa Lapointe

Dr. Vanessa and I discuss her newest book, “Parenting Right From the Start; Laying a Healthy Foundation in the Baby and Toddler years.”  In the podcast, we talk about what it means to grow yourself up before you can grow your kids up, what it means to have “swagger” and how being “large and in charge” helps your kids be more independent.  With the new school year upon us, Dr. Vanessa talks about how to orchestrate an “artful introduction” to your child’s new teacher or caregiver. Dr. Vanessa is fun, funny and full of meaningful, common sense knowledge and leaves you hanging on her every word! About Dr. Vanessa Lapointe Dr. Vanessa Lapointe is an author, parenting expert, and registered psychologist (British Columbia #1856) who has been supporting families and children for more than fifteen years. Author of Discipline without Damage: How to get your kids to behave without messing them up and Parenting Right From The Start: Laying a Healthy Foundation in the Baby and Toddler years, regularly invited media guest and contributor, educator and speaker, a Huffington Post Parent blogger, and a consultant to research projects and various organizations promoting emotional health and development, Dr. Vanessa is known for bringing a sense of nurturing understanding and humanity to all of her work. She presently works in private practice and has previous experience in a variety of settings, including the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development and the school system. Dr. Vanessa’s passion is in walking alongside parents, teachers, care providers, and other big people to really see the world through the child’s eyes. She believes that if we can do this, we are beautifully positioned to grow up our children in the best possible way. As a mother to 2 growing children, Dr. Vanessa strives not only professionally, but also personally, to view the world through the child’s eyes. If you are interested in pre-ordering Dr. Vanessa’s book, Parenting Right From The Start: Laying a Healthy Foundation in the Baby and Toddler years, you can order HERE Web: www.drvanessalapointe.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drvanessalapointe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.vanessalapointe/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drvlapointe Email: [email protected] Six Parenting Principles from Dr Vanessa Lapointe   No challenge, no growth. Embrace the mess. Nobody ever said that growing up was meant to be an easy peasy walk in the park with no difficulty. In fact, it is in the mess of it that growth blossoms. It has to be difficult; it has to erupt; it has to feel immovable … and then, magic happens. The human mind and heart come alive in the face of challenge. It is here that adaptation is fostered and resilience is championed. Furthermore, you cannot truly know the up of it if you have not fully lived the down of it. Celebrate the peaks and the valleys. Take heart in the perceived struggle for that is where the path to greatness begins. No challenge, no growth.     Grow you, grow them. There is nothing quite like loving and growing a child to absolutely bring you to your knees as a parent. Often it is in the act of raising our young that a light is definitively shone on the ungrown parts of ourselves. It seems that nobody can set us off or trigger us like our own children can. And yet, when the origins of these triggers are honestly explored, it becomes quickly apparent that it isn’t...