Shyness, Seeking a Professional, & Back to School
Note: I'm on leave for the summer. While I'm out, I'll be reposting some of my more popular posts. See you again in the Fall. Short post about going Back to School. 3 little tips... When Should a Parent Seek Professional Help? Sometimes, therapy is most helpful before problems get entrenched. Shyness and Your Child. A three-part series, actually! [...]
Stories
Note: I'm on leave for the summer. While I'm out, I'll be reposting some of my more popular posts. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. See you again in the Fall. Good For Him! Tale from my grad school internship with the sex offenders. So many stories, this is one of my favorites. Oh, Good Question! [...]
Free Parenting Resources–part two–online help
I often receive phone calls and emails from parents who want my services, but for a variety of reasons, can't come in. A mom wrote recently asking if I knew of a way she could receive parent coaching for free. Unfortunately, my favorite parenting resource in Austin (Family Connections) has recently shut down, so I didn't really have a referral for [...]
Recommended Books about Death or Grief & Loss
Always & Forever, by Alan Durant, is reviewed in detail here. It is one of my favorite books about grief for kids. Highly recommended. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn isn't about grief or loss, but it is a book about how hard it is to separate or say goodbye. That's certainly a related theme when we are talking about grief [...]
My Sock Drawer, circa 2001
Sometimes, we fight for control over little things, even when it's not really what we want. As parents, it's good to remember this, and recognize it when we (or our kids) do it.
Why did you do that?
Ever ask your kid why they did some (dumb, unwanted, whatever) thing? Yeah, me too. But! When I'm running my parenting "A" game, I try not to--for at least 2 good reasons.
De Jure versus De Facto Parenting
We parents often say things like "She needs to understand that no means no" or simply "He doesn't listen!" Behind these complaints is often a big ugly truth that just happens to have a Latin description: sometimes what we parents say isn't what we actually do.
More about the plane crash
Austin-American Statesman writer Tara Trower adds to the conversation about talking with your children about Austin's plane crash. Read her blog post here.
One at a Time
Four year old Max isn't very good at picking up his toys.
Taking Children at their Word–part one
Clients of young children often tell me that their kids say things to them like "I hate you" or "You're the worst mom in the world," or even the milder but still related: "I'm not going to do that!" It's these "strong statements" that often leave parents feeling guilty or worried or challenged by seeming defiance.