It wasn’t what I envisioned–it’s better, and more real — When I became a parent, I really wanted to have a strong bond with my son. I’d been raised using an authoritarian approach, and I had painful memories of feeling alone and “not understood” at times, especially in my teens. I definitely knew I wanted to leave behind strict or…

How to nurture genuine remorse and empathy — Parents often try to teach their kids to say “sorry” by insisting they say it, but forcing your child to say sorry never teaches genuine remorse or regret–especially if your child is upset and doesn’t want to. Parents who try to force it have good intentions Parents who take this approach may: believe that’s the best way to teach…

The holiday season brings mixed feelings for many, especially Moms who often carry the brunt of the workload for creating a wonderful or magical experience for others. I thought I’d share a few things that I’m either doing this Christmas, or have done over the years, to create a little…

Help them find their “edge” — When your kids are scared to do something new, should you: ➡️ encourage them? ➡️ push them gently? ➡️ or wait until they feel ready? If your child is fairly confident, encouraging them may give them the nudge they need to try it. But if your child is anxious, encouraging…

My response to #PracticingGentleness month — I love that people are becoming more aware of spiritual bypassing, and are recognizing that we need to feel and express our painful feelings rather than skipping over them. …

My new meditation practice — Every morning for the past 3 1/2 weeks, I’ve been heading outside first thing in the morning to walk our cat Rhubarb. Truthfully, we both started this routine rather grudgingly–he because he doesn’t want to be on a leash, and me because I felt I didn’t have time. …

One of the most regulating and affirming practices we can offer our child is to “see them and hear them”. It can calm them and it builds self-confidence. Here’s why many parents struggle with this. We’re most capable of seeing and hearing our child when we have our own need…

Leave behind low self-esteem statements and anxiety — Shame is one of the most painful human feelings, and it tends to be passed from generation to generation. …

It’s heartbreaking to watch kids who are too hard on themselves. Maybe your child compares themselves to others and feels they’re not good enough in some way (e.g., “I hate my curly hair!”, “I’m stupid”, “I’m terrible at math” or “nobody likes me”). …