At Water's Edge

Okay, so most of us want a better relationship with our kid...even the ones with big, huge emotions that make us feel like crappy parents. Tell me I’m wrong...and mean it. If the relationship with your kid could use some improvement, you could keep doing what you’re doing (you know, they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results…) or you could implement small changes to start the process gradually. It’s complete

Play. It’s a seemingly simple task but adults really struggle with letting go and just playing with their children. We often get all caught up in our own logic and forget the magic of just letting things play out, with little logic and interference from those with experience. Our small humans learn about their world through play. It’s pretty clear from about 0-7 but then a child’s play morphs into less actual playing and more games, competition, and exploration of boundaries.

Shout out to all of you parents out there! Seriously, parenting is hard. Sometimes really hard. Some kids are more challenging than others, yet you guys keep moving forward, doing the best you can. That’s awesome. BUT many of us are failing our kids. “Wait, what? How can you praise us and then turn around and say we’re failing?” Well, for the most part, you are doing great. You are loving your children ferociously. You are teaching them that they matter. Their feelings matter

Robin Williams was the number one trending topic in 2014. Maybe it was because we had just learned that a man who we grew up watching on TV and in movies had committed suicide. Suicide of all things. Maybe we were searching for answers or looking for clues to help our own loved ones. Perhaps it was the loss of a comedic genius that left our minds spinning that left us grasping for answers. He was so great at what he did that he had us all convinced that nothing could be wrong

A new school year is just around the corner and many of our children, whether they are starting elementary school or college, are getting that nervous excitement to see what the new school year brings. New classes, new teachers and new friends can be exciting. It’s not always rainbows and butterflies though. For some, just hearing the words back-to-school may send shivers of anxiety down their backs. Children who struggle with strong feelings of anxiety may want to run the ot

We are halfway through 2014, you think we'd know how to...How many times have you said or heard that? Well it's 2014, you think we'd know how to...raise kids...right? Raising kids is tough and it doesn't matter if you have 1 or 6, it's still a hard job. The world has changed so much that it's hard for even the younger parents to stay on top of things in their child's world. Parenting toddlers and teenagers is especially tough. It can be excrutiatingly difficult. Toddlers are

Many parents call me or ask during a child’s (or teen’s) counseling session, “What is wrong with my sweet baby?” Well, if you ask your child, it’s probably that you still refer to him or her as your baby…But in reality, your sweet child is still in there, tucked away in a compartment in the brain getting upgraded. When our children reach the age of about 12, their brain does some dramatic upgrading…think an extensive overhaul. It’s not a secret; adults think their adolescents