Helping or Hurting? Where Parenting Strategies Go Wrong
If you listen closely, you can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from parents as the end of the school year approaches. While the prospect of a summer break from school will be a welcomed change for some families, others may feel they’re trading missing assignments and getting-out-of-bed complaints for fighting over electronics, messy […]
Connect First: Parenting Reminders As You Prepare For Summer
Connection is important for all of us, especially for children who are still developing in many ways. Research continues to show us the multi-dimensional benefits of interpersonal connection, including learning self-regulation skills. It is important for us to connect in two directions: towards ourselves and away from ourselves. Connecting within helps us to be aware […]
Gearing Up For Summer
Summer is a great time for our children to be free from the demands of schoolwork and busy schedules. It’s a time for them to get out and “be a kid,” running around outside, using their imaginations, engaging in clubs or sports and being with their friends. However, many families struggle with the unstructured time […]
Supporting the Autism Community During Autism Awareness Month
April is World Autism Awareness Month, with April 2nd being World Autism Awareness Day. Individuals with autism, their parents, and their teachers are “aware” of autism every day. Let’s use this month to encourage not only awareness, but also understanding, support, and celebration of all that makes the neurodivergent members of our community unique. Here […]
How to Talk About Social Media
I have regular conversations with parents about how to discuss various topics, and social media and electronics are two of the most common. We all know we should be talking about these things, but sometimes the conversation focuses on time limits, privileges, consequences, and parental concerns. This focus can lead your pre-teen or teen to […]
Embrace the Mess: Connect with Your Kids Through Creativity
Raising creative children can seem like one more box to check off on the parenting to-do list. It’s tucked somewhere between making sure they have decent table manners and making it through the grocery store without having a major meltdown. It can be overwhelming to add one more item to that parenting to-do list, and […]
Helping Siblings Cope
Having a child with a medical or developmental complication can be challenging. Doctor appointments, therapy sessions, procedures, and attention, supervision, and monitoring given around the clock can be exhausting for both the parent and the child. Added to this can be worries about how to help your other children. Having a brother or sister with […]
From Will to Skills: There’s Something Your Strong-Willed Child Needs You to Know
Scrolling through Facebook recently, I clicked on an ‘open letter’ from a mother to her strong-willed daughter. This mom’s emotion was apparent in her writing, and as I read through the letter, I could gather that she had walked a tough road parenting her daughter for quite some time. There was a tone woven into […]
The Courage to Come: Tips for Preparing Your Child and Yourself for Therapy
Here’s something I know from experience, and you probably know it as well, growth and healing require discomfort, sometimes even pain. Whether it’s a new tooth, pointing out how someone has hurt you, or going to therapy, the process is uncomfortable at times. I also know that we often avoid discomfort, and children are no […]
Perspective Taking for Problem Solving
It’s hard to understand how a 5 year old can feel stressed or why a teen can be so upset about the breakup of a month long relationship. Sometimes we wonder why it’s so hard for a teacher to understand that your child is trying to start his work, but he needs a few seconds […]