Lifestyle
What Your Partner Hears When You’re ‘Just Being Honest’
What Your Partner Hears When You’re ‘Just Being Honest’ You’re standing in the kitchen after a long day, and your partner asks how dinner tastes. You pause for a millisecond too long and say, “It’s… fine. Maybe a little salty?” You meant it as helpful feedback. You were just being honest. But somehow, the temperature […]
The Hustle Culture Stealing Your Childhood Memories
The Day I Almost Missed My Daughter’s Firefly Moment It was 8:47 PM on a Tuesday — I know because I was staring at my phone, responding to a Slack message about a project deadline that wasn’t even until Friday. My daughter tugged at my sleeve. “Mama, come see! The fireflies are doing a dance!” […]
The Family Role Each Child Gets Stuck Playing
The Family Role Each Child Gets Stuck Playing Maya’s mom called it her “sunny disposition.” Her teachers praised her for always being “so helpful.” But at seventeen, Maya sat in my office and whispered something she’d never said aloud: “I’m tired of being the good one. My brother gets to fall apart, and everyone rushes […]
The Comparison Spiral Social Media Created
The Comparison Spiral Social Media Created Last Tuesday, I watched a mother scroll through her phone during our session, tears pooling in her eyes. “Look at this,” she whispered, showing me a perfectly curated photo of another family’s holiday card — matching pajamas, gleaming smiles, a spotless living room. “Why can’t I get my kids […]
The Childhood Memory Your Kids Will Never Forget
The Childhood Memory Your Kids Will Never Forget Last week, a father in my practice broke down during our session — not from anger or frustration, but from a memory that caught him completely off guard. His daughter had just turned eighteen, and as she packed for college, she pulled out a crumpled envelope. Inside […]
Why Your Hardest Parenting Days Matter Most
Why Your Hardest Parenting Days Matter Most Last Tuesday, I sat across from a mother who apologized three times in five minutes. She apologized for crying. For “complaining.” For taking up my time with what she called “just a bad day.” Her voice cracked as she described yelling at her six-year-old that morning — something […]
The Moment I Realized I Was Repeating My Parents’ Mistakes
The Moment I Realized I Was Repeating My Parents’ Mistakes It happened on a Tuesday evening, right between the mac and cheese spill and the third “I said no!” of the night. My seven-year-old asked if she could show me her drawing, and without looking up from my phone, I muttered, “Not now, sweetie. I’m […]
What I Learned When I Stopped Trying to Be the Perfect Parent
What I Learned When I Stopped Trying to Be the Perfect Parent There I was, standing in the kitchen at 7:43 PM on a Tuesday, staring at the organic vegetable medley I’d lovingly prepared—now splattered across the floor like abstract art. My four-year-old had declared it “yucky” before it even touched her plate. Meanwhile, my […]
The Silence That’s Louder Than Any Argument
The Silence That’s Louder Than Any Argument Last week, a couple sat in my office for their third session. Sarah stared at her phone. Mark studied the ceiling tiles like they held the secrets of the universe. When I asked how their week had been, Sarah said “Fine” in a voice that could freeze lava. […]
What Our Grandparents Knew About Family That We’ve Forgotten
# What Our Grandparents Knew About Family That We’ve Forgotten Last Tuesday, I watched a young mother in my office pull out her phone for the third time in ten minutes—not to scroll social media, but to check a parenting app about whether her toddler’s tantrum was “developmentally appropriate.” She looked exhausted. “My grandmother raised […]