I’ve always aimed for transparent and honest conversations with my children. When they were younger, I felt secure in talking about almost anything. When it came to sexuality, we named body parts correctly, looked at anatomy books and discussed the bodily changes they could anticipate. Then the game changed. The rules changed. And my children changed. Puberty arrived! What they … Read More
Children Under Construction – Supporting Development
When we lose our understanding of how a child develops, we no longer provide or support appropriate opportunities for learning. I think back to my own daughter, who is now almost 14 years old. Ten years ago, I was the volunteer soccer coach for our community association team. The practices we had once a week were a lot of fun. … Read More
Children and Trauma: Strategies for Supporting
Dogs have long been considered our most faithful companions. I did not fully understand the rewards of being a dog owner until my son and daughter, at the time ages 13 and 10, convinced me it was time to find a canine companion. We decided to adopt the first dog we met through a local rescue agency. Enter Judy, a … Read More
5 Important Things to Know About Self-Injury
“What do I do now?” whispers the mom through her tears as the reality of what I have just disclosed begins to sink in. Her daughter is cutting, and has been secretly doing so for months. A combination of disbelief, panic, anger and despair ripple across her face. As a counselor, I find myself walking alongside the parents of youth … Read More
Launching Children Into Adulthood
This month, our eldest child turns 20. He is more or less “launched”, and watching him and his two younger siblings blossom into remarkable young adults has been a fabulous, rewarding, and challenging journey. As I reflect on the past 20 years, I have come up with seven keys to raising perfect little babies into good, decent, respectful people. … Read More
Childhood Resilience & The Role of Rhythm
It recently occurred to me why my twelve-year-old son is so settled and calm after attending his karate class. Karate includes movement, pattern, and repetition. Karate provides a sense of rhythm. When we think of rhythm, images of music, drums, dancing, and marching bands are evoked. Rhythm is fun. However, this concept has a much deeper meaning in the role … Read More
Talking To Children About Tragedy
The recent tragedy in Las Vegas dominated the news, the water cooler talk, the social media feeds. As the events unfolded, and in the days following, I thought often of what to tell my children, how to ensure I didn’t scare them, and how to make sure they received correct information from a trusted source. I suspect I am not … Read More
7 Tips for Creating a Safer School Year for LGBTQ+ Youth
It’s hard to believe the new school year is beginning. For some this brings the excitement of re-connection with friends, the fun of stationery shopping and the thrill of new learning. For others, however, this time of year can be like the chilling anticipation of a judge handing down a sentence for 10 months of fear, apprehension, emotional pain and … Read More
5 Back to School Strategies for Your Child
Whether your kids recently returned to school or are heading back soon (like mine), as parents, we all want to help our children transition back to school successfully! We want our kids to feel calm, happy and confident as they embark on their new school year, and we want to smoothly get back into the school routine within the family … Read More
4 Ways to Strengthen Attachment to Children
As humans, we have a consistent drive to connect, to attach. This drive is often most evident when we look at relationships between parents and children. As parents, I’m sure you can recall times when your children were hanging off your legs, trying to get your attention, or wanting to show you their artwork while you were in the middle … Read More
