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
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
Parents across the nation are increasingly aware of the dangers of phone addiction and excessive screen time. In younger children, this addiction can be remedied somewhat simply by having an honest conversation about screens and by taking away screens after your child has used up their allotted time.
However, for teenagers, cell phone addiction is harder to break and usually more entrenched than it is in younger children. That’s because today’s teens have grown up in the iPhone age, and much of their social life is conducted through social media apps on their phones.
Estimated reading [...]
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
You are probably familiar with the impatience of children of all ages. “Mommy, how much longer?” or “Daddy, why do we have to wait?” or “Can we go home now? I’m bored.”
These are just a few murmurings from an infinite well of questions coming from my little girl. Whether we’re at the grocery store, doctor’s office, or simply in the car driving, she lacks patience. But I don’t blame my little one… everything was instant when she was a baby! They cry, we come. They’re completely dependent on us. So it’s understandable when young children have difficulty waiting. After all, their brains are [...]
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
Boundaries are important for everyone when it comes to maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health. As a parent, you’re in a unique position to showcase that importance to your teenagers. By modeling and teaching your teen to set healthy boundaries now, you can set them up for better personal health and stronger relationships in the future.
Estimated reading time: 4.5 minutes
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
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
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
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
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting, Brain Fitness, Mindfulness and Perspective
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.
Estimated reading time: [...]
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting, Emotional Intelligence & Fitness
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 [...]
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
Parenting is a full-time job. Teaching can also take up an enormous portion of your time. If you’re both teaching and operating as a full-time mom, it can be overwhelming, to say the least. Juggling work and home life while also taking care of yourself can be challenging!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
When parents are emotionally immature, having a healthy relationship with them can be difficult. No matter how the adult child attempts to be heard or understood, often the parent is unable to truly empathize or connect on a meaningful level.
Below are seven symptoms that can indicate that you are a child of an emotionally immature parent, sometimes also called eggshell parenting. With each symptom, practical advice is given on how to be true to yourself while also being respectful to your parents.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Posted in Perfectly Imperfect Parenting, Emotional Intelligence & Fitness
