Summer break is almost here and that means a less intense morning and evening schedule and more time with siblings. Unfortunately, that can also mean more sibling conflict. Here are a few options for reducing teasing to help your summer go more smoothly*: Give an immediate time-out for both parties: To the Child Claiming to … Read more
Recently, a good friend of mine stumbled across a blog titled the “10 Myths of Introverts” by Carl King (http://www.carlkingdom.com), which describes his perceptions of being an introvert in an extroverted world. Since finding this blog, my friend has been educating more extroverted souls like myself with the wisdom she collected, and perhaps more importantly … Read more
In our romantic ideals, loving relationships are pictured as islands of peace, harmony, and joy, sheltering the couple from the hazards of the outside world. But anyone who has been in a long-term relationship knows this is far from the truth. The hard fact is: couples disagree – sometimes rarely, sometimes often. Whether or not … Read more
Many of us may have forgotten how to solve problems ourselves, since with a flick of the fingers we can find a myriad of answers on Google. Despite the benefits Google affords us, it is important that we continue to practice problem solving strategies on our own, because there are some problems the internet cannot … Read more
Play therapy has long been viewed as an effective and helpful form of child treatment. “Why play?,” is a question I am sometimes asked. The main reason play therapy has proven so useful with children is that they have not yet developed many of the verbal and abstract reasoning skills necessary to articulate their feelings, … Read more
Ah, the financial cliff. In this period of great economic uncertainty, when we are forced to come nose to nose with overspending that now must be cut. I’ve been watching our country and its reaction to this cliff and it has surprised me—America has maintained a high-spirited attitude of cautious optimism. I’ve been reflecting on … Read more
Here we are in January. It’s boom time for health clubs and diet plans – how many of us have made New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get in better shape? Unfortunately, most people fall off the diet-and-exercise wagon fairly quickly, leading to feelings of frustration, guilt, and even hopelessness and depression. The problem … Read more
There are few things as frustrating as not being able to fall asleep. As an activity, sleep is right up there with eating and breathing. Sleep is vital for all living beings. When we sleep we grow, we heal, we consolidate memories, and we rest. If we are sleep-deprived, we can have trouble focusing, remembering, … Read more
Most parents of a teenager can often find their teen glued to the internet or a cell phone reportedly “interacting” with friends. Many of these parents do not fully understand what their child is doing for all those hours while on the phone or computer and could benefit from a brief lesson on some of … Read more
As parents, most of us have been witness to our children “melting down.” Whether your child is a toddler, a preschooler, school age, or even an adolescent, there are times when your normally relatively reasonable offspring seems to become someone else all together. Often this happens when children are tired and/or hungry, though sometimes these … Read more
