Do you get nervous about how your kids will act at the family holiday gathering?  For neurodiverse kids and kids who struggle with impulse control, family gatherings and all of the extra stimulation can be tough, and parents can feel like they’re on display.  One mom told me she was sick of being the “show.”

In last week's article, I shared how setting expectations accordingly will help you...

It’s the time of the year when there are many family gatherings and opportunities for your relatives to observe you parenting your children.  As parents, we always want to be proud of our kids, so we often expect our children to behave a certain way at family gatherings.

Unfortunately, family gatherings also typically mean that our kids get overstimulated and jacked up on sugar, so they don’t behave or...

As the holiday season is upon us, what are you grateful for, and what brings you the most joy?  I know that when I stop and take stock, I’m usually most grateful for those small moments of connection with my loved ones — the moments talking before bed or the random hug in the middle of the day that bring me the most joy.  The question is how present are you for these moments?

Are you able to enjoy...

Given that we’re in the season of gratitude, we tend to talk and think more about what we are grateful for — and given that gratitude is associated with increased levels of happiness, it’s no wonder that this can be more of a “feel-good” time of year.   

One of the reasons this “feel-good” time of year happens and why we feel better is because we change our brain...

How do you typically respond when life gets rough for your child?  Do you think things should be easy and work out for your child, and get worked up and upset when they don’t?  How do you respond when things aren’t going smoothly for your child, and they struggle or fail?  

We teach our kids what to do when things don’t go as they had hoped or expected by how we respond to the...

As parents, we all want to raise our kids to be kind, but what does that really mean, and how do we do that in a divided world? I’m bringing this up and hoping to raise awareness around this issue because I’m seeing parents posting about other kids being unkind and downright mean. They’re not alone; my own child has experienced this recently, too.  

The most recent post I saw was from a mom...

Does your child have anger issues?  I recently had a couple of parents reach out because their children were having anger issues at home and school.  The children were hitting and biting other kids, teachers, and parents, and they were saying really mean and hurtful things. The parents were at a loss and didn’t know what to do.

As a parent, it can be both scary and embarrassing when your young child...

Does your child have anger issues?  I recently had a couple of parents reach out because their children were having anger issues at home and school.  The children were hitting and biting other kids, teachers, and parents, and they were saying really mean and hurtful things. The parents were at a loss and didn’t know what to do.

As a parent, it can be both scary and embarrassing when your young child...

Does the thought of holding a boundary make you feel mean or insensitive?  Do you find yourself holding boundaries from a place of anger or punishment?  If either is true for you, you’re likely not using boundaries effectively and not getting the results you want with your kids.

In a recent article, I explained why kids need boundaries: They help them feel safe and secure and help them develop...

Does the thought of holding a boundary make you feel mean or insensitive?  Do you find yourself holding boundaries from a place of anger or punishment?  If either is true for you, you’re likely not using boundaries effectively and not getting the results you want with your kids.

In a recent article, I explained why kids need boundaries: They help them feel safe and secure and help them develop...

When your child isn’t doing what you want, how often do you resort to negotiating, bribes, rewards, or even threats to get them to cooperate?  As parents, we don’t want to think that we threaten or bribe our kids—but pretty much every parent has been there.  

You have somewhere you’re supposed to be, and your child isn’t cooperating. So you threaten that you won’t go...

Does your child struggle with BIG feelings, and are their emotions all-consuming?   Are your child's emotions unpredictable — keeping you on edge because you're unsure how to parent through it or what to do? You are not alone.  Parenting kids through big feelings can be hard and scary.  Many parents find it either maddening or anxiety-provoking — and some parents find it a mixture of both and...