Minimizing the Materialism of the Holidays

One thing that’s as familiar to the holiday season as Christmas carols and cold weather is the overwhelming crush of advertising.   Ads for everything from clothes to jewelry to toys to cars confront us every time we turn our TV, open the newspaper or go online.As parents, the holidays are a challenging time as we [...]

Minimizing the Materialism of the Holidays

One thing that’s as familiar to the holiday season as Christmas carols and cold weather is the overwhelming crush of advertising.   Ads for everything from clothes to jewelry to toys to cars confront us every time we turn our TV, open the newspaper or go online.As parents, the holidays are a challenging time as we [...]

Understanding Your Child’s Learning Style

As kids are heading back to school, it's a good time to think about setting them up for success this school year. Children have different ways of learning and, thankfully, schools are starting to recognize these different styles. When you understand how your child learns, it can make school and homework easier for everyone. Children [...]

Another Reason to See the Movie, Inside Out, With Your Kids

Inside Out, the latest movie from Disney/Pixar, is one of the best-reviewed movies of the summer. After seeing it with my kids, it’s easy to see why it’s received so many accolades. It’s a visually captivating film that is both funny and heartfelt. As a psychologist, I see that it can provide special value to [...]

Why Not to Stress over Your Child’s Boredom This Summer

It’s easy to find websites devoted to expensive and elaborate ways to keep your children entertained over the summer. I want to encourage you to embrace the boredom because it’s actually good for your kids! A while ago, I blogged about a study that showed how many adults would prefer an electrical shock to being [...]

Giving Your Kids Perspective for the Holidays

I saw a story on the Today Show about a mom that had “cancelled” Christmas in response to the entitled attitude she saw from her kids. While that approach may be a bit severe, most parents I know struggle to balance their desire to give their kids a good experience with their desire to avoid [...]

College Students and Mental Health

For a long time, therapists have noticed a growth in mental health issues among students. This anecdotal observation was recently confirmed by the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), a nationally recognized research survey that collects data about students’ health habits, behaviors and perceptions. Some of the statistics from the NCHA’s most recent survey of college [...]

Discipline in Blended Families

Issues of discipline in blended families can be complicated. Reaching a point where parents can instill discipline consistently and comfortably to all of the children in the family is not an easy or immediate process. So, how do you get there?Bond with your stepchild(ren).   Discipline works best when there is a foundation of trust. Spend [...]

Give Yourself a Mother’s Day: Permission to be Good Enough

As Mother’s Day approaches, moms can look forward to receiving gifts and cards from their kids and perhaps jewelry or the day off from a spouse, but what gift should a mom get herself? While a day at the spa or a manicure may be enticing, my Mother’s Day suggestion is that moms be gentle [...]

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