parenting skills

The Problem with Overpraising Children

Research has shown that there are positive effects of praising children, but it depends on what kind of praise we’re dishing out. A recent Stanford study of toddlers showed that “praising effort, not talent, leads to greater motivation and more positive attitudes toward challenges” down the road. These findings are consistent with previous research, which has connected… Read more »

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Benefits of Mindful Parenting

You’re running late, picking up some last-minute groceries. Your 7-year-old is dressed for baseball practice, and your 3-year-old has just kicked off her shoes in the middle of the freezer aisle. Frantically, you attempt to put her shoes back on, which sends her into a tantrum. At this exact moment, your 7-year-old catches a glimpse… Read more »

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

          As I began to research the topic of moral development, unbeknownst to me, was enough information to write multiple books (hence why it’s been done).  Although the topic is incredibly situational, I came to believe that moral development comes down to having a few traits instilled in a powerful way… Read more »

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VIDEO: Teaching Children to Appreciate Life

In her interview with PsychAlive Senior Editor Lisa Firestone, Dr. Donna Rockwell talks about engaging children in the appreciation for being alive. Donna Rockwell:  Another thing that I did with my kids all growing up is when they would go to sleep at night, I’d say, Before we go to sleep after we’ve read, I’d… Read more »

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Helping Parents Distinguish Love from Emotional Hunger

The image on TIME magazine’s May cover, in which a standing woman breastfeeds her 4-year-old son as he stands on a stool beside her staring directly into the camera, has caused quite a stir. Comments have ranged from rolled eyes to accusations of abuse. The subject of the TIME article is Attachment Parenting, a style… Read more »

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How To Bully Proof Your Children by Building Their Resilience

The heartwrenching stories and startling statistics coming out about bullying are commanding a justified level of concern in parents. With new data revealing that more kids are affected by bullying and cyber-bullying than we ever imagined and that both bullies and victims are at higher risk for suicide, our eyes are opening to the fact that… Read more »

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Five Things You Don’t Expect When You’re Expecting: How Parenthood Impacts Your Mental Health

If it suddenly feels like anywhere you go, you’re surrounded by heavily pregnant women, it is probably not your imagination. In the United States, there are more births during the months that close out summer and ring in fall than any other time of year. The season marks an exciting and scary time in the… Read more »

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Identifying Your Child’s Attachment Style

In the following interview, Dr. Dan Siegel talks about the different types of attachment styles that individuals develop during childhood as a result of the relationship they had with their parents. Embracing the freedom to see parents as they really are literally liberates the adolescent to find his or her own way in life. The… Read more »

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Identifying Your Child’s Attachment Style

In the following interview, Dr. Dan Siegel talks about the different types of attachment styles that individuals develop during childhood as a result of the relationship they had with their parents. Embracing the freedom to see parents as they really are literally liberates the adolescent to find his or her own way in life. The clips… Read more »

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Siblings: Retaliation or Sadistic Pleasure

The matter of siblings is complicated.  In family life they are our first peers.  Consequently, we learn many of our problem solving skills and intimate social relating from these interactions and how our parents mediate them.  There are millions of conflicts a week: Johnny breaks Suzie’s toy, Suzie calls Johnny a name, Johnny doesn’t want… Read more »

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