Parenting
What Your Family’s Unspoken Rules Are Costing You
What Your Family’s Unspoken Rules Are Costing You Last Tuesday, my friend Maria texted me in a panic. Her 10-year-old had just exploded at the dinner table — not because she was asked to eat her vegetables, but because her older brother got to share a story about his day while she was told to […]
What Your Child’s Whining Really Means (And How to Decode It)
What Your Child’s Whining Really Means (And How to Decode It) It starts as a low hum — almost musical, if you’re being generous. Then it crescendos into that unmistakable, nails-on-chalkboard sound that makes you want to hide in the pantry with a bag of chips. Yes, we’re talking about the whine. That peculiar vocal […]
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 Tantrum Trigger You’re Accidentally Creating Every Day
The Tantrum Trigger You’re Accidentally Creating Every Day It’s 4:47 PM on a Tuesday. You’re stirring pasta with one hand, answering an email with the other, and your five-year-old is on the floor screaming because her sock feels “too bumpy.” You haven’t even touched the sock. You’ve been a model of patience all day. So […]
The Bedtime Resistance That’s Actually a Cry for Connection
When “Five More Minutes” Really Means “I Need You” It’s 8:47 PM. You’ve read three stories, sung two songs, refilled the water cup twice, and escorted your child back to bed four times. You’re standing in the hallway, exhausted, wondering if you’re raising a future attorney given their negotiation skills. “Just one more hug.” “My […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Emotion Your Child Needs You to Show More Often
The Emotion Your Child Needs You to Show More Often Last Tuesday, my friend Sarah texted me at 9:47 PM: “I just yelled at my kid for spilling milk. Again. Then I locked myself in the bathroom and cried because I’m turning into my mother.” If you’ve ever had a moment like that — where […]
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 […]