Parent Burnout Is Real, Yet Treatable Parent burnout is real. It often starts small, and can lead to impairment in a parent’s ability to complete their responsibilities towards their children. It can make it difficult to balance work, social, and family aspects of your life. Unfortunately, if a parent feels distress, the children will too. […]
Snowflakes, soft and fluffy, were floating down, atop the 8 inches of snow on the ground. I watched my dog delightedly running circles in the yard as if to say, “Yey! Fresh snow! Look at me!” I called my 12 year-old son to the window. “I wonder why all dogs, big or small, short coats […]
Self-compassion is an important part of parenting children and adolescents. A few years ago, the Washington Post published an article called “Teaching Children Self-Compassion by Modeling it Ourselves” by Mandy Lange. The article addresses the idea that children learn how to respond to their difficulties, stressors, and mistakes through their own experiences, and through what […]
Summer can be a magical time for families, full of long, sun-soaked days, swimming at the pool, and gentle memories….summer CAN be enjoyable, even if plans don’t work out the way we thought they would. Here are a few suggestions which may be helpful.
Gratitude is the practice of noticing good things in our world. It means taking the time to see the small, things that happen to us every day.
….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.
“Autism” is a term with which many people are familiar. Autism impacts many families, either in their own family, or through a relative or a friend. However, many people still struggle to understand what it means, how to identify it, and how to help. To make matters more confusing, autism is called many different things, and […]
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 […]
It’s really hard to be a student You don’t have a choice over how your day goes. You have to ask permission for everything. It’s easy to feel like your day is full of people trying to catch your mistakes. You are constantly being evaluated. You have a full day of class, then a full […]
Many parenting approaches fail to address the parent’s thoughts and feelings. By acknowledging and opening up to these experiences, parenting becomes more effective and meaningful.
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 […]
