Sleep-deprived? Tired? Over-worked? Emotionally drained? Frustrated? And on top of that you need to figure out a Thanksgiving menu, host the dinner AND feeling thankful? WAIT! Thanksgiving is about feeling grateful and giving thanks for the abundance that there is in our lives. Maybe you…
Well, yes, I admit I did that! I stopped reading to my kids at bedtime. Late afternoon and early evening is the hardest time of the day for my family. Three kids come home from school and my toddler wakes up from his nap. Everybody’s…
“Karen, 38, lives with her husband Nat 41, their two children Jackie 9, and Ethan 11, and Rusty, their dog, in the greater Boston area. “We are a typical family, the kids go to our local school, they are involved in sports and activities, every…
Liza Varvogli, Ph.D. Amy, an otherwise cheerful first grader, every time she comes home from school is sulking. “How was your day honey?”, mom asks “bad,” Amy answers and dashes in her room. “Hi Mat, how’s it going buddy?” Dad greets his 8-year-old second grader…
Stress is a part of every child’s life – growing up in a complex and confusing world, fears, pressures, issues in the family, school issues, learning challenges, competition, friendships, frenemies, navigating social life, setting and achieving goals, every child has their unique combination of stressors…
Mindfulness is a wonderful, authentic way of being, one that allows us to stay present at the moment instead of worrying about the future or ruminating about the past. Very often people ask me “but isn’t it hard to do practice mindfulness? Doesn’t it take…
Our children absorb so much from our high-tech world and learn easily to navigate computers, smart phones, and tablets, yet they don’t get any formal or informal training in psychological skills that will serve them for a life-time. Label and Express Emotions One of…
Try without being afraid. Try new things that will be good for you, will help you become a better person, give you experience, perspective or hone your abilities. Don’t be afraid. Don’t block yourself by wondering “what if I fail?” or any other “what if?”…
Unconditional love is the act of loving your child no matter what, without any limitations or conditions (“if you behave well,” “if you are a good kid,” “if you don’t fight with your sibling,” “if you get good grades,” etc.). Unconditional love is the act…
I have something to confess: I love reading picture books as an adult, and that even before having kids. Curled with a hot latte on the mat in the picture books corner of bookstores and devouring children’s books is still a favorite pastime. Now I…
Trying too hard for others to like you? Think again! Do you find yourself trying too hard to post the best pictures in your social media? Do you find yourself trying too hard to make a good impression and make others like you? Do you…
So you want to be successful! That’s great. But maybe you are not sure. What should you be successful in? And how? The more you start wondering and questioning, the less action you take. And not taking action is equivalent to non-success. Not failure, necessarily, but…