My favorite day of the year is the day we switch from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. The clock goes back, giving me a precious extra hour. I always seem to need more time — over the years, my growing people-pleasing tendencies haven’t helped. I don’t recall being in such demand in my 20s.… Read More
Making Their Lists, But Not Checking Them Twice: Why parents can’t – but should – say no. Whether you have toddlers or teens, a parent’s natural tendency is to strive for content and happy children. But, saying yes to what can feel like an endless stream of wants morphs into a damaging cycle that I call “yes-parenting.” Learn… Read More
When someone asks you for a favor, a “yes, sure” is out of your mouth before the reality of the commitment registers. You may have a people-pleasing problem. It’s not uncommon for many of us to wonder how we got roped into being the family’s go-to task person, an extra office assignment, or making arrangements… Read More
How do you know your own parenting stress level? Jessica Valenti, author of Why Have Kids?, believes that if you’ve ever felt like you face an onslaught of constant worries, demands, and sudden curveballs, you’re not alone. Valenti writes, “Nearly every study done in the last ten years on parental happiness shows a marked decline in… Read More
Your family medicine cabinet seems less threatening than hard drugs or alcohol abuse. However, consider this: Some teens turn to easily accessible over-the-counter cough medicine for a buzz. We’ll look at three ways to prevent teen DXM abuse. In this guest post, Anita Brikman, from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, presents things parents can do… Read More
If you are the parent of one child, it’s hard not to think about only child stereotypes and hope that none of them will apply to your child. To that end, you try to teach your child not to be selfish or bossy or to insist on having everything his own way. Such behavior is… Read More
Plenty of people struggle with maintaining happy and healthy relations with their in-laws. Bring a newborn into the equation and unexpected sticky in-law situations can quickly arise. You likely spent a lot of time with your in-laws before getting married. And you may have felt that they were involved in your pregnancy — baby showers,… Read More
There is no right or wrong family size, but there is strong evidence demonstrating a firstborn and only child edge. In families, the finite resources parents have means that any given sibling will be given less time and attention than if they were an only child. In essence, siblings compete for whatever their parents can provide. … Read More