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Time and again when I ask parents what they wish for their children they respond with “I just want them to be happy”. But how exactly does one do that? The truth is that happiness is a way of being but not a constant. To be happy you must also experience sadness and sometimes as parents we have a hard time tolerating that fact. In any case let’s take some time and see what the research tell us about how to be happy.
I was embarrassed that I had welled up to the point where my nose and my eyes could no longer function properly. I attempted not to take a huge breath or blink since tears were going to pour. From the stage I listened to Heather C. McGhee tell all of us that we needed to listen and understand one another, to meet in our humanity if there was to be true change. I began to cry because I know that this is the answer. As a psychotherapist to families and children, I sit and listen to others' humanity daily, and it always works when we listen, understand, and meet in that place of "yes, me too." However, in this moment at the We Won’t Wait Summit my tears were a mixture of McGhee stating what I believe to my soul and knowing how difficult it is for people to sit, speak, and listen to one another's experiences and feelings.
A 5th grader asks if it's normal to feel something bad every day. In this video Lina answers their question and gives recommendations.
The music was blaring and people were dancing on their chairs as I walked into the convention center. I had been given a gift by an amazing friend to attend Tony Robbins’ UPW: Unleash the Power Within event. I could never predict what was going to transpire at that event. I had only seen him speak on a TED talk and knew that many Fortune 500 companies send their employees to him for motivation, so I figured he was outstanding at what he did. Recently, this event is available for all to experience in his new Netflix documentary I Am Not Your Guru. It truly captures the weekend and its effect on so many. Like those followed in the documentary, my experience was pretty magical and truthfully, transformational. It was interesting for me, a psychotherapist, to be in the audience since I was experiencing the event as a participant, but also as a professional; my takeaway was empowering.
You are avoiding the sex talk but avoiding it won't help your children. Watch our founder speak with board certified sex expert, Gabriela Galvan de Antillon of Blue Pearl Therapeutic to know why it's important.
Skipping school, lying, hiding things from parents, taking an Uber at 2am, or in this case shoplifting are some examples of risky behavior that some teens may take. Watch this to learn why and how to handle it.
Lina Acosta Sandaal, MA, LMFT, Founder of Stop Parenting Alone, answers the question "will a baby save my marriage?" We hear this question all the time. Watch this video and get some surprising truths.
At the end of the day, the crowd broke into an uproar when we heard Oprah Winfrey proclaim, "Hi, everybody!" We had all been anxiously awaiting the Q&A of Oprah with Michelle Obama, the hostess of our summit.
Michelle Obama spoke of many things: self-value, self-worth, defining ourselves and handling criticism. She described how she chose her priorities and what she values most. But of all she described and shared, one line stuck with me. After Oprah asked her what she would be leaving the White House most proud of, she stated
Children and parents alike look forward to the lazy days of the summer months. We imagine happy moments in our family vacations. Children running and playing and getting popsicle mustaches. But right around the middle of July we find ourselves screaming, lecturing on the importance of being grateful for the time spent together, and overwhelmed with finding things to do. The following are tips and ways to manage these days of summer.
His little arms wrap around my neck and he tells me he loves. We tell each other that it is okay to have big feelings. We are the pair in the family that can feel happiness at a ten and anger at a ten. That day, I had been at a ten in anger and screamed at his father in front of him. I was taking the quiet moment in the evening to narrate what had happened that day. As he walked away to get into his bed I was grateful. He was six years old and had learned to accept his sensitivity and the lessons his emotions give him. At that moment I wondered, is that good or am I setting my son up for failure?
