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
Children with attention deficits don’t respond to traditional parenting strategies (including punishment and rewards) the same way as do children without the condition. This occurs because they don’t seem to learn from their mistakes, avoid behaviors because of punishment, or are motivated by rewards as easily as other children. As such, parents often second guess … Read more
The best part of Halloween is transforming into something you nor anyone else could imagine you as before…and it’s even better if they don’t recognize you. I remember the Halloween my sister and her boyfriend rented these Darth Vader costumes which prevented anyone from recognizing them. They visited the circuit of Halloween parties without talking– … Read more
As concerned parents, we think, plan, and sometimes obsess about how to prepare our children for their adult lives. We participate in their education, enroll them in sports and other activities, do what we can to build and maintain their self-esteem, try to instill good values, feed them healthful foods, save for college, keep track … Read more
Many of us were glued to our television sets this summer watching the Olympic gymnastic competitions. We sat in awe of the athletes’ graceful movements on the balance beam and envied their talent and opportunity. While we may never be Olympic competitors, we can learn to balance “Olympic-style” in our daily lives. With the start … Read more
When children make poor behavior choices, I often hear parents say, “I thought he knew better.” Raising a morally responsible child is a main goal for many parents, and parents often experience anxiety or frustration when their child chooses a path that does not reflect the expected morals of the family. However, it is critical … Read more
Believe it or not, the end of summer is almost here. For families with school age children, this time of year often brings up a range of strong emotions. The return to school can arouse positive feelings, such as excitement, and also negative ones – apprehension, worry or even dread. Both parents and children often … Read more
I recently went away to the mountains where there were no screens…no service for cell phones, no access to wifi, and no televisions for a whole week! The first day without my phone, without a constant barrage of texts, emails, and phone calls, I felt naked, uncomfortable, and out of touch. By the third day, … Read more
Driving down Chain Bridge Road in the storm a few weeks ago, the obstacle course through the fallen trees and the power outage brought back memories of the last bad storm that I experienced, Hurricane Katrina. Storms upset our lives. They inconvenience us. They take things away from us. Laying in bed in the hot … Read more
