Personal Growth
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 […]
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 […]
What Your Child’s Friendships Say About Their Heart
What Your Child’s Friendships Say About Their Heart Last week, a mom sat in my office fighting back tears. “My daughter had three kids over for her birthday,” she said. “Three. Meanwhile, my neighbor’s daughter had twenty-five.” She paused, looking almost embarrassed. “Does that mean something’s wrong with her? With us?” I leaned forward. “Tell […]
The Bedtime Secret That Builds Emotional Intelligence
The Bedtime Secret That Builds Emotional Intelligence Last week, a mom in my practice collapsed into the couch cushions during our session and whispered, “I just can’t do the bedtime battle anymore.” Her five-year-old had been resisting sleep for months — demands for water, suddenly urgent questions about dinosaurs, elaborate negotiations worthy of a corporate […]
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 […]
What I Wish I Knew About Developmental Leaps
What I Wish I Knew About Developmental Leaps Last Tuesday, I sat across from a mother who looked like she hadn’t slept in days. “I don’t understand,” she said, tears pooling. “Two weeks ago, my daughter was this happy, curious little person. Now she clings to my leg like a koala on a eucalyptus tree […]
The Evening Routine That Reduced Our Anxiety
The Evening Routine That Reduced Our Anxiety Last Tuesday, I watched a mom in my office literally slump into the chair across from me. “By 6 PM,” she whispered, “I feel like I’m drowning. The kids are melting down, dinner’s burning, everyone’s yelling about screen time, and I just… I can’t anymore.” Her husband nodded […]
The Morning Routine That Changed Everything
The Morning Routine That Changed Everything I’ll never forget the morning Sarah walked into my office looking like she’d survived a natural disaster. Her coffee-stained shirt told one story, but her eyes told another — the kind of exhaustion that sleep alone can’t fix. “I yelled at my six-year-old about his shoes,” she said quietly. […]
The 5-Second Response That Calms Any Meltdown
The 5-Second Response That Calms Any Meltdown Last Tuesday, I watched a father in the grocery store do something extraordinary. His daughter, maybe four years old, had just launched into full meltdown mode over a box of cookies. Instead of reasoning, bribing, or doing the tight-lipped march to the car, he dropped to one knee, […]
The Bedtime Mistake That’s Making Nights Harder
You Are Not Alone Last week, a mom sat across from me and sighed, “I don’t understand. We have the bath, the books, the lullabies — all the ‘right things.’ So why does bedtime still feel like a hostage negotiation with a tiny dictator who refuses to sleep?” She wasn’t alone. In fact, if bedtime […]