We love our kids! And all every parent wants if for their children to be happy and successful. Sometimes we unintentionally do the opposite of what cultivates healthy self-esteem. For example, there’s hardly a parent in the world who hasn’t said something like this to a child in a moment of exasperation: “Look at your brother—he jumps right on his homework after school! Why do I always have to nag you to get yours done?” “Your sister’s a whiz at math, but all you want to do is draw.” Or “Stop giving me attitude! Can’t you just be polite like your brother?”

This morning, a friend of mine shared a social media post about a 12-year-old boy who had just died from suicide. They attribute some of the boy’s discouragement to bullying, though I’m unsure if it was online or offline. The timing was uncanny as I was writing this article. It stopped me in my tracks.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Nowadays, kids are almost always on their smartphones, tablets, computers, etc. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, U.S. kids ages eight to twelve on average tend to spend around four to six hours daily watching or using devices with screens. In addition, teens in the U.S. spend up to nine hours of screen time.

Of course, most everyone enjoys screen time. However, as the parent, it’s wise to keep track of how long your child is on their device(s).

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

From an early age, we’re inundated by the concept of success through television, movies, the music industry, social media, and other people.

But the pressure to succeed doesn’t only affect children. Many parents also feel the strain. Some parents resort to extreme measures to help their children prosper in academic and extracurricular activities.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Adult children of emotionally immature parents are often left feeling like they can't make it on their own or somehow that they're not enough. These same parents are often self-involved, and they give mixed messages to their children growing up about their lovability and individuality. It's recently been coined as "eggshell parenting": One minute the parent is affirming and kind, the next minute shaming and yelling.

Parents' emotional immaturity is confusing and denies a child the deep sense of being felt and seen, which hinders a child's budding self-identity.

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Resilience is a hot topic, especially after the pandemic quarantines and subsequent unpredictability for children, teens, and adults alike. As a parent, we cannot control many things that happen in our children's lives socially or at school. However, we can empower our children by teaching them resiliency and emotional intelligence skills to help them respond effectively to life's curveballs and challenges.

Emotional fitness defends against the effects of stress like physical exercise creates healthy, toned muscles that prevent injury. Just like our muscles need stretching and exertion to [...]