Influence is a powerful thing. As a parent, it can also be a nerve-wracking aspect of raising your child. Thoughts of peer pressure and adolescent impulsiveness can weigh heavily on your mind as you watch your child grow more independent and respond to influences you no longer control. Hormones and peer relationships are a headyRead More
Parenting
Technology Overload? 7 Ways to Lure Your Kids Back to The Real World
You can probably tell by the glazed, wide-eyed stare. Or the dull “Huh?” that answers repeated attempts to get your child’s attention. It’s technology overload. Their brains are washed by constant beeps, alerts, texts, graphics, and hypnotizing video. A digital sea of information and social media constantly pulls them deeper. And it all seems tooRead More
The Imperfect Mother
Ahhh…motherhood. Most mothers will tell you that becoming a mother has given them a newer and higher purpose in life. They will attest to the idea that motherhood is the most rewarding part of life. As beautiful as is motherhood, every mother has both good days and bad days. There are those moments in motheringRead More
Raising Kids to be Leaders
A few years ago, our nation was outraged in response to a video clip which aired over and over again on the news. The video was a child’s eyewitness to the relentless bullying of a 68 year-old school bus aide, who endured insults and threats from middle-school kids. Much of what we heard from theRead More
How to Raise Gracious Children in a Materialistic World
We’ve all witnessed it before. At a store or in the mall, we see a child or teen dressed in name-brand clothes, wearing the latest hot-selling sneakers, texting on a smartphone, and playing the newest release on a hand-held game device. The child or teen we are witnessing is stomping, crying, whining, and pouting forRead More
5 Ways You Can Armor Your Child Against Peer Pressure Before it Strikes
Influence is a powerful thing. As a parent, it can also be a nerve-wracking aspect of raising your child. Thoughts of peer pressure and adolescent impulsiveness can weigh heavily on your mind as you watch your child grow more independent and respond to influences you no longer control. Hormones and peer relationships are a headyRead More
Why is Teen Stress So Common, and How Can You Help Your Teen Cope?
The average day of a teenager is not an easy one. High school classes start early and, according to a 2013 survey conducted by the APA, the pressure to do well academically is reported to be the biggest source of teen stress. The vast majority of teen participants worries about being good enough, meeting andRead More
Motivating Kids: It’s All About Love and Limits!
August is Purposeful Parenting Month. With that in mind, let’s take a moment to reflect on one of parenting’s highest goals: raising kids who turn into adults who make healthy choices. I’ve worked with many parents who express some variation of, “I wish I could get my child to do (X) without having to nag,Read More
A Back-to-School Guide for Parents
Notebook. Check. Pens and pencils. Check. Folders. Check. New lunch box. Check. It’s that time of year: back-to-school lists are being checked off; deals and savings for supplies are in full swing. Right about now you are probably wondering what happened to the summer and how on earth will you manage another school year. InRead More
Avoiding Back to School Blues
I’ll be the first to admit, I start twitching when I see back-to-school store displays in July. It just seems wrong– kids (and parents!) have barely just started enjoying summer vacation and are bombarded with reminders of the end of summer freedom. Personally, I’m in favor of the post-Labor Day start of school, but IRead More