After the recent months of being cooped up inside, many of us feel ready to let go and have some freedom. However, when we honestly look back at your children’s lives, many have had little structure and much freedom. With summer rapidly moving along, it is important...
After many years in practice, the benefit of following both parents and children over the years (and sometimes decades) adds depth to the findings in the clinical literature. It becomes fascinating to watch as habits patterns emerge, and impact upon future lives....
What a year! It is moving along, despite all the challenges and changes to our lives. And inevitably, there is an enormous impact on our daily routines, both for adults, as well as children. “Regret Weighs Tons. Discipline Weighs Ounces.” With this, an unavoidable...
Many parents are discovering, with months of quarantine, that their influence as a parent is eroding rather than improving. This is due to a failing strategy. The more challenging the child, the earlier the weaknesses in parenting begin to unfold. However, even with...
Let’s assume this: Every choice comes with a consequence. When the consequences of any given choices are obvious and immediate, everyone seems to gets it. However, when the consequences are very subtle, and we overlook the pointers to what is happening, it is easy to...
Responsibility: The state or fact of being accountable for something. In recent weeks, many teens have ended up spending more and more time in their bedrooms, alone with their phones. With no sports or school functions, parents have found little to motivate or inspire...
Who Would Have Guessed?Sibling Angst on the Rise. One of the most persistent struggles parents encounter is the battles that occur between siblings. And now, with siblings hanging out more than ever, many parents are reporting that life a home is an endless struggle...
"You Have to Stop?" In the last few months, how often do you find yourself saying something like this? When talking with the kids, it begins with the phrase, “You need to” and ends with a variety of behaviors or tasks. Examples include: "You need to pick up your...
Everyone is familiar with the idea of a ‘time-out.’ When used properly, giving a time-out to children will effectively help eliminate a wide range of behavioral issues. Time-outs often seem to be inadequate for certain situations, and usually, the problem is not with...
The impact of the current circumstances, combined with the unknowns about the future, has had an impact on our underlying state of fear and anxiety. Initial studies are not surprising as all, suggesting that many Americans deeply feel the impact of Covid-19 in more...
In these trying times, I am often hearing parents struggle with morning routines, and getting their teens out of bed. With the lack of externally imposed structure, many children and teens tend to sleep in. This happens despite parents getting upset, and nagging or...
