If you want to give the gifts that the children — and their parents — will appreciate most, consider these Do’s and Don’ts: Do Consider the age and stage of the child: My brother-in-law’s mistake was not in the buying of a robot, but in buying one for a 2.5 year old. If my son […]
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No matter how well the back and forth between houses goes all year, children are often worried about the parent they are not with on Christmas. They wonder what that parent is doing. They worry that the parent is sad without them. They feel guilty if they forget for a moment that mom or dad […]
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Does Mental Illness Run in Families?: What should you do if you suspect your child is at risk of developing a mental disorder — especially when mental illness runs in your family? According to psychologist Scott Bea PsyD, an important first step is helping your child build resilience, a personality trait that helps children deal […]
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Highlights from the Study It’s no secret that the amount of time teens spend online has increased in the last decade. So much so that parents everywhere began to worry about the effect it had on teens. With 95% of teenagers having access to smartphones and 45% of them reporting being online almost constantly, logging […]
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The Power of Gratitude and How It Raises Your Happiness Level: As American Thanksgiving quickly approaches, many of us pause to focus on our blessings in life. But when Thanksgiving dinner is cleared away, will you continue to think about what you have rather than what you don’t have? Studies have demonstrated the power of […]
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One unintended effect of putting the ODD label on a child, in my experience, is that it makes parents feel like something is intrinsically wrong with their child — and wrong with them as parents. The ODD diagnosis can also cloud the process of figuring out why a child is struggling and how to best […]
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If you’re wondering how a little kid can teach you anything significant, let me tell you what my youngest son Daniel taught me when he was still in nursery school. Danny was a determined, self-assured little boy who seemed to be that way from the day he was born. He knew what he liked. He […]
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If you are a parent of such a child, this isn’t new information. Nor is it new information that your child needs help to manage whatever is novel. But it is only human to minimize or forget at times, especially if we love Halloween ourselves; especially if the sensitive child has siblings who are excited […]
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Our daughter’s anxiety began as would any other child’s. She was shifting from preschool to elementary school and was scared of what, we thought, was the unexpected. She was going to have a male teacher; until then, she had only had female ones. She was going to start reading. We would no longer be able […]
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In those moments, it’s hard not to lose your cool. Which, of course, is putting it mildly. It’s actually really hard not to flip out and transform into the Incredible Hulk, huffing and puffing, and screaming your brains out. But these freak-outs don’t have to be regular, inevitable occurrences. We can learn to be calm—at […]
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Tim’s illness took a toll on the entire family, which was only exacerbated by the lack of information and resources available to them. In America, fewer than 100 children per year are diagnosed with very early onset schizophrenia. Chrisa had to find information and resources for herself and didn’t want anyone else to have to […]
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But today, the most pressing reason to encourage sports participation among our youth is their mental health. Our kids are struggling—and the data isn’t looking good. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for America’s youth—spanning the precious ages of 10 to 24. The number of suicides for 10- to 14-year-olds has more […]
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School systems are bringing in consultants and providing programs to address the problem. But, as is true of most things, schools can do only so much. Prevention of bullying starts at home. There are dozens of articles online about how to help your child avoid being victimized and what parents can do if it occurs. […]
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So how do you help yourself through these next couple of days and weeks? I have some ideas. Most importantly, though, is this: You got this. You will make it through these days and weeks ahead intact. 1. Answer the Worrying Thoughts Sometimes we can cause our own worry and fear by the thoughts running […]
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Back-to-school is a time when many parents become increasingly concerned about cyberbullying, suicidality, self-harm, and substance use. Whether you’re preparing for your first back-to-school season or sending your child off to college, here are the five items I recommend adding to your back-to-school checklist in regards to mental health: 1. Get to know the early […]
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During the time the family lived in our town, there never was an emergency where I was needed. But there was comfort for them knowing that I could be. Most important, it drew me closer to the family. The experience has made me think about the function of “storm parents”, both formal and informal. Consider […]
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I didn’t figure out what love wasn’t until I went through my tsunami of a divorce and came face-to-face with the ongoing trauma causing by experiences of childhood abuse — all at the same time. You see, I was a victim (sorry, I hate that word, but it is what it is) of childhood abuse, […]
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1. Try Directive Questions Most people are familiar with the concept of open- versus closed-ended questions. As a review, closed-ended questions can be answered with a simple “yes/no” while open-ended questions can’t. In other words, it’s better to ask your teen “how did school go today?” than “did you have a good day at school?” […]
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Two guests join us. The first is Chrisa Hickey, who is the mother of an adult son with schizophrenia and started an online site for parents of children who have a severe mental illness. The other guest, interviewed by co-host Gabe Howard, is Janel Star Withers, mother of host Rachel Star Withers. Janel shares her […]
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For kids who struggle with emotional self-regulation, school can be especially challenging. They may have a hard time sitting still and staying focused, or not losing their cool when they can’t quite grasp new material, or dealing with conflicts with classmates. Luckily, summer break offers plenty of opportunities for kids to hone their self-regulation skills. […]
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Today’s guest is Okpara Rice, CEO of Tanager Place, a mental health facility for children in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Unlike adults, children are not in control of their own environment, and anything that affects a child will affect their families, and vice versa. So, what is the best way to help these kids? Join us […]
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He begged me to lose weight. Of course, it was difficult to do so, instead of me dropping pounds, he began to limit his food intake until he had lost weight. He went from 115 to 107. This doesn’t sound like much but on his 5’2″ frame, it seemed like a huge amount. I could […]
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Friedman was convinced that because of these differences, she wouldn’t be able to succeed. She feared she’d “never be good enough, smart enough, quick witted enough to be successful in school” and beyond. “It is hard to get used to the idea that my ADHD won’t be going away and I have to actively manage […]
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