Our children are growing and developing all the time. They typically learn their routines from practice and sometimes when those practices need to change or if they are surprised by something new they have an intense emotional response. That can take the shape of acting out, anger or a meltdown. It is a very frustrating […]

I rarely post a TED Talk but in this case, I want to make an exception. Molly Wright is seven years old and recently delivered a TED Talk which was simple but very profound. She illustrated in a short talk the importance of early childhood relationships and how the brains of children are affected by […]

Children are wired to express their own needs and get those needs met. It often feels very egocentric to parents and caregivers. Yet we know that this is normal in how they develop their personalities. Parents are often concerned about this type of egocentrism and wonder how they can get their children to be able […]

Teenagers are in a significant stage of growth and development. Even understanding how fast their brain is rewiring as they head towards adulthood helps us recognize that there can be a lot of dysregulation. Often their parents and caregivers struggle to know exactly how to communicate with their teenager during this interesting time of relational […]

In my last blog I talked about how Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are not always happy holidays for people to celebrate because their relationships with one or both of their parents were fraught with pain and disappointment. It is hard to be affirming of a parent when you carry so much hurt, loss, anger or emptiness. Many […]

Lakeside is an organization that provides educational and counseling services to 3500 students per year. As we provide those services we not only encounter our students but also their parents who have been integrally involved in their lives for many years. Very often it is the parents who are advocates for the care of their […]

I hear stories about how the bullying of some of our kids by their peers have impacted them so powerfully. Even when schools are not in session the internet is still active and cyber-bullying can be just as harmful and damaging as what happens personally at school or in our neighborhoods. How can we protect […]

The ACES research has been very prominent in our country as we have grown to understand that the more adverse child experiences that children face, the more they will have negative adult consequences in their physical and emotional health. This has been a significant realization and awareness for parents and caregivers. What about the converse […]