The new year offers an opportunity to refocus and reprioritize. For working parents, that means taking some time to think about your family dynamic. If 2019 was a year of challenges, confusion, or frustration, the new year is a chance to switch up your routines. You can find a better way for your family members to [...]
Like the saying goes, babies don’t come with instruction manuals. New parents are often left to figure things out for themselves, using a mix of personal experience and advice from friends and family. Even practiced parents struggle as they try to guide their children through crucial stages of development. Here are six parenting books that [...]
Are your New Year’s resolutions ready? You know goal setting helps you create the life you want. This new year, create some family goals to teach your children the value of self-discipline. The Basics of Family Goal Setting Just like your favorite professional sports team, your family needs to work together to be [...]
There’s a long-standing joke amongst parents: We wait with excitement to hear their first words. A few short months after, we will do almost anything for a little silence. Happy childish chatter might make it hard to think, but it’s one of the many things that makes sharing time with your child sweet. What happens [...]
Stress is a fact of modern adult life, especially during the holidays. It can be difficult to gather the energy needed to maintain a career, home, family and social life. When your personal reserves are running low, your relationships suffer. In addition to a number of serious physical symptoms, stress contributes to anxiety, anger, irritability [...]
Unfortunately, children don’t come with printed instructions. Daily experience is the only real way to master the art of raising a child. However, there are books that provide reliable guidance and information to parents. These five books help parents navigate challenges, build stronger bonds, and gain a better understanding of your child’s inner world. They [...]
On the parenting rollercoaster of emotion, it often seems that anger is expressed more than any other, and the daily pressures of life don’t make keeping your cool any easier. Once the feeling erupts, it can be hard to control it. Often parents end up lashing out, and then experience guilt and dismay for their [...]
Most of the nation is aware of the recent college admissions scandal – and an overwhelming majority are shaking their heads. It feels like a blatant case of entitlement, but there is something more to consider. A new way of parenting is on the rise, and while the parents’ overall intentions may be good, the [...]
Open and honest communication with a trusted adult on a regular basis is a key factor in child development. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services compiled a list of recent studies that verify some of the long-term benefits. Adolescents who receive open, validating, and respectful verbal guidance from a parent or mentor are far less [...]
Mirror neurons in our brains encourage imitation and allow us to share experiences with others. The ability to understand how others feel and think makes it possible to form strong social bonds. Empathy is a complex evolutionary process that makes it possible for the human race to prosper. Empathy is a combination of two specific [...]
Automaticity is the neurological process that allows us to drive, walk, and complete other simple and repetitive behaviors without conscious thought. This ability is a large part of habit formation. A study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology noted that automaticity could take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to take root. The [...]
Being a parent comes with many duties. You are charged with the sacred duty of feeding, clothing, and teaching your child how to live in the world as a productive and satisfied member of the community. However, your job is not to be your child's friend. Of course you want your child to like you. [...]