My margins have been too small. Three weeks ago, I was two days away from spring break. 18 straight days of a somewhat scaled-back schedule. Some creative work projects on the go but more home time, more kid time, more me time. It was gonna be great. And then? I woke up that Thursday morning […]
“The natural order of things when it comes to the world of a child has always been that parents (or another substitute “big person” in the child’s life) are in the lead of all things. The parent scripts the tone of the child’s existence, they chart the course, they shield, adjust, and calibrate. This is […]
We are living in very interesting times. For months and months, we have lived outside of the regular rhythm of our lives due to pandemic lockdowns and/or restrictions. Our schedules and routines have been significantly altered. And for many of us, living a small life that consists of only our immediate households has become *almost* […]
I’m thrilled to feature a guest article written by David Loyst, my partner-in-presenting and my partner in life. David has been studying and teaching about parenting for over 30 years as a Speech Language Pathologist and Autism Consultant … and has been practicing with his own children for more than 20 years. Over the past […]
“I am a psychologist. I have spent my life’s work studying the developing child and the impact of parenting on child development. I know this field inside and out, backwards and frontwards. I know that a parenting approach that is both firm and kind is key. I know that being the kind of parent who […]
We all want to grow up happy, well-adjusted children who find their way in the world. The “parenting” world is meant to inspire our journey as big people in the shepherding of our littles along such a path. Yet, while it is true that being informed in the raising up of your children can be […]
“Several years ago, I met a 12-year-old boy who had developed severe anxiety following a break-in at his family’s home while they were away on vacation. To cope with his alarm about this intrusion and his worry about a potential recurrence, he became obsessed with home safety, particularly with checking the locks. This developed into […]
I don’t apologize to my kids. Ever. And whenever this comes up at a workshop or course that I am teaching it sets a lot of parents off. It turns out, we are collectively uncomfortable with the idea of not apologizing. And yet, apologizing has an important core problem when it comes to capably being […]
When you have children with someone, you become a team for life. You or your partner may switch to other teams or quit altogether, but ideal teammates or not, you are still a team for your child. It can be challenging enough to figure out how to gel as a parenting team when together, but […]
There is something about looking out at the promise of a New Year that gets us thinking about hope. And growth. And the sparkle of the unknown. All of it beckons us to step in to the coming year with a dose of optimism and promises to ourselves that we will do it better. There’s […]