The summer before college represents a huge transition between high school graduation and leaving for school in the fall. Families are proud, excited, worried, and quite busy. There is much to do and prepare for, especially if that teen is headed to college in the fall. The summer after graduation is an exciting and overwhelming […]
….When kids struggle, parents often suffer too. And they often suffer alone, while trying very hard to appear like everything is ok to everyone else…..So how DOES a parent of a child who is struggling with mental health issues stay sane?…
Depression affects children, adolescents, and adults. It affects people from all income levels and ethnic backgrounds. Research estimates indicate that at least 2-6% of all children and 10-35 % of all adults are diagnosed with depression in their lifetime. Unfortunately, less than 20% of children receive the help that they need. Because you are now reading this, you are taking action to help your child, and that is a very important choice.
ADHD is a common topic among parents, schools, and health providers. But ADHD in girls is an elusive concept. Allison was always labeled a “Tom Boy.” When other girls were playing with dolls, reading, or coloring, she was outside playing with the neighbor boys. She preferred softball, kickball, riding her bike. She could never sit […]
Many children, particularly those with attention concerns, have problems processing language. This article offers tips to help.
Sportsmanship (and compassion for people) is important in both the participation and viewing of sports Sports are a common past-time for many of us. I was watching the big Bears/Packers rivalry game this week, and saw Aaron Rodgers leave the field with a very painful, and very distressing, injury. I went online to see if […]
“Discussions about culture move us forward as a society and expand our world views. Just because you may live in a place without much diversity does not mean you cannot open your mind or think critically about the struggles of marginalized populations and appreciate the little and big moments we are experiencing today.”
There have been many tragic events in the news lately. Whenever we even look at headlines, we are alerted to heartbreak, both locally and abroad. Because of the 24-hour news cycle, messages about shootings, plane crashes, assaults, abuse and human rights violations are always present.
The news can be violent, depressing and emotionally-charged. It may feel like our world is deteriorating quickly, even when it’s not.
Depression is serious business, particularly in children and adolescents. Depression impacts about of 20 percent of teens prior to adulthood, and research supports that these numbers are increasing. Sadly, when depression rates increase, so do rates of suicide, self-injury, and substance abuse. Many times, as parents, we struggle with how to help and what to […]
Dialogic reading is a way to teach reading to children by having conversations with an adult about the book while they are reading together. What is involved in dialogic reading? Dialogic reading is an interactive strategy, meaning that the child and parent read together. This strategy is helpful because it helps increase the child’s interest […]
Kindness is an important concept to understand. We are programmed to be kind to one another, even though sometimes it seems that the world has lost this instinct. You can train yourself to be kinder, and as a result, you may also be happier, healthier, and find more meaning in your life. Kindness makes us […]
Getting angry is a part of life. None of us will live a life free of stressors, and sometimes, whether we want it to or not, anger bubbles up as we try to deal with our stress. Anger is natural, but the behaviors that come out of anger can be scary, hurtful, and harmful. Below […]
