Search Results for: kessler/2009/11/nerf-guns-–-what-are-we-afraid-of/2009/11/nerf-guns-–-what-are-we-afraid-of/2009/11/your-role-in-your-childs-development

Nerf Guns – What Are We Afraid of? by Debra Kessler, Psy.D.

…that are available when they are overwhelmed by their distress. So what do Nerf guns have to do with this? There seems to be a belief that if we keep our children away from objects that express anger in violent or destructive ways, such as Nerf guns, our children won’t grow up to be violent or destructive. While this may seem logical, it assumes that our children are the sum total of what they are allowed/not allowed to do and dismisses the fact t…

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Your Role in Your Child’s Development

…ndex.html http://www.kidsgrowth.com/stages/guide/index.cfm http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/erickson.shtml http://www.lhj.com/relationships/family/raising-kids/ Your Journey It is important to be aware that it is not only the children who go through transitions and adjustments during the growing up process. The maturation process also challenges parents to adjust and evolve as caregivers at each stage of the child’s development. Bot…

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The Effects of Honesty, Empathy, and Higher Order Thinking on Moral Development

…development cannot be broadly generalized once one takes into account the role of gender in the development process. The expectations we have for a specific gender to act a certain way can be dangerous toward the child’s happiness. We tend to nurture and baby females while teaching our males to be tough and manly. Dr. Carol Gilligan, a major researcher on the topic of moral development, found that because of societal variations in the raising of…

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“Stuck” A life lesson on parenting by Debra Kessler, Psy.D.

…depression, autism/Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, learning challenges, regulatory difficulties and other issues that interfere with children reaching their potential. Other Posts by This Author: Nerf Guns – What Are We Afraid Of? We Attend to our Children’s Overbite, How about Challenges in their Learning? More—- To Learn More Visit drdebrakessler.com…

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Debra Kessler, Psy.D.

…through the dance of life allowing each partner to move forward and grow. Nerf Guns – What Are We Afraid Of? For the holidays I gave a Nerf gun to my 8-year -old nephew. He was delighted. It was his first Nerf gun. He took great joy in taking aim at the window, door or any place where he was allowed to shoot. It was the first time I saw genuine spontaneous pleasure cross his otherwise polite and reserved face. Unfortunately, it will probably be h…

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The Impact of Parenting on Child Development: An Interview with James Garbarino

…ide of Human Experience: Confronting Global Realities and Rethinking Child Development (2009). In this DVD, Dr. James Garbarino discusses a variety of topics related to parenting and child development. He addresses issues concerning parents and mental health professionals alike, such as parental guidelines, the impact of parents as role models, the disconnect that often exists between parents’ intentions and their behavior, and the impact of techn…

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secure attachment covid

Can Secure Attachment Make Us Less Afraid During the Coronavirus Crisis?

…g emotional pain and the threat of ego-disintegration (Firestone & Catlett, 2009). Like other defenses, developing an insecure attachment strategy was an adaptation to the stress induced by the lack of security and faulty parenting practices we experienced early in life. These defensive attachment strategies were strengthened and became firmly established in our personality when we first became aware of death. As adults, our core conflict centers…

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What Is Your Role in Your Relationship?

…nto trouble when one person takes the role of a parent, and the other, the role of a child. Breaking down this dynamic can shed light on how it may be infiltrating our relationship and diminishing our love, respect, and attraction to our partner. Here, we will explore what parental and childish behavior looks like between a couple and what we can do to change it. Many of us can relate to scenarios in which one partner is being parental; that is, b…

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The Role of Anger in Depression

…feeling sorry for ourselves, but about feeling strong and worthy and less afraid to make mistakes. Ultimately, accepting that anger plays a role in our depression should be an empowering tool in our fight to feel better. When people express anger outwards in a healthy adaptive manner, they feel less depressed. Accessing and expressing this anger isn’t a matter of acting out, being explosive, or feeling bitter toward our surroundings. In fact, it…

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7 Reasons Most People are Afraid of Love

…resent starting our own lives as independent, autonomous individuals. This development can also represent a parting from our family. Much like breaking from an old identity, this separation isn’t physical. It doesn’t mean literally giving up our family, but rather letting go on an emotional level – no longer feeling like a kid and differentiating from the more negative dynamics that plagued our early relationships and shaped our identity. 7. Love…

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