Around 50% of young kids have severe nightmares that cause them to wake up their parents. I had a nightmare every night as a kid, and even though it was distressing to me, it was equally distressing to my parents. My bedtime routine became a battle because I was so terrified to get into bed. And even when I finally did get to sleep, I would wake up from a nightmare and refuse to go back to sleep. This goes without saying, but it isn't very fun wh...

In a world where around every corner we are faced with diet advertisements and messages of what "health" is, it can be hard to navigate healthy eating with your kids. If you're looking for some pretty basic tips on what to feed your kids, here is a great resource. That being said, your child's healthy eating habits go beyond what is on their plate every day. A healthy relationship with food helps guide children into these healthy eating habits th...

We teach our children about stranger danger, stop drop and roll, and fire safety; but do we teach our kids about keeping their bodies safe? Think back to your childhood--did you have the aunt who plopped a slimy kiss on your cheek or an uncle who gave a rib-cracking hug? Were you told it was rude to say no, so you bore the awfulness until you could escape and go play with your cousins? I know I did. We hated this experience, so why are we teachin...

Around 6.1 million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, also known as ADD). That means that 9.4% of children between the ages of 2-17 have been faced with the challenges associated with an ADHD diagnosis. So if your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, you are not alone. ADHD is a complex disorder that requires treatment from professionals. That being said, there are some strategies that you...

Divorce is a common challenge many children face, and though this decision may be best for your family, you as a parent may worry about how this change will affect the little ones. How you break the news to your child and how you each cope with it will affect how well your child adjusts to the divorce. Children might struggle with finding out about the restructuring of their family, and being clear about what's going on will help them take it bet...

We live in a time of political turmoil, disease, and natural disasters. At home, we may be enduring trials such as divorce, the death of a loved one, or mental illness. These difficult subjects are hard enough to talk about with other adults. Attempting to explain these events to children can be a daunting task. So, how are our kids feeling about and learning about the difficult things around them? Explaining difficult subjects to young children ...

Children's television shows can be hit or miss. Some of them make you smile and think about the wonder of childhood. Some of them make you want to pull your hair out whenever you hear the main character speak. How careful do you need to be when deciding what your child views? Here are some helpful tips for selecting the shows your little one watches and learns from... Avoid shows where the main character exhibits a lot of bad behavior. Chances ar...

Personal boundaries are more than just standing 6 feet apart from strangers. Some children are too shy to engage with many of their friends, so they don't have a lot of practice with appropriate boundaries. Some children are best-of-friends with everyone they meet, and parents may worry this will put their child in danger someday. Here is a short list of helpful reminders when teaching children about personal boundaries --no matter how experience...

While allowing kids to fail feels messy and frightening, letting them learn from their mistakes helps them to become empowered, releasing the controlling hold of fear that paralyzes decisions and helps develop lasting, deep rooted accountability along with, ironically, building the self confidence that comes with personal autonomy and recovery from failure. Failure is a part of life. Some of the most successful people in this world have seen the ...

It's 5:10 pm. You were supposed to be at the park to meet the babysitter 10 minutes ago. But you're stuck at the grocery store waiting in line after rushing in to grab "just a few things"... with the 3-year old. Shockingly, Susie kept asking for candy after you specifically told her NO MORE CANDY. You're feeling defeated because you caved and gave Susie your cell phone to distract her. You're fumbling through your purse looking for your wallet. Y...

Some parents may be wondering when to start reading to their child. Both of my parents are educators – under their guidance, I learned the value of reading from an early age. Simply put, it is never too early to read to your child. In fact, studies have shown that introducing books beginning at 4 months increases the chance that parents will continue to read to their children throughout their childhood. There are ample benefits to reading early. ...

Growing up reading was my escape. Through reading I was able to travel to faraway places, learn about different cultures, and imagine living in different eras. I was allowed to be mischievous and go on adventures that would have been impossible otherwise. However, I always felt like a guest in the author's adventure, a "fly on the wall" per se. I never felt like I could be a supporting character let alone the protagonist of the story. I immigrate...

Children who have experienced trauma often react to both positive and negative feedback a bit differently than other children. Brookes Publishing discusses some ideas for teacher-student interactions on how to give both positive and corrective feedback. These ideas can also translate to how you respond in the home. For positive feedback, make it: Low-key and private . Use nonverbal signals like giving a thumbs-up, a hug or, jotting a few words on...

Losing a loved one is always a very hard and emotional experience. As parents, you might struggle with healing from your own grief, while also supporting your children. It's helpful to know how your child might respond and what you can do to strengthen them as much as possible. Here are a few ways that Stanford Children's Health reports children may respond: Denial, shock, confusion and anger Inability to sleep or nightmares Fear of being alone S...

New parents have a million things to worry about. From finding childcare to making sure their new baby is receiving the healthcare they need, new parents can sometimes be overwhelmed by all the new responsibilities they now have to juggle. Building attachment is just one of these new responsibilities that parents face with their babies. Attachment is when parents are able to interpret their baby's behavior and respond with compassion and care to ...

If you are the parent of a child with Autism, you likely have many days when you just feel tired. Parenting is exhausting as is, but parenting a child with special needs can be next-level difficult, and that difficulty is only increased if our child is also struggling to sleep at night. At least half of all children with Autism struggle with some sort of chronic sleep problem due to things such as sensory sensitivities, less natural melatonin pro...

Parents often feel as though they do not have any time to practice any kind of self-care. Although parents know that self-care is important , they may often feel that they aren't being a good parent if they take any time for themselves. They also may feel that with all of their parenting responsibilities, they simply do not have the time to practice any kind of self-care. The demands of raising children can keep parents thinking it difficult to i...

I remember when I was 12 my family went to a restaurant and the waiter asked me the classic question, "Do you want soup, or salad?". I had just graduated from the kids menu and wasn't used to that question, so misunderstanding what he said I responded very confused with, "yeah I'll have the super-salad…". Thinking he was going to bring me a ginormous salad. My answer obviously confused him, so he responded with, "so you want the salad then?", whi...

My two-year old son is crawling in my lap and my three-year old daughter is at pre-school. Frozen 2 is on the TV because it's my son's favorite movie and his older sister rarely lets him watch it, because siblings. This is relatively straightforward, but in one sentence I can point several things that hit that Mom Guilt Button. Screen time. Listen, I lie on the pediatrician questionnaire. I don't know how much screen time they get. It's not out o...

I remember sensing the guilt my mom had as she dropped my siblings and I off at the neighbor's house where she traded babysitting services. Both of my parents have worked full time since I can remember. Making the decision to have child care versus staying home can be a taxing choice for parents. There is so much to consider when deciding what will work best for your family's needs. Some of these decisions include; the cost of working outside the...