Parenting is an elaborate and complex job that changes with each age as a child develops. Since our primary responsibility is to keep our children safe while providing a stable home, it’s understandable how involved—even overprotective—parents can become. However, the older a child gets, the less control we have as parents. Therefore, the need for children and teens to build strong self-reliance and emotional intelligence is critical. Does helicopter parenting encourage independence and resiliency?

Estimated reading time: 6.5 minutes

Every parent is unique; every child is unique. All parents love their children, and all children love their parents—no matter how imperfectly.

But do we truly take stock as parents of how we are imprinting our children through our daily interactions? Are we deliberately teaching them emotional intelligence skills to be resilient when life knocks them around? Or are we too overwhelmed with our lives and families?

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

No way around it: Being a parent is a tough job. And some parenting days are much tougher than others, so you might find yourself yelling unexpectedly, then regret it. Every parent reaches their limit.Our parenting know-how and emotional maturity are challenged every day. Of course, we also experience immense shared joy and a sense of fulfillment, but our children's needs change continually. Every time you think you've got the job figured out, your child shifts to a new developmental stage, far different from the one before. Learning how to redirect children's behavior is crucial for every [...]

Parenting today's teens is challenging. Many parents even dread raising teenagers because they've often heard negative, even scary stories over the years from other parents. As a culture, we think we've got teenagers pegged—uncontrollable, disrespectful, and rebellious. The big question is: "Is adolescent rebellion avoidable?"

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

And guess who the culprits were?

Teenagers.

Sibling rivalry is practically guaranteed as soon as a family has more than one child. But that doesn't make it any easier to handle or any less frustrating for parents! Most parents have a very different ideal home life in mind.

When brothers and sisters fight and argue, the entire family dynamic is rocked. Arguments at home can easily spill into each family member’s work or social life. Strife can make a happy, healthy family life seem like an unattainable dream. In extreme circumstances, it can even lead to enduring psychological or physical pains. This dynamic often leaves parents [...]

Psychology Today has this to say about stress. "Stress generally refers to two things: the psychological perception of pressure, on the one hand, and the body's response to it... Lifesaving as the stress response was meant to solve short-term, life-threatening problems, not extended difficulties ... Prolonged or repeated arousal of the stress response, a characteristic of modern life, can have harmful physical and psychological effects."

However, it is the perception of a threat by you and your child that determines whether or not a cascade of survival chemicals is triggered and dumped into [...]

Temperament: ten unique traits. Do you know your child's temperament?

Temperament is a lot like wrapping paper. The traits come in many colors and designs, in a multitude of hues and intensities. They are as different as the multitude of autumn leaves with varying tones and colors. Knowing our child’s unique temperament and the interaction of traits, parents are armed with a critical tool to parent more consciously and increase family ease and fun. The more skills in your tool belt, the more equipped you are for the curve balls that life throws your way! Here you'll learn key actions to [...]

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes