Parenting
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 […]
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, […]
The Invisible Load That’s Burning Out Modern Parents
The Invisible Load That’s Burning Out Modern Parents Last week, a mom in my office broke down crying—not because of anything dramatic, but because she’d forgotten to sign a field trip form. Again. “I remembered it,” she said through tears. “At 2 a.m. when I couldn’t sleep. Then at the grocery store. Then while I […]
The Weekend Tradition That Saved Our Sanity
The Weekend Tradition That Saved Our Sanity It was a Sunday evening, and I was staring at the wreckage of another chaotic weekend. The kitchen looked like a crime scene starring cereal boxes and juice spills. My kids had fought over screen time approximately seventeen times. My partner and I had barely exchanged more than […]
The Secret to Staying Connected in the Parenting Trenches
The Secret to Staying Connected in the Parenting Trenches Last Tuesday, I watched a couple sit on opposite ends of my couch — not in anger, but in exhaustion. Between them lay a fortress of invisible walls: work deadlines, after-school pickups, a toddler who’d forgotten how to sleep, and a teenager who’d forgotten how to […]
What Nobody Tells You About Love After Kids
The 3 A.M. Text I’ll Never Forget It came from Sarah, a mom I’d been working with for a few months. Just six words: “I miss who we used to be.” She wasn’t talking about her pre-baby body or her old career. She was talking about her marriage. About the inside jokes that used to […]
Why Your Child’s Boredom is Essential
Why Your Child’s Boredom Is Essential (And Why You Should Stop Fixing It) Last Tuesday, I watched a parent in my office practically levitate with anxiety as her eight-year-old son uttered the five words that apparently signal the apocalypse: “Mom, I’m so bored.” Her immediate response? She rattled off twelve activity options in under thirty […]
The Transition Trick That Saves Everyone’s Sanity
The Transition Trick That Saves Everyone’s Sanity Last Tuesday, I watched a four-year-old named Mia absolutely lose it in my office waiting room. Not because she was hurt or hungry — but because her dad had the audacity to tell her it was time to leave the playground and come inside. The meltdown was spectacular: […]
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 […]