One of my most powerful memories from childhood involves a fear of thunderstorms and lightning. We grew up in the Midwest, where severe summer storms were quite common. I can remember looking for my mom one day in the house, and finding her out in the middle of the garage with the garage door open, … Continue reading Reflections: Life Lessons for Children in the Midst of the Co-Vid Crisis
Playing Pretend With Your Child Brings You Into Their World
Want to do something that will expand your child's love for creativity, help to stabilize her emotions, and build your relationship? Play pretend! A child's mind benefits from imaginative play, and there is little more that will bring a child joy than when a parent joins in for the fun. Pretending is healthy, fosters out … Continue reading Playing Pretend With Your Child Brings You Into Their World
Communicating with a Child Who is Struggling Emotionally
Is your child struggling with anxiety, fear, anger, hostility, resentment, sadness, or irritability? Is it hard to tell what could be causing the problem behavior? Is your child isolating or does he seem more depressed? Let's talk about how you can talk to your child in a way that garners a response. Regardless of your … Continue reading Communicating with a Child Who is Struggling Emotionally
When Your Child’s Desire to Be Cool Turns Into Loneliness And Isolation
Fitting in is hard. It is hard when you are an adult...let's be real. It's a million times harder when you are a kid and trying to find your way. It is difficult enough trying to figure out who you are, but trying to figure out where and with whom you fit in only adds … Continue reading When Your Child’s Desire to Be Cool Turns Into Loneliness And Isolation
Helping Your Daughter Navigate Her Teen Years
If I had to sum up teenage life for most girls, I'd describe it as a thunderstorm. Now...a thunderstorm, from my perspective, is beautiful. In all of it's splendor, the sky changes rapidly, and there is a clattering of natural events that leads to a commotion. A quiet stillness follows, leaving behind a rainbow and … Continue reading Helping Your Daughter Navigate Her Teen Years
Supporting Your College Bound Teen
Time has flown by, and your little one is now nearing adulthood and getting ready to leave the nest. For some teens, this is an exciting time. For others, it can be excitement mixed with a lot of angst and nervousness about what is to come. So, how can parents, in the midst of their … Continue reading Supporting Your College Bound Teen
Transitioning Your Older Child to Your Newborn
You are getting ready to bring your newborn home from the hospital and are filled with excitement as you think ahead. Perhaps you have been engaged in preparing your older child for several months already, or maybe you felt like the adjustment was going to be easy and so you didn't think any preparation was … Continue reading Transitioning Your Older Child to Your Newborn
Recognizing Post Partum Depression
Warm wishes, smiling visitors, balloons, flowers, swooning family members... They say this is supposed to feel amazing, but something inside is amiss. You don't feel right. Something doesn't feel like it should. Gazing down at your sweet newborn, you aren't feeling the way you thought you would. Perhaps instead of feeling energetic and wanting to … Continue reading Recognizing Post Partum Depression
Parenting Through Divorce
Almost fifteen years ago, I had the privilege of shadowing a child psychiatrist who specialized in helping parents navigate parenting through the stressful and often conflict ridden period of separation and divorce. In her office, there were three pairs of shoes. On each side were parent's shoes, and in the middle a pair of children's … Continue reading Parenting Through Divorce
Handling Sibling Rivalry
We all envision our children getting along well, loving each other, and supporting each other. We want their bond to be tight, reliable, and consistent. Throughout the storms of life, and well beyond our passing, we desire that they lean on each other and serve one another with love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. When siblings … Continue reading Handling Sibling Rivalry
Avoiding Bedtime Anxiety
For parents, daytime is busy and filled with activity. As the days wind down, our environments become quieter and our bodies are more still. Naturally, our thoughts in turn become louder and many of us mentally rehash the day and what needs to be planned for tomorrow. Those who are anxious tend to become more … Continue reading Avoiding Bedtime Anxiety
Investing In Friendships Through Parenthood
Becoming a parent means self-sacrifice. Often, we get so busy taking children to school and to their various activities, making sure their homework is done, and ensuring that they see their friends. Meanwhile, working, putting dinner on the table, taking care of the yard, and paying the bills tends to consume every bit of extra … Continue reading Investing In Friendships Through Parenthood
Comforting Your Child’s Heartaches
Is your child struggling with a broken heart? Broken hearts in childhood happen for all kinds of reasons, and children's reactions vary based on their season of growth and development. Sometimes, a broken heart is due to something obvious like grieving the loss of a loved one. Other times, it could be due to having … Continue reading Comforting Your Child’s Heartaches
Handling Children’s Reactivity: The T.R.U.S.T. Technique
When children have feelings that get too big to process, they do one of two things. They either keep it all in or let it all out. Those who tend to keep their anxious feelings buried inside, are those who retreat, withdraw, or avoid. They may bury themselves in reading or schoolwork, isolate and play … Continue reading Handling Children’s Reactivity: The T.R.U.S.T. Technique
Guarding a Child’s Heart From Anxiety: A Faith Perspective
Many argue that anxiety is an adaptive coping skill, a feeling that helps us to stay on top of things. For example, we may get anxious about a project at work being completed which then makes us remember deadlines. We may be anxious about our children eating well and therefore make sure their diet is … Continue reading Guarding a Child’s Heart From Anxiety: A Faith Perspective
Navigating Testing for Dyslexia, ADHD, and Other Learning Disorders
When should I be concerned? Children with learning disorders or ADHD often go unnoticed in their early schooling years until their grades are often reflective of consistent struggles. If you notice that your child is having difficulty with learning, in any subject, even in kindergarten, it is always my recommendation to have a learning assessment … Continue reading Navigating Testing for Dyslexia, ADHD, and Other Learning Disorders
Teaching Your Child to Embrace Change and New Experiences
Is your child afraid to try new things? New is not always easy for kids. Whether it is a new town, school, activity, sport, diet, or food, new means change, and change means the unexpected and uncertain. For most of us, change induces a bit of anxiety. It leads to a sense of not being in … Continue reading Teaching Your Child to Embrace Change and New Experiences
Seeking Answers for Your Fearful Child
Anxiety is an adaptive mechanism for humans. Anxiety helps people to show up on time for work, to manage their tasks, to be organized, and to care for others. After all, thinking about something over and over can cause our minds to remember what is important in our lives. However, anxiety that becomes consuming turns … Continue reading Seeking Answers for Your Fearful Child
Sowing the Seeds of Athleticism
What is athleticism, you ask? It is both physical and mental. Physical athleticism: strength and speed agility mobility balance coordination dexterity stamina Mental athleticism: confidence in one's physical and mental abilities the ability to work with others on a team well the ability to strategize and make quick and effective decisions the ability to pair … Continue reading Sowing the Seeds of Athleticism
Helping Your Teen Navigate Love and Relationships
Childhood crushes are sweet and innocent, and often a time when parents relish the adorable things that children say when hearts and halos are dancing above their heads. However, as an adolescent or teen, thoughts about love and romance change as hormones enter the picture and parents experience an entirely new set of feelings watching … Continue reading Helping Your Teen Navigate Love and Relationships
Nurturing a Love of Nature in Your Child
Birds chirping, the breeze blowing through the trees, the warm sunlight shining down gently through the clouds...not hard to imagine how these sounds are better for your child's well being than the loud video game noise coming from a play station or ipad, right? Studies show that children who play outside perform better in school, … Continue reading Nurturing a Love of Nature in Your Child
The T.R.U.S.T. Technique Checklist
The T.R.U.S.T. Technique is a framework for addressing many parenting issues with a relational or attachment based approach. It is especially helpful when your child is struggling emotionally, having meltdowns, or is having difficulty communicating. Please see my blog post detailing how to implement this technique if you have not read it before. Below, is … Continue reading The T.R.U.S.T. Technique Checklist
Assessing Social Media and Your Child
Those in my generation and older often long for life before cell phones, ipads, and video games. If I could have it my way, I'd love for my children to do without these items and to enjoy being outside all day, making up games, climbing trees, and spending time with family and friends in the … Continue reading Assessing Social Media and Your Child
Helping Your Child to Develop Critical Thinking Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Empathy
Children begin to develop genuine empathy around two years old. They begin to understand that another person can have feelings different from their own, and also begin to show the capacity to soothe another person's sadness or discomfort. Parents play a vital role in their child's development of empathy. Empathy is a two part process. … Continue reading Helping Your Child to Develop Critical Thinking Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Empathy
Encouraging Positive Friendships at School
When children are small, parents get to set up play dates and choose their friends. Part of the fun of having babies when your friends are in the same stage of life, is watching your children play together while you socialize! But, this time of choosing friendships for our children soon shifts when they become … Continue reading Encouraging Positive Friendships at School
Bonding Well with Your Toddler
Toddlers are the total package. They are little bundles of energy excitedly exploring the world around them for the first time, seeking to experience everything through the lens of naivety and innocence, and running into their mothers' reassuring arms when something unexpected suddenly curbs their enthusiasm. Toddlerhood is a sweet and tender time that you … Continue reading Bonding Well with Your Toddler
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