Do you find that your kids start to act irrationally in the weeks leading up to a major change or transition?  If your child starts to react or blow up over seemingly small things that aren’t typically a problem before an upcoming change — and you’re left wondering what in the world has gotten into them —  know that it’s completely normal and nothing has gone wrong.

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Do you think your parenting partner is too strict, or too lenient?  We all have opinions about the best way to parent, and it’s not uncommon to disagree with our partners about how to raise and discipline our kids.  But we can run into a problem when we are parenting in response to our partner, spouse, or co-parent — and then end up too far in the opposite direction.

This was an issue that I...

As a parent, do you spend more time focused on your child’s negative behavior that concerns you — or do you focus on helping your child develop skills that will help them thrive?  If you’re like most parents I coach (myself included!), you tend to focus on what you want your kids to stop or what you think they need to improve.

Before you have any self-recriminating thoughts, know that there is...

How often do you appreciate your efforts and celebrate yourself as a parent, or as a human?  If you’re like most of my clients, you spend a great deal more of your time looking at what you’re doing wrong or where you’re not measuring up than you do celebrating and appreciating yourself for all that you give and do.

We celebrate so much for our children when they are little — learning...

When your child is upset and experiencing big feelings, is your first instinct to solve the problem that is making them upset?  If you’re like most parents (me included!), you want to know what the problem is to see if you can help get it resolved and calm down your child.

So if your child got upset because their balloon popped, you are likely to want to get them another balloon right away.  That seems...

It’s summer and vacation time!  How are you envisioning your family vacation? I don’t know about you, but I always had visions of fun family times together with happy and grateful kids.  Unfortunately, my dreams of vacation never matched my reality.  As the vacation went on, my kids fell apart, and I couldn’t wait for it to end.

I was coaching a mom recently whose family had gone on...

Are you a parent that looks forward to summer and your kids being out of school, or does the lack of routine or change in schedule fill you with overwhelm or even dread?  In full transparency, I was one of the latter.  The end of the school year was always bittersweet.  Yes, it was nice to have a break from the early morning routine of getting the kids ready, lunches made, and making it to the bus on...

I connected with two of my child therapist friends this past week, and I took the opportunity to ask them what they want parents to know right now.  They both had similar answers but one rose to the top.  As child therapists, they wish parents would relax and stop catastrophizing.

Phones are ringing off the hook for child therapists everywhere — my friends included.  Parents are anxious and scared,...

Are you in the final countdown, pushing through to the end of the school year? 

Traditionally, this is a hectic time of year for many parents — All of the end of the year activities, awards, final parties, field trips, playoffs, recitals…  It can be overwhelming for even the most organized of parents!  I had one mom wonder recently if she was the only one wishing her son’s team...

Do you feel like parenting is harder than ever right now?  That’s what I’m hearing — Parents are telling me that it’s HARD with a capital H, and they are floundering.  Parents desperately want to be able to help their kids, but they don’t know how.

Here’s what I’m hearing:

I don’t know what to do
I don’t know where to start
I don’t know what questions...

As a parent, do you feel like your emotions can sometimes drive you to react in a way that you later regret?  When your kids are fighting and emotions are high, do you get sucked into their emotional vortex?  Alternatively, if they are super excited or happy, can they help lift your mood too?  This is no surprise — because as it turns out, emotions are more contagious than a cold or the flu....

Do you have questions about how to best support your child —  About challenges they are experiencing, behavior issues, a decision or situation concerning school or other activities, or through these challenging times in general?

This past week I ran an Anxiety Workshop that was sponsored by the Parent Teacher’s Association in Georgetown, and there were a lot of questions from the parents.  With...