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January 15th, 2022
It’s hard to believe we’re over two years into a pandemic with no end in sight. For parents, the cumulative toll of the social isolation and disruption has been particularly heavy. One parent’s recent description on social media struck me. “Standing on the corner of burned-out parenting and exhausted working,” the parent wrote. “It’s soul […]
December 4th, 2021
Every parent has done it. You see that your child or teen is struggling with a situation, and you try to help them understand their emotions: “You seem angry.” “You’re really feeling frustrated.” “I can see that you’re upset.” But instead of soothing the child, your words serve as a trigger. “I am not!” the […]
October 20th, 2021
With Halloween around the corner, kids’ thoughts begin turning to candy and Jack-o’-lanterns. The autumn holiday offers something else, too: an opportunity to nurture your child’s creativity and, in the process, check in with them emotionally. Anytime children let us in on the workings of their imaginations, they’re providing us with valuable glimpses into their […]
December 26th, 2019
The Monitor on Psychology’s October 2019 article, “Teaming Up to Change Child Discipline” described how parenting advice such as “spare the rod and spoil the child” is now debunked and outdated. This is an important shift, considering that 60% of children aged 3-4 in the US are spanked by their parents. In regards to the […]
May 23rd, 2019
The end of the school year can ban bring both fun and challenge for both parents and children. Some parents find it easy to transition their children to beloved and familiar settings such as local summer programs, day camp, or sleep-away camp. But others experience stress and scramble to find appropriate options for their children […]
March 4th, 2019
As anyone who has ever struggled to manage a toddler’s meltdown in a busy supermarket line can attest, parenting can be both confusing and humbling. To make matters worse, seeking out advice from so-called experts can often lead to even more confusion since their wisdom can be contradictory and bewildering. So it’s worth a quick […]
January 21st, 2019
Anger, meltdowns, and tantrums get a bad rap. As parents, we worry that these behaviors indicate that our child is choosing to misbehave or that we’re somehow failing as parents. The judgmental stares and glances we get from onlookers only increases those insecure thoughts. We read books about what to do and try to tame […]
August 15th, 2018
Several years ago at a professional training I conducted on parental stress, an 80-year-old mother raised her hand to share an insight. A psychologist and mother, she explained that she had a 50-year-old son with special needs. “Everyone told us to institutionalize him,” she said, “that he would be functioning at the lowest levels, and […]
July 9th, 2018
Recently I experienced a difficult moment with a young client—and gained some insight in the process. In the midst of a session in my office, something triggered the 8-year-old boy into a “red zone” and he suddenly burst out yelling and screaming. His mother and I had seen this happen before, and we typically reacted […]
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