Family Life & Culture
What Your Calendar Says About Your Family Values
What Your Calendar Says About Your Family Values Last week, a mom in my office pulled out her phone with tears in her eyes. “Look at this,” she said, scrolling through a color-coded calendar that would make a Fortune 500 CEO weep with envy. Soccer practice (blue), piano lessons (green), tutoring (yellow), work meetings (red). […]
The After-School Hour That’s Breaking Modern Parents
The After-School Hour That’s Breaking Modern Parents Let me paint you a picture. It’s 3:47 PM on a Tuesday. You’ve just picked up your kids from school, and within twelve minutes, someone’s crying about a lost pencil case, someone else is hangry and refusing the snack you lovingly packed, and your oldest is having a […]
What Your Home’s ‘Messy Spots’ Reveal
The Pile on the Chair: What Your Home’s ‘Messy Spots’ Reveal About Your Family’s Hidden Needs Last week, a mom in my practice sat down and immediately apologized. “I’m so sorry,” she said, laughing nervously. “I know you can’t see it through Zoom, but there’s literally a laundry mountain on my couch that’s been there […]
The Multigenerational Pattern You’re Probably Repeating
The Multigenerational Pattern You’re Probably Repeating Last week, a mother sat in my office and said something that stopped us both mid-breath: “I just yelled at my daughter the exact same way my mother yelled at me — using the same words, the same tone. I swore I’d never do that.” She looked at her […]
Why Your Family Needs More Boredom
Why Your Family Needs More Boredom Last week, a mom in my practice confessed something she thought would shock me: “I left my kids alone in the backyard for an hour with nothing. No toys, no screens, no activities. Just… grass and time. I felt like the worst parent ever.” She paused, waiting for my […]
Why Your Family’s Arguments Follow the Same Pattern
You Are Not Alone Last week, a dad in my office laughed — not the joyful kind, but the exhausted, slightly defeated kind — and said, “Doc, we had the exact same fight we had three months ago. Same words. Same ending. It’s like we’re stuck in a sitcom rerun nobody asked for.” His wife […]
The Car Ride Conversation That Actually Connects
The Car Ride Conversation That Actually Connects Last week, a mom in my practice told me something that made us both laugh and cry at the same time. “I spend forty minutes a day driving my kids around,” she said, “and I know more about the Spotify algorithm than I do about what actually happened […]
Why Your Family’s ‘Normal’ Might Be Toxic
Why Your Family’s ‘Normal’ Might Be Toxic Last week, a mother sat in my office describing her household routine with an exhausted laugh. “Every dinner ends in someone crying—usually me,” she admitted. “But that’s just how families are, right? My parents yelled; I yell. It’s normal.” She paused, then added quietly, “So why does it […]
The Dinner Table Habit That Transformed Our Family
The Dinner Table Habit That Transformed Our Family There was a Tuesday evening—unremarkable in every way—when I found myself staring at four people silently shoveling pasta into their mouths while scrolling, texting, and zoning out. My husband was answering work emails between bites. My teenage daughter had her phone propped against the water pitcher, watching […]
What Your Family’s Morning Chaos is Really About
What Your Family’s Morning Chaos is Really About Last Tuesday, I watched a dad in my office describe his morning routine with such vivid exhaustion that I could practically smell the burnt toast. “We have one hour,” he said, eyes wide. “One hour to get three kids fed, dressed, and out the door. And somehow, […]