While working in grief, I get a lot of concerns and questions from parents and caregivers asking if their child is grieving normally. The most common worries I hear are: “They were just crying and now they're playing.” “They haven’t cried at all since the death.” “They seemed to be fine when they were nine, but now they are twelve,...[ read more ]
Being a parent of a child with special needs is something many will never understand unless they have lived it. These parents are working every day to provide for their families financially and emotionally. They are parents trying to juggle multiple therapy appointments, school meetings, doctors’ appointments while trying to provide a sense of stability and normalcy for their children....[ read more ]
The following health and safety tips are from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Feel free to excerpt these tips or use them in their entirety in any print or broadcast story, with acknowledgment of source. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills. Here are a few tips from the AAP to help families manage the ever-changing digital landscape....[ read more ]
For many busy, working families, the holiday break can feel less like a vacation and more like a storm of activities, scheduled obligations, parties, errands and stress. With this in mind, here are a few tips and tricks to help your family survive the holiday break. Keep the Kids Busy Even though you may still be going to work, the...[ read more ]
Children and teenagers are being confronted with obstacles previous generations before them never encountered. With social media at the forefront in this changing world, it’s important for us to look at some of the challenges children and teens face when it comes to social interactions. Many teens can be found in the same room texting each other. They never look...[ read more ]
Growing up I remember my parents teaching me to say “please” and “thank you” and to greet the visitor by shaking their hand. It was about being polite and respectful to others. Most importantly, it was “Follow the Golden Rule”. The Golden Rule in my family was to “Treat others the way we want to be treated”. Sounds like a...[ read more ]
DISTRACT: Change your focus. We function somewhere between emotional and rational mind, this of conscious is called “Wise Mind.” You can’t make a well adjusted and healthy decision without taking emotions and thoughts into account. The same goes for managing stress and handling crisis, according to Marsha Linehan’s DBT Skills, we can DISTRACT when our “Wise Mind Accepts.” A: ACCEPTS Activities....[ read more ]
Making it Through Tough Times Recently my family went through a tough time taking care of a sick loved one in the hospital. You don’t really know how much people care until they offer to bring you a meal, send you positive thoughts through texts, or don’t show up at all. Being a caregiver can be burdensome. It is both...[ read more ]
Many parents approach us about concerns their child may have ADHD. Parents are sure their child is inattentive and/or hyperactive. More often than not, when they bring the child in for testing, their child did not eat prior to coming. Noticeably, they bring low nutrition snacks of chips, candy and cookies without the proper amount of rest the night prior....[ read more ]
Sleep Hygiene (all ages) Sleep hygiene is defined in the dictionary as habits and practices that are conducive to sleeping well on a regular basis. The National Sleep Foundation encourages us to zone in on our own sleep hygiene routines in order to encourage good night time sleep quality and full daytime alertness. This is important for the kiddos who...[ read more ]