Fostering Self-Awareness in Your Child

Fostering Self-Awareness in Your Child Is Not As Hard As You May Think

Feeling a mild sense of panic at the word 'resilience'? You worry you aren’t doing enough to build your kid’s resilience. You worry you aren’t doing it right. You worry because the stakes are so high. You worry because you don’t even know the difference between “resilience” and “resiliency.” (Is there a difference?) And your kid quit T-ball after just one practice. And your kid cried after losi...

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Teaching Kids Emotional Regulation Without Stigmatizing Mental Health

Teaching Kids Emotional Regulation Without Stigmatizing Mental Health

We’ve all lived it. IPad time ends and your son goes ballistic. Did he think it was going to last forever? A “friendly” game of air hockey between siblings and the loser completely loses it. Did sis really believe her handle-turning prowess unmatchable? A fly lands on his hamburger, and well, ya know... "big emotions.” Research abounds about the importance of emotional regulation for success in...

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Building Resilience in My Children After Losing My Brother to Suicide

Building Resilience in My Children After Losing My Brother to Suicide

My brother Grant was to arrive in Denver on Wednesday, August 27th to visit me. But two days earlier, he died by suicide. Grant was 28 and incredibly successful in his career as a chef. He was adored by his family. He had close friends. He had other friends, who weren’t as close. He had friends coming out of his ears. Never before had he threatened suicide, nor had he ever made an attempt. In...

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Fostering gratitude after your child's successes

A Surprising Lesson Success Can Teach Your Child

You’re beaming. Your daughter crushed it at her gymnastics meet. Or maybe your son aced that U.S. states quiz. Our instinct as parents is to shower our children with praise in their moments of success. We want to boost them up because, geez, there’s plenty that can bring them down in the day. And we want them to feel pride in their hard work. We want them to continue working hard. Plus, your ch...

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