PopSugar Feature
Updated: Jan 3, 2021
Thank you PopSugar for the opportunity to share our story & for helping to shed light on the alternatives positive parenting has to offer! I am so grateful. (scroll to the bottom for resources)
Watch the interview below:
Read the original article here or read on below:
https://www.popsugar.com/family/video-mindfulness-calm-replaces-timeout-i-kid-you-not-48075872
This Mindfulness Mom's Timeout Replacement Has TikTok Hooked
December 21, 2020
by LEO MARGUL
For mom Nikki Mullen Cruz, timeouts just weren't working. She didn't like leaving her son Kalev alone "to sit with these big, scary emotions." Instead, she not only created a space that was more effective for her son, but one that swept across millions of TikTokers' pages and won heaps of praise from parents and nonparents alike. It was a little area next to her couch called "the calming corner."
Here Kalev was able to take breaks and manage his emotions, then he could deal with consequences later. The soft, comfortable area became an outlet for him to calm himself with various tools that appeal to his five senses. He can also meditate or do breathing exercises, things this precocious kid totally loves! You have to see him explain it all in the video above.
Nikki was candid about her evolution as a parent, from believing in a more "tiger mom" philosophy early on to finding that mindful, positive parenting has had a more beneficial effect on Kalev. She told us about how she developed this approach, and she also gave advice to parents who may want to adopt this methodology in their own homes. Mindfulness is certainly not just for kids, though, and Nikki also revealed how adults (even busy ones) can incorporate this practice into their own lives, with dramatic results.
A massive thank you Nikki — who goes by @maartemami on TikTok — for passing along all this incredible footage and generously sharing her insight into mindful parenting with us! You can also follow her on Instagram and keep up with her positive parenting journey on her blog. And a special thank you to Kalev for being so open about himself and the calming corner!
RESOURCES
Interactive deep breathing guide: Deep breaths is a critical tool to cooling the chaos in the mind and getting back to center, ONCE the child is ready and has felt the full spectrum of their emotion. You can find 💫FREE💫 interactive breathing guide printable here: https://copingskillsforkids.com/deep-breathing-exercises-for-kids
My son's favorite tool: his mindfulness cards, created my fellow mama Kaajal
Use promo code MAARTE10 for 10% off: https://boundlessblooms.world/
Feelings charts: you can get free feeling charts from here: https://www.rewardcharts4kids.com/feelings-chart/
Or purchase from www.genmindful.com
Interactive Feelings Flipbook: