Navigating Technology
Over the last 10 years, technology has become a popular topic and part of life. Many parents and educators are wondering how to handle technology and what boundaries to put in place. There is an increasing amount of anxiety...
Parenting for More Effect – Impart and Implement III: The Why
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
So far this year, my blogs have been focused on how we can parent for more effect. Specifically, during a time of a pandemic, social distancing, and isolation. Also, generally, as we get closer and closer to “normal times.”...
Healthy Relationships Between Parents and Teens
Healthy Relationships between Parents & Teens require good communication. A healthy relationship is one that is based on respect, honesty, trust, communication, individuality, safety, support, and acceptance. Here are some tips for communication that will help foster a healthy...
Respectful Parenting – Part 1
Alice D. Hoag , Ed.D.
I am privileged to be the mother of 3 young men ages 24, 22, and 19. The blessing came only after a 4-year struggle with infertility wherein I went through almost every fertility procedure known at the time to...
Attachment and Your Child
Allison Bates , M.S.
A secure attachment is the foundation for a child’s responses, their interactions with others, their expectations of you and the family as a whole. When a child is attached to a parent, they are significantly less likely to have...
Understanding ADHD
In today’s culture, it is common to overuse and over-diagnose someone with ADHD. Many parents wonder what “ADHD” truly is and how can they help their child who struggles with it. According to the Child Mind Institute, ADHD is...
Parenting for More Effect: Impart and Implement II: Breathe
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
Last quarter, I wrote a blog starting a series on how we can parent for more effect. The hope of this series is to make 2021 a year when we move towards a thriving mindset in our parenting and...
Parenting For More Effect – Impart and Implement I: Our Words
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
I remember when my oldest son was born, my first thought was, “Wow, I really hope I do a terrible job as a parent.” Wait, that is not right. Of course, my first thought was more like, “Will I...
Positive Parenting: Setting Limits with your Child
Maddie McGarrah , M.Ed.
Whether your child or children express it or not, rules and limits are good for them. Children thrive off consistency, and a great way to help provide consistency to your child is when you are setting limits for them....
How to Help Your Anxious Child
Allison Bates , M.S.
Hello all! A lot of the adults I see suffer from variations of anxiety and struggle to cope with it effectively. It is potentially even more frustrating for kids who have anxiety to develop the coping skills to process...
Returning to the School Building
Kids have been out of school for almost 7 months and families are now figuring out if, and when, their kids will return to school. The uncertainty of “what is best” can cause stress on families. Changes and transitions...
Resetting the Household Through the Fall
Who thought we would still be social distancing, wearing masks, or not returning to work or school right now? It has been a huge adjustment to have our kids home all day and try to entertain them. Lots of...
Preparing Our Kids for Virtual Schooling
This year has been full of many changes for people of all ages. School as our kids have known it has taken a dramatic change and the changes are going to keep coming. So how do we prepare them...
Mom Just Listen to Me!
Sometimes we don’t feel like our parents listen to what we’re trying to say. That can be extremely frustrating and often leaves us feeling misunderstood. Here are a few tips to getting your parent to listen to what you’re...
Criticism vs. Complaint
In the past two months, we have been in close quarters with our partners and noticed some cute and some not so cute habits of theirs… Or maybe things were rocky before sheltering in place, and now those issues...
Wondering About a Learning Disability? 3 Signs for Parents
Rebecca L. Marshall , Ph.D.
Parents often consult me about signs of a learning disability in their children. Sometimes difficulties are obvious, such as when an adolescent struggles year after year to pass math or when a child struggles to learn to read long...
The Power of Music and Dance
Most of us love music and find ourselves singing or dancing along when our old favorite songs come through our radios. Almost everyone can think of times music and dance has positively impacted their lives. It can send shivers...
How to Manage Our Household Anxieties
So here we are, still at home with school remaining out, all due COVID-19 and keeping each other healthy and safe. Yet, how do we keep our household happy and calm with everyone home and getting annoyed? We have...
Helping Your Middle Schooler Be Safe in a Technological World
Middle school is a time in your child’s life where they will embark in curiosity like never before. Middle schoolers are constantly growing, changing, and exploring; and in 2020, times are different, as most interactions with each other are...
Suicide Prevention
Suicide is an epidemic that has been impacting our nation and community. It’s important to take some time to touch on this difficult topic. A big part of this is learning to be intentional about noticing things in your...