Blog
Every December at my center parents ask me how to not spoil their children and how to manage the gift giving frenzy of the holidays. The follow are the answers to the most popular parent questions during the holiday:
Many parents have questions about how their kids can learn to socialize. The following questions come up frequently at our center:
A parent member of our online parenting support asked:
We are doing the Elf on the Shelf this year for my daughter (4-years-old). I think that the elf watching for good behavior is a good incentive. Any thought or experiences?
What is the best method for disciplining our kids?
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.
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.
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.
