When a child is scared, it’s natural for a parent to feel helpless. Childhood fears and specific phobias aren’t always rational, so you can’t just reason them away by saying, for example, “Only seven Americans die from spider bites every year,” or “Sweetie, there are zero monsters under your bed.”…
Every year there seems to be a new parenting style trending in popular culture: helicopter parenting, tiger parenting, lighthouse parenting. People write about free-range parenting, gentle parenting, and slow parenting as if children are food items that need to be carefully cultivated through a certain recipe. Child psychologists and mommy/daddy…
Mother’s Day is one of those special holidays that for so many of us, reminds us of the unparalleled closeness that can define a parent-child relationship. The bond between a mother and child is often life-long; forged by familial ties and tempered with years of both arguments and heart-to-hearts, and…
About one in six kids in the United States struggle with a treatable mental health disorder, and only half of them get the professional help they need. As a parent or caregiver, you provide consistent support for your child. You help teach them how to navigate life’s challenges. An important…
Divorce is common, but that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. Trying to process your own feelings while carrying on with day-to-day life can feel, at best, overwhelming, at worst, almost impossible. The complications that accompany divorce become far more intricate when there are children involved. Remember, no matter…
I was talking to my sister the other day (I grew up an only child, but luckily got step-sisters when I was older). We haven’t seen each other in a while and were catching up on life. During our conversation, she said something that caught my attention: “You know how…
This is not a parenting advice column. Most parents don’t need more parenting tips. They just need a break from taking care of their kids. I took an informal poll over the weekend, asking my parent-friends how they practice self-care. Their answers: They drink, they smoke weed, they play video…
Whether your toddler has received an autism diagnosis, or you suspect your young one is on the spectrum, there’s a host of activities you can use at home to keep your child both active and engaged. Homeschooling your autistic toddler may seem complex, but you don’t have to feel overwhelmed…
A new Australian study indicates that adolescents can benefit from daily screen time, but only in limited doses: under 75 minutes for girls and under 105 minutes for boys. The researcher attributes the gender divide to a lower “active contribution” from girls during media use. Boys tend to play more…
Starting in the mid-20th century, father figures in pop culture, especially those portrayed on TV, have been characterized with negative attributes. Don’t be mistaken; there’s comedic gold to be mined from the blunders of characters like Bernie McCullough in “The Bernie Mac Show,” Hank Hill in “King of The Hill,”…
When we think about or discuss mental health topics such as depression, our minds tend to zero in on what the individual with the mental health condition is going through. But what about those closest to them—like their children? As a mental health condition that can leave sufferers feeling distant…
Just because the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be over, doesn’t mean everything is back to normal. And if you’ve got children, you may be underestimating the ways in which virtual learning might’ve affected their social skills and sense of independence. The development of socialization skills, along with…
