When you envision raising your children, you probably imagine sweet swaddled infants, young toddlers playing in the front yard, and older children bringing home schoolwork and a refrigerator covered in artwork. However, these seemingly normal things can all look different when you are parenting children from traumatic backgrounds. Raising a child with a rough, dark,
“MOM!! Every light I look at is a snowman!!” was stridently proclaimed by my son as he burst through the door after a trip to the hardware store with Daddy. He was enthusiastically waving a pair of paper and plastic 3D glasses that make all lights look like snowmen. This over-the-top, unreserved exhilaration was quickly
A thankful heart. A true treasure to be valued in our society where quite a bit of our culture prioritizes the idea of “more”. If we’re honest with ourselves, I fear we’d have to admit that many minutes of our lives revolve around the next best thing—and how to attain it. For example, there has
If you’re like me, hearing your child whine is right up there with the worst ways to die. Last year when my youngest (who is now perfect thank you very much) was whining literally every hour, I sort of lost it. I became unglued. I responded in ways I am not proud of and if
There’s been many a moment over the last Covid-19 filled months where I’ve lost myself in negative thoughts, or just plain old worry, only to be brought back to reality by one (or several) of my children behaving poorly. I immediately try to remedy the situation by reacting appropriately but, since I was not even
Parkside’s Behavioral Health is turning ONE. To celebrate, we want to say THANK YOU. Thank you to our families for trusting us with your children. Thank you for letting us listen. Thank you for investing in your child’s mental and emotional well-being. We are honored that you chose us to come alongside your family on
In these tense and unsettling times, we know that you as parents understandably have questions about how to talk to your child about race, bias, and social justice. You may be struggling with questions and uncertainties yourself, and feel unprepared to discuss these issues with your child. If so, join the club! I am a
No one sets out to get a divorce, but unfortunately divorce is where a lot of us find ourselves in this day and age. The plans that we had in mind when we got married and started a family deviated into something painful and hard. Now you find yourself on a new path, a single
With each added day of quarantine due to coronavirus, I’ve noticed that parents and children are becoming more anxious. I want to share with you the most common underlying reason for anxiety that most people are feeling during this time, and what can be done about it. As parents, we are accustomed to what I