How to Have a Closer Family in 5 Minutes a Day
Those of you who’ve been loyal readers know one of my favorite connection tips (besides unplugging), honed over years of practice around campfires at summer camp and family dinners: DAILY SHARING! Find a time each day – dinner or bedtime are often good times to set up a consistent sharing practice – to spend just…
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My Favorite Parenting Books of 2017
If you’re looking for some wisdom in a specific area of parenting, you might want to consider reading (or listening) to one of these parenting books I enjoyed in 2017. I had the opportunity to interview most of the authors on my podcast. You can listen to my 20-25 minute interviews with the authors to…
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Parents Guide to Teen Addiction – Book Review
Dr. Laurence M. Westreich, a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in addiction and mental disorders, has invested a quarter-century of his professional life studying addiction psychiatry. His second work on the subject, A Parent’s Guide to Teen Addiction: Professional Advice on Signs, Symptoms, What to Say, and How to Help (2017, Skyhorse Publishing, NY), is comprehensive and…
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A Guide to EQ and SEL
Guest post by Emma Gibson: Emotional intelligence, also referred to as emotional quotient (EQ), is the ability to read other people’s feelings and emotions. This may include empathizing with others, negotiating with them, and even regulating your own emotions to make the best decisions no matter the circumstances. The benefits of EQ include self-awareness, self-management,…
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Connection Through Questions
If you were to ask me the most important thing parents can provide their children, camp counselors can provide campers, and teachers can provide students, I can sum it up with one word. Connection. Building a relationship and connecting with kids—while also helping them learn to connect with each other and form friendships—is the most…
READ MORE5 Ways to Create a Happy Thanksgiving
The one area of parenting where I am incredibly consistent is in my unrealistic expectations for how family together time will go, especially when we haven’t been together in a long while. I have this dream of all seven of us gathered in one room, with everyone smiling, laughing, and enjoying each others’ company (just…
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The Yes Brain with Tina Payne Bryson
I had the opportunity to talk with Tina Payne Bryson about her upcoming book with Daniel Siegel, THE YES BRAIN (January 9, 2018). As with their previous books (The Whole-Brain Child and No Drama Discipline), this is another clear, easy read for parents with outstanding advice. For a preview about the book, watch my Facebook…
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What to do When Your Kid Says “NO!”
After listening to my podcast interview with Ignore It! author Catherine Pearlman, I got a great question from a listener: What if the child doesn’t just whine and complain but outright refuses to do what you’re asking—just flat out says “No.” How do you ignore that? My teenage boys rarely use an outright “no,” but…
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Helping Your Fearful Kid Try New Things
“I DID IT!” Many of my favorite moments at camp are when I get to witness a previously fearful and hesitant camper in the moments just after they’ve tried something new. Their confidence and joy are at a high as they tell the story of how scared they were, how they tried anyway, and how…
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Why We Need to Unplug to Connect with Our Families
I’ve been following the trends and research about screen use and have long been an advocate of unplugging. I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of unplugging each summer at camp and have fought back in my own family to rescue us from being sucked into our screens 24/7. Yet I’ve still struggled with myself and my…
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5 Must Reads Before You Drop Your Child off at College
Since August is the month when many of us say goodbye to our college-age kids and find our homes more quiet (and our hearts spread far), I thought I’d once again share some of my thoughts about important conversations to have during the college preparation and drop off time. Last year during this exact week…
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5 Steps to Raising a Problem Solver
One of the most important skills our kids need to learn in order to become responsible adults is the ability to solve their own problems. Hovering and overparenting certainly aren’t helpful in this department, but it’s just so darn tempting to step in and solve our kids’ minor problems because we are so good at…
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