Talking to Kids about Racism, Law Enforcement, and Violence (in light of the...
How I wish I weren’t writing this particular blog…again. How I wish you didn’t need this blog…again. How I wish I actually had an explanation for this madness. I don’t. There is no explanation. So how...
View ArticleHow to Parent a School Age Child
School has begun (at last!) Every parent wants to help her child get off to a good start. Every parent wants her child to have a great school experience. Every parent wants to be the best parent of a...
View ArticleMy Top 15 Parenting Tips in Recognition of 15 years of Parenting Pathways, Inc.
I have been working with families—teaching children, directing schools, and consulting with parents—for 45 years. Yikes! Accompanying parents on their parenting pathways became my life’s work. As the...
View ArticleUnanticipated Lessons for our Kids from Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s latest lewd, (accidental?), hot-mike comments, his objectification of women, and his repeated out-of-control behaviors, his bullying have left us all scratching our heads mainly in...
View ArticleGrappling with Presidential Prose
Whether you hate or love President Trump’s politics, most parents agree that his behaviors and style of communication are not very presidential. With all the different goals parents have for their...
View ArticleTalking to Your Children about the Terror Attack in Manchester
The bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester is all the more horrible and deeply troubling because the target was an arena filled with adolescents and children of all ages. Parents all over...
View ArticleSmooth the Start to the New School Year 2017
Just thinking about the start of school can be stressful for kids. New teachers, new classrooms, new friends, new expectations, new routines. On top of that, getting back into the school year swing...
View ArticleDo You Undermine Your Discipline?
For forever Lisa has been cutting my hair every 4 weeks. I have watched her two kids grow up, hearing her many tales and dishing out my advice. My hair looks great, and Lisa is a terrific parent. The...
View ArticleGood Medicine in Difficult Times
Each day I awaken wary of the new bad news that day will bring. I know I am not the only one who feels like we are living in apocalyptic times. Fires are ravaging California; Harvey, Irma and Maria...
View ArticleWatch Your Words: A lessons for kids
My client was mortified. She had just received a call from the teacher saying that her 8-year-old son called his good friend a “butt hole” while on the playground. Even though the teacher had only...
View ArticleExtinguishing Fire Worries
Not only is the prospect of a house burning down terrifying to a child (and everyone!), but so are many of the accompanying variables disruptive and disconcerting. The fires in the Los Angeles area...
View ArticleTips for Dealing with Scary Current Events with Children
Whether it is the horror of a violent event, an act of terrorism, or a natural disaster, the news of such things can have powerful impact on children of all ages. It can cause tremendous fear and...
View ArticleWhose Decision is it?
Self-Reliance is a hot topic in the world of parenting these days. My Self-Reliance seminars fill right up, standing room only. Actually cultivating self-reliance and its myriad component parts is...
View ArticleMy Child is a Hoarder!
“Daisy is a hoarder!” my daughter exclaimed in horror (and frustration). If I didn’t know about kids and their typical development, I might agree with her. For Daisy, the world is filled with...
View ArticleParent – Teacher Conferences
Communication between home and school is essential to a child’s successful school experience. Fall is the time when many schools, public and private, have their first parent-teacher conferences of the...
View ArticleTalking to Your Child About the Synagogue Shooting
How I wish I didn’t have to write about the mass murder of 11 human beings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. What a burden it is to have to explain to our children something so heinous,...
View Article“It’s the Palisades”…Not!
On Friday night after another great dinner at our local pizza place with two of my grandgirls, we went for our requisite fro yo. It’s what we do on sleepovers at “BeeBee and Big D’s” house: pizza and...
View ArticleTalking to Your Kids About Homelessness…in the Season of Gratitude
I want to feel upbeat today. Thanksgiving is a blink away, and it’s time to conjure up some gratitude. I do have so much for which I am grateful. And believe me, I am front and center in expressing...
View ArticleKobe Bryant’s Death: Talking to Kids About Premature Death
Around the age of 4 years, most children begin to ask about death. It surfaces in their play, they say things like, “I’m gonna kill you,” they ask if you are going to die, among other questions and...
View ArticleTalking to Kids about the Coronavirus
I have been reluctant to write a piece about the Coronavirus for two reasons: 1) I don’t want to fuel the sense of worry or even panic that seems to be building, and 2) there are many articles on the...
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