Be careful little ears what you hear. I remember singing those lyrics from a Sunday school song as a young child. At the time, I heard it as a warning to be careful what I listened to. And sure, there is value to being cautious about what we consciously take in. But what about all…
Valentine’s day; think about what that day means to you. For some, it’s flowers, chocolate and a romantic date night. For others, its new valentine’s pajamas for your kids, buying cards and treats for their classrooms, and making heart shaped food. For some, you experience both of these on February 14th. Valentine’s Day is a…
Children want to be seen and heard. They long for connection with their parent or caretaker. They want to know they are important, loved, and valued. What does it mean to “be seen and heard”? It means to be known and for someone to know you and take interest in and validate the things that…
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” (Psalms 127:3) If children are a gift from God, then why is parenting so difficult? Surely God wouldn’t just drop a blessing in our lives and then say, “Here you go, now figure it out.” There are numerous parenting books available to…
When I was a teenager, I sat down to breakfast each morning and waited for my dad to pass me the sports page. The 20 minutes we spent talking headlines, him in his suit, me in my flannels and Timberland boots – it was the 90s – was critical to our relationship. It was just…
It’s that time of year again! The pool days come to an end, summer camp is no more, and it’s time to pull out the back-to-school supply list. While the list may tell you exactly what your child will need in the classroom, knowing what your child needs emotionally to return to school may be…
Have you ever selected a path in life and all you see in your future are your hopes for what it will be? Then the opportunity arrives and there are all these intricacies and nuanced outcomes you hadn’t even considered? Welcome to parenting! When we imagine our children as babies, we often don’t think about…
Is it just me or does it feel like your house is shrinking too? As Covid-19 restrictions continue, I am hearing more and more that husbands and wives, parents, kids, and siblings are feeling stressed and compressed into spaces never meant to accommodate work, school, play, and family life all at once. For many, all…
Parenting in 2020. None of us saw this coming. Yet here we are. With so much going virtual, new challenges and opportunities will certainly arise and have already, and with them are some of the same dangers that have been present for a while. I’m talking about something all of us parents probably know about,…
What is distance counseling? Distance counseling, or teletherapy, is counseling that takes place via phone or video conference because the counselor and the client are in separate locations. Clients and counselors may not be able to meet face to face for various reasons: the client is traveling for work or is on vacation the client…