Family Wellness
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 […]
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 […]
The One Word That Changes Family Conflicts
The One Word That Changes Family Conflicts I watched a father and his 10-year-old daughter sit, arms crossed, staring in opposite directions. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. The dad had just finished explaining (for the third time) why her screen time needed limits. She’d countered with why he “never listens” […]
Why Your Relationship Needs More ‘Fights’
Why Your Relationship Needs More ‘Fights’ (Yes, Really) A couple looking sheepish. “We never fight,” Sarah said, glancing at her husband Tom. “Everyone says that’s great, but… something feels off.” Tom nodded. “It’s like we’re roommates who really like each other. We’re polite. We coordinate schedules. But I can’t remember the last time we talked […]
The Conflict Resolution Trick Therapists Swear By
The Conflict Resolution Trick Therapists Swear By A mom, tears streaming down her face, and said something I’ll never forget: “We had a screaming match about cheese. Actual cheese. My daughter wanted cheddar on her pasta, I said we only had parmesan, and thirty minutes later we were both crying and I was questioning every […]
What Your Phone is Doing to Your Marriage
What Your Phone is Doing to Your Marriage A couple describing what they called “the slow fade.” They weren’t fighting. Nobody had an affair. They still split chores fairly and tag-teamed bedtime like pros. But somewhere between the group texts, work emails, and doomscrolling at 10 PM, they’d become roommates with a shared calendar. “We’re […]
The Chore System That Actually Works
The Chore System That Actually Works (Without the Power Struggles) Last week, a mom sat in my office and said something I’ll never forget: “I feel like I’m raising roommates who think dishes magically clean themselves.” She wasn’t angry — just exhausted. Her kids were 9 and 12, capable and kind, but somehow the simple […]
Why ‘Because I Said So’ is Backfiring
Why ‘Because I Said So’ Is Backfiring (And What Actually Works Instead) Last week, a dad in my practice — let’s call him Marcus — slumped into the chair across from me and said, “I don’t get it. My parents said ‘because I said so,’ and I listened. I say it to my son, and […]
What Your Child’s Drawings Reveal About Their Inner World
What Your Child’s Drawings Reveal About Their Inner World Last week, a mom came into my office clutching a crumpled piece of paper like it held state secrets. “Look at this,” she whispered, smoothing out her six-year-old’s drawing. It showed their family — but she and her husband were tiny stick figures in the corner […]