By the time many couples come in for counseling, their relationship goodwill has been depleted. Each partner has made spoken (or unspoken) requests of his or her partner, only to be disappointed time and time again. One partner makes a request, expressing its importanc...
Children with ADHD typically have difficulty managing time. Time management is not a skill they acquire naturally. Children with ADHD have certain differences in brain functioning, particularly in the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is responsible for executive function...
When we encounter a startling or frightening stimulus, our thalamus sends a message to our amygdala, the most primitive part of our brain. The amygdala, in response, goes into a hard-wired Fight-Flight-Freeze response, before the parts of our brain responsible for high...
Perspective taking is a precursor to both empathy and compassion. Perspective taking is a skill your child needs in order to be successful in life. To build and refine this skill, encourage your child to put themselves in other's shoes. Asking questions such as, "Wh...
In our book, Love With Intention, we encourage couples to refrain from giving their partner advice or offering their opinion unless specifically asked. Recently, studies out of the University of Iowa found that the more partners give unwanted advice, the less satisfac...
David and I just met with our financial advisor this past month. Our goal? Plan for retirement! Don’t worry, this isn’t going to happen anytime soon, and honestly we both believe we will be bored silly unless we work part-time into our 90’s. Of course, this requires t...
Most people have heard the statement, “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all,” mainly because it has been passed down from one generation to the next. What does this statement really mean, especially as it relates to relationships? As a kid, I found...
It’s that time of year (most) parents look forward to and (most) children dread… back to school. Unfortunately for many children this also means back to an environment rampant with acts of bullying. According to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to...
Several years ago, there was a children's song called "Input Output," that atempted to teach children ( and parents) the importance of the stimuli they allow into their world. I was reminded of this song when I read recent research finding that motication, creativity,...
As newborn infants, touch is the first sense we acquire. Touch is so important to the developmental needs of children, that there is a phenomenon known as "failure to thrive" to describe the delayed development (and sometimes loss) of children who are deprived of touch...
