Kids with caregivers who give them permission to feel big feelings and that give them support in managing those feelings are kids with tools who are able to become adults who can regulate emotions and find resiliency in the face of crisis.
Today, I’m releasing a simple visual illustrating how empathic, attuned parenting can disrupt one common cycle behind problem behaviors at home or in the classroom.
Pre-teen, pre-adolescent, pre-pubescent, tween… Regardless of what term is used – we’ve all been there, most of us know one, and some of us are parenting (teaching, counseling, etc.) one. As the stepping stone from childhood to adolescence, this time frame can be a tough one to navigate for both tweens and for those attempting to engage and connect with tweens.
Connecting with preteens can be especially difficult. Not quite kids, and not quite adolescents, tweens deserve more credit than we tend to give them.
It’s not uncommon for adult siblings to hold very different opinions from one another about the personality of the parents they shared when they were …
If you aren’t naming and breaking the cycles that have entangled you, you are participating in them. This is true in most systems we are …
Instead of questioning (“How could you?”) or punishing (“How dare you!”) look for the entry point for empathy (“Oh, of course you…”). When someone …
The first draft of this illustration was created as a professional resource, but as Social Distancing entered the global vocabulary and #quarantinewithkids started trending, I …
Demonstrating our trustworthiness builds relational bridges that self-advertisement cannot. If you sense that your friend, partner, child, client, etc. feels hesitant to trust you, let …
It’s not that social media is good or bad, the real question is: What we are willing to trade for likes, views, and follows? This is …
When kids are anxious, it is human nature to want to soothe them. For kids with significant anxiety, however, we may need to monitor …
It’s normal for parents to worry about kids as they navigate shared spaces, learning, and the social aspects of growing up. Parents typically find that …
There is an enormous amount of pressure on parents to keep tabs on everything their teen does – especially online. But a little bit of …
In 2019 researchers at Johns Hopkins University published results of the first large scale study that sought to identify “Positive Childhood Experiences” that helped protect …
Kids who grow up in families where emotional needs are not validated and met often develop a deep sense of internal shame for having needs …
When brains experience trauma, they struggle to cope with it. It’s normal – and part of the healing process – to have flashbacks, nightmares, or …
Humans have an innate ability to read people, situations, and our environment. If we pay attention, it helps keep us safe and helps us know …
Dr. John Gottman spent 40 years researching marital stability and theorized these “4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” but it only took me a few hours …
Alexithymia is when a person is not able to express, tell the difference between, and name emotions. Most of us learn early – before we …
