As children get older, especially when they reach adolescent and teen years, there is a need for relinquishing some control over the lives of our children. It’s hard! We are driven by the desire to protect them at all costs. However, that isn’t what children need or want from their parents at this stage in their lives, and decreases the older they get.

Jealousy gets a bad rap and has negative connotation because it’s associated with and exposes our own shortcomings. But in reality, jealousy and comparison of others is a part of human nature. There are two types of jealousy that act as motivators that are explored and how parents can help their children cope with the feeling of jealousy.

John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth and their Attachment Theory might not be something you’ve heard of but is a major developmental objective for children to develop with their caregivers, mainly their mothers since they typically act as the primary caregiver in many families. Being able to develop an attachment relationship with caregivers isn’t hard for children to do. However, creating a secure, healthy attachment relationship and reaping the benefits of such relationship is dependent on the parents, their parenting style, and availability of the parents. So, let’s break down attachment and how to provide your child with the care they need to insure a secure attachment.

Children are naturally persistent and when parents think of qualities we want our children to sustain into their adulthood, persistence is a key quality. But persistence can be tricky when children don’t take no for an answer and push to get what they want. Its times like these that parent have a clear choice in how to manage a child’s persistence while also maintaining respectful communication that doesn’t break a child’s will and doesn’t drive a parent mad!

It’s that time of year: daylight savings time is near! How to prep for infants and toddlers, and how does the time change affect older kids who don’t necessarily need the same prep as younger kiddos?

Ever notice how one family member can feel stressed, anxious, or fearful and it’s as though the feelings were contagious, and other family members start to feel the same sort of emotion and dysregulation? Those are mirror neurons at work. Our feelings and moods are in some ways contagious! And children are just as susceptible to feeling parents or caregivers emotions and moods, as parents are susceptible to feeling our child’s dysregulation. So it’s important we stake steps to regulate our emotions and teach our children to do the same.