Heartmanity's Blog

Imagine that you're at a grocery store, and your 5-year-old daughter spots candy, eyeing exactly the kind she wants. She begs you to buy it for her, but you calmly and firmly say no. She bursts into tears while kicking and screaming in the cart. Frustrated (and maybe a little embarrassed), you think, "Why can't she just accept my answer, just once! No self-control!"

How do we teach our children respect for our decisions and how to control their emotions? And what is the definition of self-control?

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

It is a growing trend today that more and more adult children live with their parents instead of leading independent lives. In 2020, a record number of adult children returned home to live with their parents. Of course, it was understandable, given the circumstances of the pandemic and the unprecedented job losses and business closures. However, jobs are plentiful now, and yet Pew Research Center reports that in July of 2022, half of adults ages 18-29 lived with one or both of their parents.

Given this trend, what parental support is helpful, and what stifles independence, resiliency, and [...]

Watching children grow and develop is as rewarding as it is fascinating. Children are like little sponges, soaking up information and discovering all they can learn about their environment. Within a family, parents, siblings, and grandparents all play a significant role and greatly impact a child’s emotional development. However, they are not the only influence on children at home. Growing up with a pet can positively impact early childhood development and help establish healthy emotional regulation and mental health in children.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Parenting is hard work. But when we're critical of ourselves and have a lot of negative self-talk, it can become downright discouraging.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I'm really a bad mom!"? With this full-time, never-let-up job, it's easy to slip into feeling overwhelmed. Many of today's parents live thousands of miles away from grandparents and extended family, which was a major support in earlier times. So how do you parent consciously, keep a work-life balance, and create a fun-loving, happy family, given the multitude of demands?

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Einstein once said, “not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Money is heavily pedestalled these days, and it’s essential to teach your kids a balance between financial literacy, social responsibility, and emotional intelligence (EQ) when exploring life lessons with money. The goal is to prepare your children to create a healthy, happy, and successful future while teaching them to be responsible, empathetic human beings.

Yet, it’s not always easy as a parent to keep long-term values in mind when faced with the demands of everyday life. So, [...]

When or if your teenager starts to act out and rebel, it can be difficult to know what to do as a parent. You can feel like you're losing control of your teen when dealing with teenage rebellion and disrespect. It’s true, teens sometimes engage in risky behaviors that terrify their parents, so your concern is justified. However, many parents overreact by immediately taking away their smartphone or grounding their teen “for a year!” These reactions can backfire by increasing oppositional behavior or creating ruptures in your relationship.

So, how do you best support and help your teenager [...]

From my perspective, there’s nothing more precious than the child-parent relationship. Yet, recently, I’ve seen a disturbing trend of disrespect and uncaring behavior disrupting this vital, foundational relationship.

The overwhelming response to my article, “How to Deal with a Disrespectful Grown Child,” opened a window into just how deep the wounds and disconnection are in our present culture. I’ve received scores of emails, numerous requests for parent coaching, and phone calls with pleas for help. And more recently, I’m receiving comments and emails from children burdened by emotionally [...]

Have you ever asked yourself as a parent, "What does a normal teenager act like?" Teenage rebellion and defiance are common challenges that parents often navigate. On top of teenage push-back are social media and smartphones competing with the teen-parent connection. (Or shall I say "screen addiction"?) As a parent coach and parenting instructor, I get scores of S.O.S. calls from parents. Many parents are fearful and remark, "Where did my 'sweet child' go?!"

So is teen rebellion normal? And what is dramatically outside the realm of healthy development and accompanying behaviors? Let's [...]

Nowadays, children have easy access to screens and technology that can dominate their daily lives. But as convenient as it is to put your child in front of an Xbox, computer game, or TV, have you ever wondered how screens affect early child development?

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Whether you're dealing with toddler tantrums, a middle-schooler's meltdown, or the emotional darts of a teen, one thing is clear: it is up to adults to be stable figures for children to build emotional intelligence. But what are the essential ingredients to ensure that you cultivate emotional development and social intelligence?Many parents I talk to have the mistaken idea that they must be perfect parents to be good parents. The opposite is true.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes