Parenting the Child you Have
All people, including children, have their own needs and preferences. As a family, you may have many shared interests or values, but, individually, each family member is a unique and special being. Depending on your child’s personality and whether their beliefs and values differ from yours, you may encounter challenges in your parenting journey. In …
Parenting Stress and its Impacts
Stress is part of everyday life, and our bodies can have mental and physical reactions to the stress we feel. When we encounter an event or situation that our body deems as challenging or stressful, our brain responds by perceiving a threat. This response, in turn, initiates several hormonal and physiological changes, such as increased …
Finding Credible Information
Parents make multiple daily decisions that impact themselves and their family members. As a parent, you will likely want to use sound judgment and consider relevant and up-to-date information as you make positive and meaningful decisions for your family. However, the amount of information that is available through websites and digital media platforms – on …
Helping Children to “Shake it Off”: Releasing and Reducing Stress
Anyone can feel stress – adults and children. A combination of prior life experiences and other factors, like personality traits and genetics, influence how individuals perceive and respond to stress in their daily lives. Positive stress can motivate and help individuals focus their energy in ways that can improve their performance, help them problem solve, …
Learning Through Failure: How You Can Help Your Child
When children are very young, parents and caregivers are responsible for their every need. During those early years, you likely developed a routine in which you could anticipate what your child wanted and when they wanted it, and you were usually able to meet their needs. However, as children grow and begin to explore the …
Coordinating and Managing Coparenting Expectations and Goals
Some coparents share the same parenting style while other coparents may use different parenting styles. Some coparents have similar ideas regarding how to reach the goals they have for their themselves, their children, and their family, while other coparents may have very different ideas on how to reach those goals. These differences can create conflicts …
Fact or Fiction: Cold Weather Makes You Sick
As cold weather arrives each year, many parents worry that their children may be at a higher risk for becoming ill. Worries are compounded as parents of toddlers and preschoolers struggle to convince children to keep hats, mittens, and jackets on their bodies while they’re outside. In addition, parents of school-age children and teens may …
Advocating for Your Child
As a parent, there may be times when you may need to advocate on behalf of your child. Advocating for your child means that you work with other adults in your child’s life to ensure that they are getting the support they need. Cultivating strong and healthy attachments with your child helps you learn about …
