Body changes, mood swings, weird cravings, little kicks from the little bundle of joy in your womb—pregnancy is undoubtedly a major chapter in a woman's story that’s full of surprises and challenges. That’s why mothers-to-be around the world see to it that they document this important part of their life.

Whether you're looking to display a striking maternity photo in your living room, or you want to create a photo book full of your pregnancy mementos, here are nine essential tips for capturing the best maternity portraits!

Saying no can be one of the most relentless challenges for any parent. Whether it's a stomping toddler, an obstinate preschooler, or a combative teenager, it's crucial to set healthy boundaries for your child's development. And it sure helps when we have the parenting skills to go with that resolve!

Estimated reading: 5 minutes

As teens plug through the high school years and prepare to leave home, parents often begin to squirm. Not only is it a gigantic letting-go process for a parent (and a teen) to leave home, but the big question that plagues many parents is: “Have I prepared my child adequately?” And emotional intelligence is critical for your teenager to be successful.

Do you know just how important your parental responses and modeling are in building emotional fitness in your teenager?

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

If you're wondering why your teenager is glued to their smartphone or computer, you've come to the right place. The answer: Dopamine-Seeking Reward Loops—that’s why! Of course, it isn’t that simple—we can’t give the entire rap to Dopamine Seeking Reward Loops. There are plenty of other factors why teens get hooked: fulfilling emotional needs, boredom, lack of self-restraint, and connection with friends, to name a few.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Temperament is one of the most underestimated influences in a child’s life. Many times, a difficult temperament trait in a child can be the primary driving force of misbehavior in children. Much of the challenges in child-raising often lead back to temperament qualities, such as low adaption or high emotional intensity. It's critical as a parent to know your child's temperament, especially when disciplining or redirecting children's behavior.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

When a parent thinks of avoiding power struggles with children, empathy may not be at the top of their list. It is an underutilized response that few parents use when in conflict with their children and teens.

Sometimes I get wildly angry at screens—whether an Xbox or TV—and my children’s inability to end their session the second I ask them. If I wasn't so frugally and environmentally driven, I might be tempted to throw screens out of moving vehicles and second story windows.

Internet Addiction, Texting Addiction, Screen Addiction, and Online Gaming Addiction are all phrases we hear in modern times but are they really a thing? Well, yes they are, and no they are not. What?! Keep on reading to see why this is not a clear-cut answer.

First off, let’s talk aboutdopaminebecause it currently has a lot of media attention due to its association with possible screen and gaming addiction.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Why have selfies become a trend? And dowe take a selfie only when we look our best? Probably not during a fight with your spouse or after a day of power struggles with your toddler or teen. 

Could the preoccupation with Facebook along with snapping selfies and posting pictures on Snapchat be a sign of how invisible we feel to ourselves? Maybe, maybe not. But there is a form of invisibility to ourselves that often goes unnoticed—a lack of self-care.

The term "social media" did not even exist in mainstream culture when I had my first son in 2004. My mother and I still wrote snail-mail and email letters back and forth and talked on the phone. That is how I kept in contact with all my out-of-town loved ones, and as for my in-town peeps, it was face-to-face get-togethers and phone calls with occasional emails to coordinate plans that involved more than a few of us.Going back a bit further, the social currency for young people in my era was notes written during class and passed in the halls, phone calls, and chat gatherings in the corners of [...]

There is endless content online (ironic isn’t it!?!) about screens, internet use, gaming, safety, addiction, sleep deprivation, and how to set limits. So much content that a person (ME!) can spend hours on a screen just learning about how to deal with screens, so why write more?

At Heartmanity, we want to approach screens, tech, safety, limits, and the like through the understanding of emotional needs, relationships, empathy, compassion, brain science, and love, which are not common approaches used in most available content. So, that being said, let’s look at why teens love screens so much.

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