L.R. Knost's Blog

It might be that day of the week or that particular season or that darkest hour when you’ve come to the end of your rope when your dreams seem impossibly far away when nothing seems to fit in its proper place when the bed covers look like an inviting place to stay forever.   “This […]

“What’s your favorite insect?” my seven-year-old daughter asked as we took an evening walk on the first night of her spring vacation. “You can’t pick butterfly. Everyone picks the butterfly,” she quickly added before I had a chance to respond. “Hmmmm,” I thought out loud. “I guess mine would have to be a ladybug,” I […]

[Excerpt reprinted from Jesus, the Gentle Parent: Gentle Christian Parenting by L.R.Knost. Two Thousand Kisses a Day: Gentle Parenting Through the Ages and Stages; Whispers Through Time: Communication Through the Ages and Stages of Childhood; and The Gentle Parent: Positive, Practical, Effective Discipline by L.R.Knost also available on Amazon and through other major retailers.] “Look also at ships: although they are […]

Here at Little Hearts our readers have BIG hearts full of love for little people and have joined together to Give the Gift of Gentle Parenting and Give the Gift of Life, raising funds to donate gentle parenting books and resources in bulk to hospitals for new parent bags, to children’s hospitals, and to crisis family centers and also to help with author, L.R.Knost’s medical […]

When you hear of most people talk of night-wakings in infancy, there seems to be a fear that somehow if they aren’t stopped (usually by a parent), one will be looking at long-term problems that will follow your infant into childhood and beyond.  It’s really rather dramatic, especially for something that is so biologically normal […]

“Bedtime. Go grab your toothbrush from the suitcase, okay?” “Why?” my eight-year-old asks. “It’s late, and we all need to sleep. Please go brush your teeth and get ready for bed,” I reply, distracted as I pack the last few things for my extended hospital stay after my surgery in the morning. “Why?” her determined voice […]

“Bedtime. Go grab your toothbrush from the suitcase, okay?” “Why?” my eight-year-old asks. “It’s late, and we all need to sleep. Please go brush your teeth and get ready for bed,” I reply, distracted as I pack the last few things for my extended hospital stay after my surgery in the morning. “Why?” her determined voice […]

They say that bravery doesn’t feel brave or fearless because if you’re not afraid it is something other than bravery. I guess that patience is one of those things, as well. From the outside it looks like calm and peace but from the inside it can feel more like the tested limits of self control. […]

A common stage that can start around age 2 but typically peaks by age 4 is the passive aggressive communication of negative feelings. This stage occurs on its own as a normal milestone because the child needs to develop verbal skills and emotional intelligence. But, for some children, the stage can be especially difficult due […]

The 4 month sleep regression, the 12 month sleep regression, the 18 month sleep regression – what is happening? Of course, any time your baby’s sleep suddenly seems to go pear shaped , you wonder what am I doing wrong? Having a neat little term like ‘sleep regression’ gets you off the hook – it’s […]