Category: Better Parenting

All parents want their children to exhibit positive behaviors that will help them transition smoothly through the different stages of their development. And while parents have the best intentions, they often don’t use the most effective discipline strategies to achieve that goal.  Granted, parents do their best to implement the knowledge and experiences they have […]

Stress is a significant part of our lives today. And while we all experience it, children and teens have a more difficult time managing it. Academic pressure, social tensions, family stressors, etc. all impact a young person’s mental well-being. For this reason, it’s important for parents to help their children develop coping skills by guiding […]

Children’s challenging behaviors that don’t fit societal expectations have long drawn adults’ negative attention.    When parents complain about their child’s negative qualities the focus changes to trying to “fixing” what is wrong or making excuses for the negative behaviors. This negative attention hinders them and contributes to low self-esteem. As they say, “We are […]

  Parenting can be tricky. We want our children to be resilient, empathetic, and able to self-regulate. However, with the busyness of life, the experiences that build these characteristics fall by the wayside, and “no” becomes an automatic response. Children are continually being told what to do and what not to do. As a result, […]

Over the past year, children have faced many disturbances in their daily lives and interactions. These things have contributed to a lot of emotional imbalance and brought on or exacerbated feelingsof sadness, fear, and anxiety. Since children are still developing abilities to regulate their strong and ever-changing emotions, they need assistance in strengthening these skills. […]

Parents have always served as the first, and typically, the most important role model for their children, even though family members, teachers, and coaches have a significant impact on a child’s development as well. However, in the wake of the pandemic, these people have had less of a presence in children’s lives which ultimately left […]

Over the years, healthy connection levels between parents and children have decreased, leading to more challenging behaviors from children. Today’s modern lifestyle has interfered with the opportunity for the parent-child bond to grow. This vital aspectof a child’s life is essential for their emotional cup to be full, giving them healthy self-worth and self-esteem. To […]

As we approach the one-year mark of an ever-strong pandemic that has rocked our world, we are searching for ways to keep ourselves mentally and emotionally in check.  For teens, this has been an even more difficult feat.  Adolescence is already fraught with stress and moodiness but adding in the social isolation and fear have […]

As we know, children can lose control of their emotions for various reasons, and the behaviors we witness are generally unplanned.  And since anxiety can look like defiance, adults often respond in counterproductive ways.  When children are stressed, the amygdala, in the downstairs brain, is triggered, and the “fight or flight” response takes over.  This […]

    Is it nature, is it nurture?  That is the question.  This age-old debate, in the world of psychology, has been a source of controversy for decades.  At some point, all parents have toyed with thoughts of which one has most influenced their child concerning personality traits, abilities, etc.  And while different psychology fields […]

Nowadays it seems that children are only interested in their video games, smart phones, and social media platforms.  Parents are frustrated with their children’s lack of motivation for and attention to other activities that they are at a loss as to what to do.  Therefore, parents often respond by taking devices away and punishing their […]

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us to slow down and appreciate the moments we have with our loved ones. On the flip side, it has also caused some additional stressors for parents as they have had to play the role of teacher while also fulfilling their work demands. And as […]