Finding Meaning In The Routine
Like many, I spend a lot of time shuttling my kids around. I work over an hour from my home, yet I put more mileage on my car on the…
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Finding Meaning In The Routine
Sometimes It’s Good To Call “Mercy”
My dad and I used to play the game “mercy.” We would squeeze each other’s fingers to see if the other would give in first. We never did. Oddly though,…
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Sometimes It’s Good To Call “Mercy”
Parent Shame
When my son was four weeks old, my husband had to escort me, hysterically crying, out of our local Starbucks. We had been quietly sitting there with our newborn when…
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Parent Shame
Apologizing and Self-Respect: What’s the link?
When I was roughly 11, my grandmother lovingly teased me that she was going to hang a sign around my neck that read “I’m sorry.” She was hopeful that doing…
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Apologizing and Self-Respect: What’s the link?
The Result of a Misunderstood Question
What do you do when you write a blog post in answer to a question and then find out you misinterpreted the question?I don’t know what other bloggers do, but…
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The Result of a Misunderstood Question
Kids and Teens Deciding Their Own Path?
After reading the book Small Animals by Kim Brooks and writing my post “Small Animals Considered,” I have been particularly tuned in to the role fear plays in my parenting…
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Kids and Teens Deciding Their Own Path?
Hold Fast To Dreams
Today I was asked “what’s the point of having dreams if they turn into expectations and then you are disappointed?”My honest response to that question was “yikes!” but I didn’t…
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Hold Fast To Dreams
Another thing that Teens Don’t Hear
One of the most common complaints I hear from my tween, teen and young adult clients is that their parents harp on what they do wrong and never recognize all…
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Another thing that Teens Don’t Hear
Identifying Values and Desires
One of the characteristics of DBT that I love is the assumption that we need to create a life worth living based on our own values and desires. We then…
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Identifying Values and Desires
Opposite Action at the Pool
One of the joys of competitive swimming is the three-day swim meet. Swimmers and their families spend anywhere from 15 -25 hours at a pool in the hopes of accomplishing…
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Opposite Action at the Pool