I frequently receive referrals of clients from pediatricians and OBGYN's. One of the most common reasons is that their patient has reported feeling somewhat depressed and/or anxious, post-delivery. Most everyone is familiar with postpartum depression. However, we don’t often hear about postpartum anxiety, which is a condition that can lead to ...read more
Teaching Kids Manners: 22 Things Your Child Can Learn Before They Turn 12
First things first. Disclaimer: there are no perfectly mannered children. There are no perfect parents. If your child is older than 10, and they haven’t mastered the following manners, that’s ok. You’re here and it’s never too late for them to learn. Naturally, the sooner the better but this isn’t about parent shaming. It’s about kids and parents ...read more
How Helicopter Parenting Impacts a Child’s Confidence
Parenting is… hard. As the father of three, I get it. Issues with parenting can occur anytime and anywhere – morning, evening, middle of the night, at home, while driving, in your local mall. Parental anxiety and the conflicts which emerge from it can pose real problems for parents and children. In addition, our role as parents has many ...read more
13 More Reasons: Understanding Teenage Depression and How You Can Help
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If you are a parent of a teenager, then you most likely have heard of last year’s groundbreaking Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. The general topics revolved around teen stress, anxiety, depression, and self-harm. If you are a parent who would like to learn more, I highly recommend that you ...read more
6 Tips to Help Your High Schooler With Senioritis
The college application process is over, Spring Break is upon us, prom is around the corner and graduation is quickly approaching for our high school seniors. After 12 or more years in school, they are almost done and as they hunch over their laptops to complete their final projects and take their final exams. They can feel ...read more
Is Chronic Conflict Ruining Your Marriage…and Your Kids?
Every relationship has conflict. Whether it’s about which way the toilet paper should roll, sexual issues, or if it’s about financial disagreements or politics, they are bound to happen. However, living in a state of constant conflict is another matter altogether. Living this way can be a very painful experience for everyone ...read more
21 Things Your Child Should Be Able to Do…And Should Do By The Age of 12
Ok. Maybe the picture above isn’t the best choice but I’ve put it at the beginning because I want you, as a fellow parent, to remember that kids doing their chores can be fun! It doesn’t always have to be a struggle…and sometimes it’s going to get messy as they learn! As the parent of three children, trust me. I know! It was important to my wife ...read more
Having A Baby – Part 4: 12 Tips To Enhance Your Relationship After Your Baby Is Born
You’re exhausted, you’re not having sex (that may be the last thing on a new mother’s mind) and emotions vacillate wildly. Is this the blissful time you were expecting? And what about you, new dad? How is your life changing now that you are a parent? What do you need? If you’re concerned that you’re not yourself or feeling that maybe you’re ...read more
The X-Plan: How to Help Your Tween or Teen Get Out of a Dangerous Situation
In general, I like to blog on a weekly basis. And about 98% of the time, I generate the blogs that you see here. But every now and then I come across an idea that can be so very helpful, whether it’s mine or someone else’s, that I naturally want to help spread the word – especially as it relates to the safety and health of our kids. This is ...read more
How To Raise Happy, Well-Adjusted Kids
Everywhere you turn today, you’ll find advice and recommendations on when to start your kids in school, where they should go, what instrument they should play and what extra-curricular activities will get them into better colleges or universities. All so they can achieve more and be well off in adulthood. But are good grades and a decent ...read more
Why Our Kids Need To Learn Resilience, Now More Than Ever
Ok. I just did a word check on this. It’s long. But this is such an important topic for you and your children, that more time and space was devoted to this blog than I usually do. As you read this, you’ll understand why. What is resilience? First, let’s define the term. The dictionary defines resilience as follows: the ability to become ...read more
Babies With Briefcases? How To Help Your Child Be Truly Happy
When writing these blogs, I always try to find a picture that goes with the theme. Sometimes it takes quite a while to find it. This one was perfect. Even though this picture is posed, the looks on these kid’s faces pretty much covers it. There is no doubt as parents we all want our children to succeed, whether in school, in sports, in ...read more
Wondering How To Calm Your Crying Baby? Try This!
While at dinner the other night with friends, we were talking about all the things we remember from when we were new parents. As a parent of three, I can certainly remember when each of them were babies. "How to Calm a Crying Baby" was something we all remember! Even though our children were relatively calm, there were certainly those times when ...read more
Using Cell Phones and Social Media: 7 Practical Tips For Your Relationships
My wife and I were relaxing at home the other night when I looked over and realized that both of us were paying more attention to our cell phones and iPads than to each other. This doesn't happen too much, but it really made me think. “Look at us, what are we doing!?” I asked my wife. We were sitting right next to each other, yet we weren’t even ...read more