The Blog
Our best advice when it’s tough with kids:breathe, laugh, dance, sing, hug, call a friend. Be gentle with yourself, you’re not done growing up yet. This won’t last and you are not alone.
How to set limits with a tween or teen – Kim John Payne
Teens and tweens are really good at pushing boundaries. How do you set a limit with your older child or teen without creating a rupture in your relationship? How do you know when to hold your ground? Or when to be swayed by your teen? These are the questions we asked...
Handling aggressive behavior – Tosha Schore
We’ve all been there. We’ve all been angry, sad, or frustrated with our child’s behavior. Whether it’s younger ones fighting in the backseat of the car, or teens who are starting to make some questionable choices, we have feelings that well up in us, for our kids....
How Teens Can Create a Life They Love – Julie Lythcott-Haims
Do you ever wish that your teen could have a mentor, auntie, or trusted guide? Someone that would sit down with them and patiently explain how the world works, how to find meaningful employment, and how to be independent? A person who genuinely loves and cares for...
When to talk to kids about drugs – Jessica Lahey
I didn’t think we needed to talk to our kids about drugs and alcohol until they were in high school or college. I was wrong. I also mistakenly believed that parents don’t have that much influence over whether their kids struggle with substances or not. I didn’t know...
What to do about Mommy Overwhelm – Gemma Hartley
Gemma Hartley is a writer, reporter, mom of 3, and she is the author of Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward. We sat down with her to talk about emotional labor–the largely invisible but demanding, time-consuming, and exhausting "worry work" that often...
How to transform a trigger – Dr. Lynyetta Willis
Do you get triggered when... you see your child on a screen for the Nth hour?your child has a meltdown or shouts, “I hate you mommy!”?your kids fight with each other?you see that your child’s homework is still unfinished?your partner is sitting on the couch while you...
When parents disagree on parenting styles – Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart
We often hear from parents that disagree about how to parent. The questions we get asked often sound like this... a mom wants to be understanding and empathic when a child is struggling, but the dad thinks the child needs to “toughen up” or “get over it”. How do you...
7 ways to get kids to talk about their feelings
In our culture, we so often ask each other, “How are you?” And we so often give surface-level answers like, “I’m good” / “I’m fine” / “I’m busy”. As parents, we want to know how our kids are doing and feeling. Their feelings are a window into their soul, their deepest...
Solution for Sadness. Look for Moments.
A few years ago after a tough day in middle school, our daughter boarded the noisy school bus that would take her home. She flopped down in the seat. I imagine she had the facial expression that she so often wore in those days… a thin veneer of teenage nonchalance...