Anyone who’s been married or in a committed relationship can tell you that trying to blend the needs and priorities of two people to create a happy partnership is no easy feat. Throwing children into the mix makes for even greater challenges as the focus shifts away from you and more time is devoted to the kids. But when one of those children has special needs – such as learning issues, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or falling somewhere on the autism spectrum – the strains … [Read more...]
Is It Ever Okay To Keep a Secret?
January 29, 2015 By
We all have secrets we keep locked away from others. For some, the secrets may be small and harmless, but for others, they may be great enough to cause damage to personal relationships. I often talk about the topic of secrets in therapy with my clients. What people tend to not realize is that harboring a secret could be hurting you just as much as revealing it, if not more. Secrets, even small ones, can prevent relationships and friendships from being truly close. We keep secrets for all … [Read more...]
Inspiration: Some Thoughts on Resilience
November 1, 2014 By
Justus Uwayesu is a freshman at Harvard. “So what?” you say. Just another smart young man headed for a successful future. What is so unusual about that? But Mr. Uwaysu is more unusual than the average 22 year old. Orphaned at age three when his parents, illiterate farmers, were killed in the Rwandan genocide that exterminated 800,000 people in 100 days, he was living in a burned out car in a garbage dump at the age of nine. He scavenged and begged for food during the day, had not bathed in … [Read more...]
Is Your Child’s Profile Happier than Her Real Life? Social Media Use and Anxiety in Children
November 18, 2013 By
If you are on Facebook you already know what a recent study found - it makes you sad. Researchers revealed that the more young people used Facebook, the more they became dissatisfied with their lives. How ironic that the social network we use for fun and connection can lead to sadness and disconnect! From TV to smart phones to social media, the lives of U.S. children and families are dominated 24/7 by media exposure. It’s only now that we are beginning to research and understand its … [Read more...]
Untangling Our Wired Lives: A Plan for Parenting On and Offline
October 20, 2013 By
If you find yourself wondering if your time on the Internet and social media is harming your child, then you’ll want to read on. According to recent research, children as young as eight are experiencing a host of problems due to social media use. Even Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, wants to help us untangle our wired lives. She recently started an online community called Dot Complicated and has published a new children’s picture book Dot., about a little girl … [Read more...]
