Koster Kare

04/18/2025

Let's raise a new generation of people who learn how to listen and, yes, even disagree and remain respectful.

Let's raise a new generation of people who can fight for what they believe in but still hear one another out.

Let's raise a new generation of people who don't think they are morally better, intellectually better, or better than others in general because they feel a certain way about things.

We are all equals.

No one is better than one person. Let's raise a new generation who will contribute to the unity of society and not the division.

Teaching your kids to remain passionate about the issues they care about, but still having the ability to calmly hear others who may not agree with them is a valuable and necessary life skill.

Keeping an open mind towards others instead of immediately passing judgment on them is called maturity, and it is essential for success in life.

Teach your kids to LISTEN and really hear.

We need more of this in the world to create compassion, unity, and understanding.

01/30/2025

We love real reviews from real kids!

Changing something within a child's life is our goal here at Koster Kare.

It's so amazing to read these and hope the impact of our work continues to help kids and families all over the world!

We Kare About Your Kids.

01/26/2025

01/22/2025

This post is specifically for parents who are in a partnership and not single parents. However, you could apply a lot of this to yourself as a form of self care if you are...

Your kids are learning all about romantic relationships through observation of their parents and how their parents interact with one another.

They're watching how affectionate you are with one another. They observe how healthy the relationship is, and that is what they base relationships on as they age. When they start dating, they will often find partnerships that mimic their parents' relationship.

This is natural.

This is why working on your connection in your partnership is so important for your kids and one of the most important parenting tips we can give.

So, how can you do it? How can you prioritize this connection?

The answer is: you must work on it daily.

Even if you take 10 minutes every day to consciously connect with your partner, this can make all the difference in the world.

Connecting throughout the day by sending text messages and being kind and compassionate with one another is extremely important.

Having a night out together is obviously a great idea, but not always feasible for everyone. We never suggest to just wait for a "date night" to connect.

It's an everyday type of thing.

Connecting every day through watching a show together can even be enough. Allow your children to observe you being affectionate with one another as well as kind and considerate.

Attend couples therapy if you need to. Read books on relationships if you feel you can.

Also, being aware of how you communicate with one another is key.

How do you repair with both your partner AND your children (if they observe the argument) is so key as well.

Sweeping things under the rug and pretending everything is fine afterwards is never the best course of action.

So take time to think of creative and fun ways you can connect with your partner on a regular basis, based on your unique connection, interests, and relationship!

The full post is on our website:
https://www.kosterkare.com/post/most-important-parenting-tip-connect-with-your-partner

01/16/2025

You cannot function optimally as a parent if you don't set aside some time for yourself.

At first, you will likely find you cannot relax, especially if you've been in survival mode for too long.

Keep trying.

Keep setting time aside for yourself. Keep trying different things.

Your nervous system will eventually adapt and you will be able to switch yourself off from survival to nurturing yourself.

Even if you start doing this for half an hour.

Be intentional with your time as well.

Have a plan on what you will do.

Our suggestions:
-get off your phone
-get on the ground, play some calming music and stretch your body while taking deep breaths (excellent and fast way to redirect your nervous system)
-read
-take a bath, light candles, play calming music
-meditate
-pray
-yoga
-journal

Just don't forget to be intentional with that time.

Try one of our suggestions today!

We kare about your kids but we kare about you, too.

01/14/2025

We need sleep to function and so do your kids, however sleep is becoming more challenging in this generation than it ever has been before.

From our own observations within our work in the field, we see sleep becoming more and more of an issue in both parents and their children. There are a lot of pressures in today's world. We as adults are dealing with a special set of challenges that former generations have not had to face and our kids are facing an unknown world that we as adults have very little understanding.

There are more cases of learning issues, insomnia and anxiety in kids than ever before. If your family isn't getting the sleep they need, it can wreak havoc on everyone's life. It's like a domino effect, especially within the family unit.

Some kids we've worked with were getting four or five hours of sleep regularly every night. Especially kids that have cell phones or other electronics that they are really attached to. It's really difficult for them to have the self-control to put them down.

So, how can you get your family on track?

There are a few things you need to understand first.

Sleep cannot be something you expect your body to just do at the end of a long day. There is a lot of tension being held in our bodies throughout the day. Our bodies are craving release of that tension, which will essentially be one factor that aides in a better, deeper sleep.

We need to take breaks within the day to check in with our bodies and keep in mind that we need to stretch or meditate or do something calming throughout the day, not just at night.

Obviously, shutting off electronics earlier in the evening is key.

Another good tip we've learned over the years is that if you are having a bout of insomnia, don't spend the entire night in bed attempting to sleep, getting frustrated.

Get up. Yes, get up. Read a book if you can. Reading something or even watching a TV show that you've seen before (yes, this is tech, but it's better than the others) works well.

The worst thing you can do when you can't sleep is to panic and keep trying so hard to sleep. Maybe get up and do some stretches.

Doing stretches on the floor before sleep is an excellent way to wind the body down. Holding different stretches for 30 to 45 seconds each, along with deep breaths, helps a lot.

Essential oils can help calm the body as well as dimmer lighting for hours before bed.

Magnesium can also be a key support before bed as it works to relax muscles and provide a deeper level of sleep.

A warm non-caffeinated drink before bed can provide warmth and be very soothing, as well as a nice bath.

Think about cozy and comforting things before bed but start hours before your actual bedtime and think this way for your children as well.

If your kids are school-aged, then look at their arrival home from school as the beginning of their wind-down time, hours of getting ready for bed.

Control the atmosphere in your home, put on calming music, dim the lights, look at this as calming time.

Just remember this concept for your entire family when it comes to sleep...

You absolutely need to wind your body down throughout the entire day in order to sleep properly.

01/06/2025

Every parent this year should start off 2025 with intention and a plan.

We here at Koster Kare love ❤️ mapping out our years with intention.

With some parents, we use our own version of a "life map," and use it to plan out the year.

As a parent, it's super important to map out the experiences you'd like to have both as an individual and as a family for each month.

We have divided our own map into different categories for each month of 2025.

These are things you are excited to do alone or with your family.

Not so much about goals...

It's more about the things you always want to do but never do. Even if it's just simply family game nights.

When you map out each month and break it down into categories (like social, emotional, spiritual, arts, service to others), and write down things you actually WANT to do, it makes the year fun and transformational!

Try it!

If you need help or have questions, feel free to PM us!

Happy NEW Year!

We kare about your family.


#2025

12/17/2024

Quote of the Day

12/15/2024

Absolutely!!

Thanks, Parent Cue

11/14/2024

We love how similar some of these testimonials are when talking about providing safe and comforting environments for the kids to feel comfortable in.

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11/12/2024

Children and teenagers who have diagnosed or undiagnosed anxiety disorders can very often be labelled as the "well-behaved" kids. The "good" kids. The kids that are quiet, well-mannered and rarely misbehave, especially in public.

This is actually quite common.

These kids can sometimes want to conform so badly, that they stay under the radar and it becomes part of their identity. They don't want to draw attention to themselves, but inside, they are suffering so badly in silence.

Sometimes, you might even see excellent grades, excelling in some areas, but having severe anxiety in private. This is just a little public service announcement to check in with the "well-behaved" kids. They very often fly under the radar and don't get the same level of attention other siblings get.

Don't be hard on yourself if that happens. As a parent, life is busy and often chaotic. Just a reminder to watch for those kids just as much as anyone else.

They need just as much of your time and attention.

We Kare About Your Kids!

11/11/2024

Hearing the sounds of calming music alone, you can instantly feel a small shift in your body.

That's what the difference feels like when you have a calm home environment vs. not so calm.

Home is supposed to be a place where your family can "lay their heads" after their long days. A place that is calm, warm and inviting.

Often, we don't realize common mental disruptions in our own homes. The physical environment has a huge impact on our minds and bodies. Things we may never even consider can have massive impacts on ourselves and our kids.

Let's talk about a few simple things you can do in your home to create a more calming environment for your family:

*lighting: There are many different environmentally friendly LED lights that may be in your home. As much as they may save you money and help the environment, it is important to understand that they often have blue light undertones, which can disrupt sleep. Blue light suppresses melatonin. In rooms that you want to relax in, we suggest, dimmer warm red, orange, yellow undertone lighting and dimmers are your friends! Atmosphere is key here. Investing in fake candles (or real if your kids are older) can also set a calming tone in your home.

*clean and organized: this can be very difficult to do with young children as most of you know, so be easy on yourself. Organization will be key for you here. If you can analyze your space and see where you can organize, so it makes keeping it clean easier, that will be huge. Also, as your kids grow older, it is imperative to teach them to clean and respect the space. Don't do everything for them. It will be extremely draining on you as a parent if you do this.

*minimal: less objects in the home will help you to keep the house clean because you won't need to move things around as much

*sound: having soft, even instrumental music in the background in your home will often calm down the body, and funny enough, can prevent people from raising their voices in your home! Music is key to your home. When the mood is right, some fun music blasting away can create a dance party and ease tension! Nature sounds can also work to calm. We have some calming YouTube cozy coffee shop channels we like to use in our homes!

*smell: such as candles or essential oils have been proven to calm the mind, body and soul.

*touch: like textiles, cozy pillows and blankets help to create the vibe you want in your home.

*the four elements are key to keep in mind for a calming home:

fire- fireplaces, candles, bonfires, fake fireplaces

water- water features such as small fountains, baths are very calming

air- fresh air, open windows, smells

earth- plants, grounding mats, grounding bedding (we will talk about grounding products more in the future but they can be game-changing in calming the nervous system and aiding in deep sleep)

*the last one connects back to sound and overall climate of your home. Is the environment tense? Is it loud? Is there a lot of fighting within the home? Micro-managing? Criticizing? It's normal to have tense moments, especially with younger children in the home, but be honest with yourself here.

What do you think the overall environment in your home is. What does it feel like?

These answers do and will affect your kids. You can always do your part to change that environment and empower yourself and family to make those changes!