Posts Tagged ‘children’
Addicted to Stuff: Helping Kids Learn to Let Go
For four years in college and four years after, everything I owned fit into a small space. Because I moved yearly, I lived simply. If I was tired of schlepping something between apartments, it was discarded. Like most people, once I stopped moving and settled in one place, I began to accumulate. Balancing my decisions…
Is Your Kid “Looping” On a Negative Thought?
As a family therapist, I often hear parents complain of a child who cannot move beyond an interaction, incident or situation, even when it has been addressed. In fact, the parent may have already listened, empathized with the emotion, and talked the issue out. An apology happened. Reassurance was provided. However, the child just cannot…
Convey Hope for Children in Challenging Political Times
As parents and those who work with or care for children, we can agree that children should not be exposed to all adult conversations. Most adults try not to swear in front of kids or discuss parenting topics that could alarm or cause misunderstanding. The developing brain is not cognitively mature. Therefore, kids cannot understand…
When It Always Has to be Your Way, No One Wants to Play: Using Proverbs to Teach Children
As any parent, educator or child counselor can tell you, children enjoy short, catchy and true phrases. However, in the heat of an emotional moment, it is hard to retrieve what we want to say. So, we often “do” before thinking. In addition to learning academics at school these days, children are taught relationship…
Getting to Yes to Find My No: One Woman’s Story About Not Having Kids
I’ve decided that I’m not having kids. As with any decision, there are losses. Sometimes I have a pang of sadness but mostly, it feels right. I was never someone who just knew I wanted kids. In my 20s when friends would tell me about really feeling the desire to have a family, I’d ask…
Tech Overwork Culture is Killing Families
As a psychologist specializing in couples therapy, I get a daily worm’s-eye view of the fallout of the tech work life that has been described in various places. Most recently the New York Times article about the take-no-prisoners approach at Amazon has made a splash. The pain that this overwork culture causes employees is evident, but…