Hey, perfectionists who also happen to be parents: I’m calling you out. Do you often question your abilities as a parent? Do you think you should be doing something better or different with your kids? Well, stop it. I’m here to tell you that it’s unlikely you’re ever going to be perfect at ANYTHING, especially parenting. Being a recovering perfectionist myself, I’m continuing to learn this lesson along with you. “Good enough” is the new “perfect” and I hope I can help you see

For many parents, their relationship as a couple came before their children did. Therefore, it makes sense to nurture that initial connection both before and after adding more members to the family tree. Parenting can be a tricky endeavor, but mixing two peoples' beliefs, parenting styles, families of origin, family histories, individual struggles, and more can be a disastrous combination for family functioning if not done so carefully and with forethought. Dr. John Gottman (

To continue the trend of my blog posts recently, I figured I'd address something that comes up quite frequently with parents I've worked with in therapy. Many parents come into therapy sessions at the end of their rope. They are tired, frustrated, and don't know what to do after a full day's work, running errands, doing household chores, scraping together something for dinner, helping with homework, taking the kids to and from practices, etc. This list could go on forever. As

In honor of Father's Day yesterday, I'm posting a video I found made by FamilyShare.com. This little girl has some advice for dads and how to improve their parenting skills from a unique and honest perspective. Enjoy and feel free to comment below about what tips and advice you have for dads. #children #family #father #fatherhood #happy #havingfun #kids #life #parenting

Now that it's summertime, kids are home from school, feeling bored and/or antsy, and the last thing you want to do is entertain or occupy them 24-7 when you have a thousand other things that need to be done. Here are some things you should start with: Let go of the idea that your kids need you to entertain them all the time. Kids are more than capable of finding ways to entertain themselves. Just make sure they are being safe while playing alone or with others. There are alwa

Wow, time flies! It's already week three of my five-week blog series! If your family has expanded to include at least one little one, you can probably relate to this post. Raising children and parenting with your partner is a significant change for your relationship and potentially an area where conflict emerges. Drs. John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman's research about couples who have children has shown that two thirds of parents become unhappy in their relationship wit

As a play therapist, I get questioned by parents all the time about how they can play with their kids. Sometimes as adults, we run out of ideas or are just too busy and let our kids entertain themselves. There's nothing wrong with allowing your kids to play alone or with other children, but when they come to you specifically and ask to play, they are really asking for your love and attention in those moments. Taking a few minutes out of your day to play with your son or daugh