emotional intelligence

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What You and First Lady Michelle Obama Share When it Comes to Parenting

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What You and First Lady Michelle Obama Share When it Comes to Parenting

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

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Why Your Kindergartener is Inconsolable

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Why Your Kindergartener is Inconsolable

Little people are just like big people. In this moment, my child was acting like a grown-up starting a new job.  He was experiencing a kindergarten version of adult concerns:  “What are these people going to be like? Will I like my boss? Am I going to be able to do the work?” In those moments it is important to take a moment and hold them and tell them that it is normal to be scared.  Take that opportunity to

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Disney Pixar's Inside Out Challenges All Of Us To Feel

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Disney Pixar's Inside Out Challenges All Of Us To Feel

Outside of my office door I hear a little voice talking to her daddy saying, “This one is joy, then disgust, yuk! And that one’s anger.r”  I know this little one does not like to talk about her feelings, but today she is excited and certain, describing the characters from the new Disney Pixar movie Inside Out.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude hearing her use emotional language and thrilled that director Pete Docter and Disney Pixar have taken on the task of bringing to life the amazing world of feelings and the workings of the mind.  As a mental health professional, the debut of this movie has been on the top of my to do list since I saw the trailer.  I am happy to say...

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Top 3 Tips to Get Into Your Tween's Head Using Disney Pixar's "Inside Out"

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Top 3 Tips to Get Into Your Tween's Head Using Disney Pixar's "Inside Out"

Director Pete Docter takes on the world of the mind and emotions and creates a visually beautiful film.  The movie engages you from the very start.  I watched in awe as everything I know about a tween’s social and emotional development was presented with entertaining banter and wit.  In the first ten minutes the film introduces each feeling, defines them and what they do for Riley, the 11 year old star of the film, at this point Inside Out had my heart.  At that moment I understood that a parent can use this film in any age group but in particular for a tween to speak and explain the world of choices, loss and emotions.  Here are my suggestions on how to use the movie to begin a conversation with your tween about the world inside their minds:

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You're Wrong, The World is Safe

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You're Wrong, The World is Safe

I have something radical to say and I wish you could hear me because if you were in front of me I would be screaming it: the world is safe.  The world has always been safe.  Yes, children die, famine exists, natural disasters kill thousands, and we murder one another through war, domestic violence, and hate.  But the world is safe.  For those of you who don’t believe the world is safe, why are you lying to your children?  I know that a deep part of you knows that  the world is safe, but your life experience has fooled you into believing that it is not.  So how do we get back to the purity of the early years before your mother may or may not have responded to you in a way that brought the first doubt of your safety?