If An Orangutan Can
My wife and I are recovering helicopter parents. Helicopter parenting is a form of over involvement in a child’s life, taking away the child’s ability to learn coping skills and healthy independence. It is linked to higher anxiety, higher depression, higher substance abuse, and lower coping abilities in the child’s later life. 1 2 Being […]
Being Real
As a parent, I’m always trying to find ways to connect with my teenagers and so I decided to start using the app BeReal with them. BeReal will daily, at any time of day, notify you that it’s time to “be real”. When the alert comes on, you capture the photo from both directions on your phone. Typically it’s […]
Sometimes I Want To Hit
Validation from others helps us feel understood and safe. Validating different parts of ourselves – especially the parts we are ashamed of – helps to align our goals and gain self-assuredness. I was out with my toddler son when he became tired and absolutely hangry. He quickly delved into full tantrum mode as he repeated […]
Dadda Loves Me Even When I Am Sad
My toddler loves to pretend everything is a choo-choo train, play with firetruck toys, and wave at the garbage collector. However, sometimes, it seems like his favorite activity of all is to throw tantrums! Especially during transitions, he will kick, scream, and cry. My wife and I have tried so many different strategies to help […]