Parenting

7 Ways Your Childhood Affects How You Parent

Most parents who look into the eyes of their brand new baby see whatever lies ahead as a clean slate. Nothing turns our focus more toward the future than having a child. Yet, attachment research tells us that the biggest predictor of how we will be as parents is how much we’ve been able to… Read more »

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What Inside Out Can Teach us about Loving our Kids

The other day I recommended the movie Inside Out to my friend, Cynthia, as an intervention. Her favorite niece, Emily, is going through puberty. The sweet little girl who used to love shopping and doing craft projects with her aunt, is now moody and not interested in sharing those activities. Cynthia feels hurt about this… Read more »

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Bullying and Mental Health

We all know that children who are beaten and abused by adults are more likely to develop problems of their own at some point in time – but did you know that bullying by peers is five times more likely to result in anxiety and twice as likely to result in depression and talking about… Read more »

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A Challenge to Mothers Everywhere

The other day, a friend of mine texted me a picture of a sign in a shop window that said, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” She probably knew that with Mother’s Day around the corner, I’d most likely be writing something about motherhood and would get a kick out of the old expression…. Read more »

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This Is What Teen Depression Looks Like

I want you to picture a person with depression. Are you seeing the dark bedroom, filthy sweatpants, empty eyes, poor health and general lack of prosperity? You know what I see when I picture depression? A blonde, blue-eyed teenage girl. She gets awesome grades, loves to paint, go to football games, drink Starbucks, Instagram and… Read more »

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7 Tips for Parent’s to Help Their Teen Create a Strong Sense of Self

As we welcome in the New Year we also look at goals and new opportunities to explore in the coming year. A fresh start. As parents, it might be a great time to reflect on how you are supporting your kids in building a stronger sense of self. Sometimes as parents we can get a… Read more »

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Innovations and Conveniences: Ups and Downs of Parenting in the 21st Century

Life in the 21st century is full of innovations and conveniences.  The scope of these changes and their impact on our experiences are vast from the food we eat to how we do our daily tasks.  We can do many things faster, more efficiently and more conveniently.  Food is tastier and entertainment more accessible, stimulating… Read more »

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6 Rules to Live By When You Discipline Your Child

Anyone can tell you that discipline is a messy business. Not even the best of parents could possibly get it right all the time. However, part of what complicates the process of teaching our kids to behave is that parents bring a lot of their own baggage to the table. Kids can be a big… Read more »

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How to Break the Cycle of Child Abuse

At this point, I shouldn’t have to list off all the reasons spanking your child doesn’t work. It’s science, it’s proven, and we may as well be revisiting a discussion of whether the world is flat. If the damage it does to children’s spirits (not to mention their actual brains) isn’t enough to convince you, maybe it should… Read more »

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7 Steps to Keep Your Teenagers Brains Healthy and Strong for the Final Weeks of School

So as the school year comes to an end and winds down, parents are at home trying to support their kids and teens through the stress of these final weeks: writing papers, taking finals, exams, quizzes, reading logs, math tests, science memorizing…etc… And this is usually on top of all those extracurricular activities parents try… Read more »

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