A Time For Technology

Parents worry about their children spending too much time on computer toys and games. I have been observing parents and children when it comes to technology and I must share a few thoughts: Children need opportunities to run and jump, ride bikes and use their imaginations. Children need to be …

Parenting Magic

To be a parent is to taste the agony and ecstasy of being human. It is more complicated than many of us thought it would be ~ Especially when you have a challenging child. Parenting can reduce successful men and women into a stressful state of confusion. Adults who see …

Worry Less, Love More

I used to think that a good mother was supposed to worry. After all, how can you love your children and not worry about them? My mother worried about me—all of the time. In fact, I grew up equating love with worry. I have even accused my husband at times …

Living With ADHD

Each human being comes into life hard wired with his/her own unique blueprint. It is the intricacies of this design that determine the way we perceive and interact with the world. When parents experience life through a blueprint that makes it easy for them to concentrate, sit still, stay focused, …

Positive Behavior

  It just comes with parenting!  It seems so easy to notice when our kids are behaving in ways that need improvement. While there are many things over which we have no control, the following are ten key elements that set the tone for positive behavior.  Notice that none of …

Finding Your Power

  Recently I was presenting a parenting seminar when a dad asked for help understanding his three year old daughter’s behavior at breakfast that morning. This is the way he described what happened: “…My daughter was sitting on my lap, eating her cereal, when I asked her a question. She …

The Song of A Child

I recently heard about a tribe in Africa that celebrates a beautiful tradition and I want to share it with you all. When a woman can sense that she is ready to become a mother she finds a quiet place where she can sit in silence and she waits until …

Building Self Esteem

  Modern parents have so much to think about! They worry about their children’s grades, bullies on the playground, the negative influence of the media and too much time spent on computers and electronic games. Instead of worrying about the things over which they have little control, moms and dads …

Redefining Old Truths

Growing up as a child in New York, I learned that there were four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. While there were variations during the year, kids could pretty much depend on flowers blooming in the spring, taking trips to the beach in the summer, playing in the …

Politics, Religion and Spanking

There are three topics that should never be discussed on a beautiful sunny day: politics, religion and spanking. “Do you believe in spanking?” That was the question I was recently asked while enjoying a boat ride around San Diego harbor. It was soon after this question was asked that I …

It’s All In Our Perception

I was taking my daily walk when I passed an elementary school playground with children at recess. “You’re lucky!” a young girl shouted to me. “Why do you say that?” I smiled back. “Because you’re free to take a walk and I’m stuck in school!” I thought that her perception …

Lying to Our Children

Now that the holidays are neatly tucked away behind us it may be safe for me to bring up a touchy subject:  the way grown ups lie to children about Santa Claus. Before you have a meltdown at the mere thought of reflecting on the lies we tell children, take …

Understanding Laziness

I recently had a conversation with a mom who was discussing how anxious she was feeling about her struggling second grader. She sighed and said, “The problem with my child is that he is lazy.” I passionately responded with,  “NO, NO, NO!”  That is not necessarily the truth!!! Let’s look …