Sharing your childhood stories…and a smile

Posted on June 6, 2014

“We forget things if we have no one to tell them to.”   How many times have you heard someone say, “When I was a kid, we had to walk two miles to school in the snow! Uphill both ways!” Parents tend to tell their children stories from their own upbringing as a way of making the kids realize how privileged they are. For example, a parent will say, ‘We didn’t have an iPad or a game system when we…

SEL It!

Posted on May 30, 2014

Our cofounder and resident developmental psychology expert, Dr. Julie Watson, shared this great article about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) that I was compelled to share! In the post, Dylan Arena, cofounder of Kidaptive, reiterates what researchers like Daniel Goleman, John Gottman, and the CASEL forum have long been advocating. SEL is key to the development of the whole child as well as “pure academic achievement.” A recent study of more than 270,000 students revealed that “those who received SEL instruction…

Mirror Mirror!

Posted on May 24, 2014

Recently, Dr. Shefali Tsabary, noted psychologist and author of The Conscious Parent, sat down with Oprah for “Super Soul Sunday” to talk about what being a conscious parent means. The entire episode is well worth watching, but here are some of our favorite takeaways. “Our children are showing us a mirror to our undeveloped self,” says Dr. Shefali. Let’s look at this mirror effect from two reflective points of view: 1. What is the child showing parents about themselves? Say…

Relationships with Relatives

Posted on May 9, 2014

Relationships, especially with close relatives and extended families, can guide children as they grow and learn about themselves. The connections they develop with their relations are ships carrying them through the sometimes rough waters of childhood. By spending just a tad more time with relatives, we give them tools of growth and prepare them to be more socially and emotionally intelligent. These are both keys to life success. But in this modern and spread out world, it is not always…

Chasing Perfection: The Effects on the Parent/Child Relationship

Posted on October 21, 2014

How does our chase to be the “perfect” parent fit in to the parent/child relationship?  We’re probably all guilty of looking at some parent and child and asking, “How could they do that? I’d never treat my child that way.” After all, from the moment parents finds out they will have a baby, they naturally begin setting themselves up to do it right. They want to do their very best for this new life that they are going to bring…