In addition to being curious, kids are creative. If they aren’t given answers they write their own narrative. The narrative could be, people like me don’t belong here, or I am rare, different, or strange.
Navigating Transitions to In-Person Learning with Kids
During our pandemic outbreak many students transitioned to home-based learning. How do you help your kids transition back to in-school learning/
How Your Child’s Sensory System Relates to Behavior
If we look at behavior through a sensory lens, we may find clues triggers for these behaviors. Our sensory systems including our nervous system, brain, heart, and body are integrated and connected. When our brain perceives something as dangerous it signals our muscles to react. We may have a flight reaction, a fight reaction, or a freeze reaction.
Helping Your Adoptee by Helping Yourself
As adoptive parents we may often struggle with knowing whether a behavior stems from adoption trauma or challenges of being a kid.
Parenting Tweens
Parenting tweens is hard. During the “tween” ages of 11-14 your kid is adapting and learning about their world. They are integrating new adult information, reacting and acting with other kids and adults, exploring new interests, figuring out who they are and being exposed to new privileges, school routine, their changing bodies through puberty, whirling hormones, as well as the brain development.
Challenges in Parenting Different from How We Were Parented
First time parents are faced with the obstacle of navigating not only what parenting styles work for them and their child, but also the feedback they receive from their parents and peers. Often, parents will find themselves actively straying from the path their parents took.
Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth and Their Families
Think about places you feel safe. What people are there? People who look like you? Those that have similar interests? People who are like you in some way, correct?
How Parents and Schools Can Help LGBTQ+ Students Feel Safer
One of the challenges that families and kids may have is figuring out how to navigate a school community. And in all honesty many schools are still trying to figure out how to make their spaces safe for all kids.
Steps for Talking to Children About School Safety
This blog post is aimed at giving you steps for talking to kids about school safety and what to say to your kids about school safety and recent events.
Coping with Grief When Your Child’s Path is Unexpected
As parents we have many worries and fears for our children. Will they succeed, will they be happy? A universal feeling for parents can be loss of an idea of a future for our children or a type of relationship we wanted with them. Many parents may experience this but for parents of kids on a gender diversity journey this may be especially true.
Growing Beyond Your Bias to Parent Diverse Kids
How do we as parents make sure that we can support our kids in a way that nurtures and helps them flourish? How do we grow through our implicit biases to protect dignity, bodily autonomy, self-determination, and ability for kids to walk in their own skin and be in their bodies and spirits?
Our Kids Are Great Teachers
As parents we can learn so much from our kids. When you are all calm (and maybe with a slightly smaller audience than a podcast following) sit down with your child. Check in. Ask what seems to be working? What are the sticking points in your family flow?
The Dangers of Politicizing Gender
What is fact is that even one of the most conservative medical organizations, the American Medical Association, recognizes gender expansive identification and supports kids being educated and informed and says that denying access to information is harmful.
Specific Scripts and Tip for Gender Identity Conversations
Today, I’m sharing specific tips and scripts you can use when your child tells you they may be questioning their gender identity, language to use to keep the line of communication open, and initial ways to support them in their gender identity journey.
How to Help a Child Exploring Gender Identity
There is huge buzz in the media about gender exploring and gender expansive youth. And perhaps this is unsettling or alarming if you have young kids or teens. Today’s blog post is aimed at getting you information about some key concepts.
A Curling Parenting Style Has Its Costs
I wondered if I had coined the term “curling parenting.” Turns out I did not. Apparently it is a Danish idiom for “helicopter parenting.” I see the similarities in those two phrases as well as differences. Helicopter parenting is hovering and zooming in and landing quickly to get involved in your child’s life. In my thinking curling takes that to a whole new level.
It's Parenting, Not Curling
We all know that an empty pitcher cannot pour. On a very related note, there is a reason the emergency directions on an airplane include putting your own oxygen mask on first before putting the oxygen mask on your child.
Recognizing the Brain-Behavior Connection
Helping parents and caregivers understand brain science can truly change the flow of daily family living. I often marvel at how impactful it is for caregivers to have “ah-hah” moments about connected parenting that quickly translate into greater regulation for everyone in the family.
Interracial Adoption in LGBTQ+ Headed Households
Statistics suggest that adoption in LGBTQ+ headed households is on the rise, and that LGBTQ+ parents are more likely to adopt transracially than are heterosexual couples.