The old Japanese proverb says Fall down seven times, stand up eight. As with so many proverbs there is a lot of wisdom packed into a simple phrase. As anyone who has endured a series of misfortunes can tell you, resilience is the key to not only maintaining mental...
A Child Who Is Introverted Is Listening
Life is full of occasions when we mean well but say something that really doesn’t do anyone any good. The examples of egregious things that someone will say to a person who is grieving the loss of a loved one are legion. “Don’t worry — he’s in a better place now.”...
Parental Skills Depend On Understanding A Child’s Mind
It’s always taken dedication and lots of love to be a good parent. Fortunately, some things never change and there are many age-old, foundational rules that can help parents raise happy, healthy children. To understand the many unchanging verities about child-rearing,...
Make Your Family Stories Come Alive
In my recent blog, For Kids, Five Little Things That Make A Big Difference, I mentioned the importance of telling family stories. It’s a good and dramatic way to teach kids valuable life lessons. If an uncle or grandmother or some other relative had a hardship —...
For Kids, Five Little Things That Make A Big Difference
In a bit of wisdom for the ages, Kurt Vonnegut once said, “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” Parents can put this principle to good use as they raise their kids. Sure, taking care of the big things...
The Joy Of Sparking Conversation With A Kid
It’s one of life’s little joys to watch a young child play with a toy figure, creating a fantastical world filled with heroes and villians. While they hold their little figure on the edge of a chair, they call the action: “They’re about to get you… jump, jump into the...
Sparking Meaningful Conversations With Kids
What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you when you were a kid? If you're like most people, you'd probably reflect on a loving memory of a parent, or perhaps a teacher, praising you or simply saying I love you at a particularly impactful moment. The flip side is...
The Insidious Effects Of Emotional Abuse
If you’re in a fulfilling long-term romantic relationship. you probably don’t spend a lot of time asking yourself — why is everything just so right? If only that were the case when the relationship is not so fulfilling. Then the tendency is to be constantly nagged by...
Some Kids Don’t Win At This Game
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft In those innocent days before the internet existed, kids often filled their lazy summer afternoons playing everything from Monopoly to Creature Castle. Fast forward 50 years and kids are still enjoying...
Kids — It’s Time To Slow Down
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft A lot of parents and grandparents remember the lazy summer days long ago when their kids were growing up. Lucky kids headed off to summer camp, and simple programs like Little League kept them all busy...