Family vacations have long been the subject of sitcoms and PG comedies, each following more or less the same predictable plotline: hopeful parents force resistant children into some mobile form of a bonding opportunity. They then undergo several slapstick disasters before everyone simultaneously recognizes the importance of family and enjoys a Brady Bunch-style, fun-in-the-sun finale. We all wish the best for our family vacation, but often the stress of trying to make everyone happy and the pressure to make each moment perfect can lead to a less than wonderful excursion. The problems we hope will magically melt away when we finally have time to be with our loved ones unfortunately do... read more ...

Early on, many of a child’s emotions  are chalked up to physical stages of growth; Tempers are attributed to teething and the “terrible twos,” whining is associated with tiredness or tummy aches, irritability is associated with learning disabilities or adolescent hormonal shifts. While biological phases do have a great impact on a child’s development,  how often are we ignoring the emotional issues that underlie a child’s  pain? How do we separate periodic sadness from chronic depression? Growing pains from heartache? Staying attuned to our children and what they are going through psychologically can be as important to their development as recognizing the symptoms... read more ...

My 2-year-old nephew sat calmly amid the frantic atmosphere of the playground. Bigger kids clamored noisily around him: chasing, digging, screeching in delight and crying over newly scraped knees. My nephew appeared to be in some sort of trance. Slowly and meticulously, he lifted scoops of warm sand and poured them gently on his head. After repeating this careful procedure a few times, he laid his cheek against the sand and rested for a few moments before sitting up and beginning the ritual once more from the top. I stared at him a bit perplexed by the ever so slow and peaceful nature of his actions and thought what all of us think at one point or another when observing a child, “If only... read more ...