Hello, Parent of a High School Senior! This post is for you! Especially if your child has a history of school challenges, we can translate your child’s struggle into strengths and opportunities that are just what a college or university is looking for. During the first year of the COVID pandemic, uncertainty ruled the college...Read More
Taking care or needing care? Lots of us are feeling burned out about now. I highly recommend my friend and colleague Karen Warner Schueler’s new book on caregiving, The Sudden Caregiver. Karen has turned her own caregiving experience into a roadmap that helps caregivers thrive, not merely survive, no matter what else is going on....Read More
Researchers have found that people use four key styles of responding to the good news of another person. Do you know yours? Imagine that your child has just told you they’ve been picked to be the soloist in the online choir. That’s epic! Think about how you could respond to them: “That’s great.” (It’s polite but...Read More
When I was a waitress at a local ice cream and clam shack, we often had people in multiple lines 25 deep waiting for their chance to eat summer fare. Some items regularly sold out. In restaurant-eze, they were “86” and people were out of luck. As schools open in various live, virtual and hybrid...Read More
“I should have been a career girl.” My mother said this nearly every day as she carried laundry to the washer, wiped fingerprints off the bathroom mirrors and vacuumed up the bits of grass we tracked in on bare feet. She resented the boss who fired her when she became pregnant and the children who...Read More
Anxiety can be super valuable by helping you to think of a worst-case scenario. While this can be scary, you can then make plans to prevent the scary thing from actually happening, or put a plan in place for managing the inevitable. Kids and adults with Executive Function difficulties often have anxiety challenges, too. Too...Read More
What are you doing for self-help during this crazy time? Maybe it’s eating healthier, finding regular sleep rhythms or getting outside more. Brene Brown challenges us to “Dare greatly.” Elizabeth Gilbert entreats us to: “Be the weirdo who dares to enjoy.” But it doesn’t have to be weird or dangerous to have fun, and it...Read More
When my kids were in 5th and 2nd grade, we made a big move. My new job was over an hour away from home. Every day was the Groundhog Day of commuting, program development, teaching, and “additional responsibilities as assigned”, even on weekends. Like many moms, I was proudly sharing my own oxygen mask and...Read More
When I was twelve years old my parents told me that I needed to get a job and start paying my own way. This was their response to my wishes for nicer clothes, a newer bike and a family vacation involving boats. You’ll get those things, they told me, by working for them. They even...Read More
When I was growing up, dinner was my least favorite time of day. First, there were the five very explicit rules. You will be in your seat, quiet and ready to eat at 5 pm. You will not complain or ask for something else. No dessert if you are not done when the adults are....Read More