If you are in a blended family, the holidays may seem like the most difficult time of the year rather than the most wonderful. Splitting time between more than one household is can be stressful. Time always seems too short. You can’t please everyone or feel like you always draw … Read More
What Does Emotional Intelligence Mean? Part 1
Children experience the same emotions as adults. They can feel everything from happiness to sadness to anger to nervousness to even stress. However unlike adults, many children do not understand how to effectively deal with the range of emotions they experience. Just like other life skills parents pass onto their … Read More
How to Negotiate Where to Spend the Holidays as a Newly Married Couple
Wondering where to spend the holidays as a newly married couple? As the song goes, “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.” The question this year is, “To which Grandmother’s house to go?” One discussion I encourage pre-marriage and newly married couples to have, especially this … Read More
The Lions’ Den: A Survivalist Guide To Holidays
Why do you need to be a survivalist during the holidays? We love to be with our family, but we hate the conflict. We can’t stay away and have to brace ourselves before walking into holiday family gatherings. It can feel like entering a lions’ den. Walking through the lions’ … Read More
The Power of Play
Kids look like small adults. At times, they may even sound like mini grownups–especially when they get a little sassy or parrot back a parents’ own words to them. External resemblance aside, kids process things much differently from adults. Kids’ brains haven’t matured to the same place that an adult … Read More
Divorce 911: Normalize Your Emotions
Recently, GROW Counseling and Dr. Wendy Dickinson partnered with Divorce 911 to create a few short videos addressing common themes in divorce. In this video, they discuss the topic of “normalizing” your emotions.
Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children Part 2: Practical Ways to Help Your Children Become More Emotionally Intelligent
In part one of the blog Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children, we defined emotional intelligence and explored its importance. Some children are naturally more emotionally intelligent than others. It is important to nurture emotional intelligence in children to help them adjust well to the challenges life brings. Now that we know … Read More
Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children Part 1: What Does Emotional Intelligence Mean?
Children experience the same emotions as adults. They can feel everything from happiness to sadness to anger to nervousness to even stress. However unlike adults, many children do not understand how to effectively deal with the range of emotions they experience. Just like other life skills parents pass onto their … Read More
What exactly is adolescence?
For many parents, understanding a bit about their teenager’s brain development can be helpful in navigating the sometimes difficult adolescent years. But first, what exactly are the adolescent years? What does the term “adolescence” even mean? Researchers and scientists have had a pretty difficult time coming to a consensus definition. … Read More
Back to School!
Transitioning from summertime to a new school year can be a stressful time for both kids and parents. Children and teens must adjust to a new schedule, new teachers, friendship changes, new work expectations, and maybe even a new school! Parents must help them navigate all of those changes while … Read More
