Notes From The Couch

This week I want to reflect about a topic that is never something we want to face but something that unfortunately we all have to deal with at some point in our kid’s lives. Loss. Grief. Death. In childhood, kids are likely to endure the loss of a grandparent or another loved one. Here are

I have been on spring break and just getting back on track with my writing. Over the past few weeks I have received emails and messages about topics to address and questions to answer… thank you! This week I will respond to the parent who asked about when it is okay to let kids go

I have had to take a couple of weeks off from writing my weekly newsletter because I have been traveling and speaking about MommyBurnout. I am happy to be back in the office this week and sharing with you all what is happening in the parenting world, hope this helps!Is Your Child Ready for Summer

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR It seems Mother’s Day, graduations, and many end-of-year plays, performances, parties and events have parents feeling the burn of “May-hem.” I thought I would share my unique perspective on graduation from high school to college on remaining parents and siblings at home as this may not be top of mind

TRAGIC REALITIESThis past week reminded the world that mental health issues don’t discriminate. Depression and anxiety can affect anyone, over 16 million people are diagnosed with depression and nearly half are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Depression in children and teens looks a bit different than it does in adults so this week I

The Parenting Challenge Of The SummerThe past several weeks have been filled with parent’s frustrated that their children won’t get off their phones, iPads or video games and get out of the house. Parents are wanting their kids to be playing outside, doing something active and being social. Some of them even want their teens

So many of you have asked me when I would start writing these notes again so I am back! I have lots of new topics that have come up over the summer and already this fall. I hope you enjoy this common topic of raising strong willed children as it can be a big challenge.

No one wants to talk about this.I get it, this is an uncomfortable and sensitive topic this week. Porn. It’s in the palms of almost every tween and teen’s hands and yet we don’t want to think about it. Every month I get calls about kids watching porn online or having seen images after typing

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the US in children ages 10-14 and in adolescents ages 15-24.I KEEP HEARING ABOUT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL KIDS DYING BY SUICIDE, SHOULD WE BE TALKING TO OUR KIDS ABOUT THIS? The statistics report that about one child dies every five days by suicide. The past

Parenting college studentsThese past few weeks have been filled with young adults and their families coming in because coming home from college has been an emotional roller coaster. I have seen kids who are home sick and don’t want to go back, kids who have been smoking pot all day every day at school, kids

ADHD in the NewsThis past week Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder research findings made headlines when The New England Journal of Medicine published a report stating that in some states the birth month of August saw a 33% increase in ADHD diagnoses in young children when the school kindergarten cutoff was September 1. This supports other studies that

Do we still teach kids to “Just Say No?” I was recently at a parent talk about drug, alcohol and nicotine use among teens. One parent asked the presenter what many were thinking, does the old 1980’s Nancy Reagan message still apply, do we just need to tell our teens to just say no? The