Relationships and Temperament
“You’re so lazy! You can’t finish anything you start!” Sue shouts at her best friend, Melissa. “Well, you’re a total killjoy!” Melissa retorts heatedly. “That was my cousin from Chicago calling; I just wanted to hear about her soccer game. It doesn’t hurt to take a...
Parenting Skills: Confronting Bullying Behavior
An initial plan for parents who want to protect their children. If you are told that your child is verbally or physically bullying other children, now is not the time to jump to your child’s defense. Children can be mean; it doesn’t mean they are bad. If you protect...
Understanding Yourself, Understanding Others
Are we born with our personalities, or does life make us who we are? I remember my tenth-grade teacher posing this question, and the passionate debate among my classmates that ensued. Are people mostly a result of “nature” their inborn qualities, or “nurture,” how...
Miss Communication
Foolproof? A Study in Statistics
Testimonials! That’s what you need when you write an ad for the frum community!” The extremely perky graphic artist who was interviewing for a job with me was certain. “People want to read stories about how it works. Numbers are boring.” She has a point. Numbers can...
Psychology Today Articles
- Maybe You’re Not a Helicopter Parent. Maybe It’s Your TraumaSometimes, what appears as helicopter parenting isn't due to an effort to control, but an effort to protect. Here’s how trauma distorts our instincts, and what to do instead.
- Dealing With After-School Restraint Collapse? 5 Ways to HelpDon't confuse biology with behavior. Here are five simple ways to help kids reset their brains and bodies after school.
- The Real Back-to-School Story Isn’t the COVID KindergartnersThis year’s big back-to-school story isn’t “COVID kindergartners,” it’s their parents. Parental stress affects kids, so let's focus our intervention where it belongs.
- August Feeling Overwhelming? It May Be Back-to-School ScariesThe Back-to-School Scaries are a thing. For post-traumatic parents, the return to school routines brings overwhelm. Here’s what’s happening inside your brain and how to calm it.