parents

Are You Repeating Your Parents’ Traits?

The reasons we act like our parents may not seem like a great mystery. Even setting aside our genetic connection, from the moment we open our eyes, we are absorbing our parents’ point of view and entire way of being in the world. This doesn’t doom us to a life of being boxed-up replicas of… Read more »

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From Struggles to Super-Powers: Helping Your Child Grow

As parents, we have many goals for our child. Overall, these goals are about managing the challenges in their lives, so they can ultimately be happy and successful. These can sound like: “I want him to turn in his homework.” I want her to clean up her room.” “I want her to have friends.” “I want him… Read more »

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Experts at Home: Dr. Risa Ryger on Helping Families Cope During Covid-19

  In this Experts at Home conversation, Dr. Risa Ryger joins Dr. Lisa Firestone to discuss the struggles parents and children are facing during Covid-19 and strategies to help families handle tough times. Watch Now: Subscribe to PsychAlive (it’s free!) to see more Experts at Home.  

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It’s Time for a Hero Story

While it is true life has been disrupted, how do we make sense of it for our kids?  Their routines are changed; relationships are now managed with social distancing and pods.  We told them tech has its place and now it is where they are getting their schooling.  Social unrest is challenging the questions of… Read more »

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Is it the grouch monster?

Long ago when my daughter was young, we noticed moments when her personality seemed to shift on a dime.  She would flip from cooperative to irritable at a speed that left us bewildered. As we tried to make sense of it we became aware that this was occurring between meals and often when we went… Read more »

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Experts at Home: Dr. Bonnie Goldstein on Adolescence During Covid-19

  In this Experts at Home conversation, Dr. Lisa Firestone talks with Dr. Bonnie Goldstein, a licensed social worker, clinical psychologist, and expert in child and adolescent development. Dr. Goldstein discusses the challenges and opportunities of adolescence in the time of Covid-19. Watch Now: Subscribe to PsychAlive (it’s free!) to see more Experts at Home…. Read more »

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Parents: Are You Losing Your Identity During Lockdown?

Ever since the pandemic hit and lockdown started, I’ve kept in touch with friends at various stages of parenthood. One was about to give birth, several were raising toddlers, many were taking on homeschooling, and a few were preparing for the last summer they’d spend with their kids before sending them off to college. While… Read more »

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Mr. Rogers is Right: Secure Attachment Allows for Growth After Trauma

Childhood is a critical time for discovering and enhancing the secure attachment ideally built in the early years of a parental relationship with a child. Our earliest relationships do a great deal to establish our sense of self and wellbeing. Knowing, “I matter, my needs matter, and my loved ones will help keep me safe”… Read more »

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What Kids Really Need from Their Parents

Being a parent comes with a lot of pressure to do right by our kids. But boiled down to specific, daily decisions, this pursuit also comes with a lot of confusion. It’s easy to get caught up in the checklists of items that we hope will benefit our children: special classes, programs, and parenting methodologies…. Read more »

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Substance Abuse and the Teenage Mind

Adolescence arrives with a surge of energy. It pushes many young people to try new things, make new friends, depend less on parents, and live more passionately. But as an adult, your role is still important. Adolescence is also a time when some explore alcohol or drugs (such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and prescription medicine,… Read more »

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