• Small Steps into the New Year

    A lot is written this time of year about what we “resolve” to do for the future. Goals are great but it can be really discouraging when, despite good intentions, they are not met.

  • Time Out? Time In?

    The idea that a grumpy child is going to go sit somewhere and calmly think about what they “should have done” is quite preposterous. Did you? I didn’t. When I was sent to my room I spent the whole time thinking about how unfair the situation was or plotting how I was either going to make that particular parent “pay.” Just guessing, but I don’t think that was what my parents were aiming for.

  • Kids and Money

    Contributed by Jody McVittie Do you have questions about how to teach your children about money? When do you start allowance? Do you link it to chores? How much do you give them? How do you teach generosity? The simple answer is that YOU get to decide. Here are some suggestions – and you get […]

  • Family Work: Whose Job is It?

    Contributed by Jody McVittie, MD When I grew up everyone in our family had jobs to do. Many of them were centered around our family dinners (setting the table, clearing the table, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor). Other family jobs included feeding pets and taking care of the garbage (this was in the days […]

  • Are we there yet???

    Contributed by Jody McVittie, MD Part of my memory of early family vacations include very annoying choruses of, “Are we there yet?” from the back seat. In my more sarcastic moments my internal voice was saying, “Are we stopped yet?” “Does it look like it?” and other variations of maternal snarkiness. I’m not proud of […]

  • Building Better Bedtimes

    Contributed by Jody McVittie, MD Do you ever finish putting your children to bed and feel exhausted? You’ve longed for some kind of connection with them at the end of the day – and way too often it feels like you’ve been through some kind of battle? When you think about it from the child’s […]

  • Why is “No” so Hard to Understand?

    We might THINK we are saying no, but our bodies might be giving a different message.

  • Making Mistakes… the Great American Freedom

    Failure can be an economic tool. As we strengthen our “muscles” to learn from mistakes, we get better at being creative and seeing opportunities.

  • Parenting with the Body in Mind

    We sure hear a lot these days about the brain – and brain science. When we hear the word “brain” most of us think of the soft stuff that is inside our skull. That is, in fact, our “brain.” But it turns out that our body is not just the thing that carries our brain around. Human nervous systems are incredibly complex and there is a lot of information exchanged between the brain and the rest of the body. We can use this information to help ourselves and to help our kids.

  • I Can’t Believe I Did That! – And How to Make Repairs

    you “know” aren’t helpful? Does it seem like “Mean Mommy” or “Dreadful Daddy” have taken over your body and you can’t help yourself? What next?