Sometimes the answer is no. It has to be if we are going to protect our daughters. This is not the fun part of being a parent. There she is standing in front of you in her mature grown-up body. She tells you, she can handle it....
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I have talked to moms from around the country and it's different for all of you. Some of your teens have already started school, and others will start after Labor Day. Some of you have teens going back to in-person school. Some teens are alternating...
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I remember when I was 8 months pregnant when an acquaintance came up me and said, Is this your first? I said, "YES" in a happy voice. With a smirky grin, she said, "You just wait!!!!!!!!!" Several years ago someone asked me how old my daughter was and...
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Have you ever wondered if your daughter was depressed? If you have, you're not alone. A large new study recently came out in the journal Translational Psychiatry reveals that 13.6 percent of boys and a staggering 36.1 percent of girls have been or are depressed. That's...
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All moms experience weariness. The reason being is that we are fighting the good fight for our family. We give and give and give. And often we don't spend the necessary time replenishing all that we pour out onto those we care about. Often, this...
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I live in Texas. Everyone in Texas rides a horse, right? (Well, maybe not in Houston.) One weekend I was visiting my sister in Austin. We went to see some friends who lived outside of Austin who had four horses on several acres of land. Her...
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We call it multi-tasking. Women pride themselves on being able to do a million things at once. Here's my question. How's it working for you? My guess is that it's not working that well. Something is going to be compromised. It's not just that we are doing several...
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It can drive you nuts. There she is lying on the sofa being a couch potato while you are running around trying to get your work done. Summer, for lots of moms, is more work when the kids are at home. We don't want our kids...
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The fourth of July is a day to celebrate our country's freedom. How about you? Do you need a little freedom? How about a little emotional freedom, especially when it comes to your daughter's drama? Your daughter can be happy, angry, sad, stressed, and hyper in a...
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I feel like I had the best dad in the world. I knew he wasn't perfect but he never pretended to be. He gave me so many gifts growing up and was my rock through my turbulent teenage years. The most invaluable gift he gave me...
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"How do I get my daughter to listen to me?" This is the big question for moms of teens. It seems so easy, right? You tell your daughter what seems reasonable and you want her to listen to you. But actually we want more. We want...
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When you are the parent of a teen, the fantasy of summer break includes both laughs shared in the sunshine and industrious kids getting work done. Often, the reality is a bit different. That disconnect can lead to family drama, which is no one's idea...
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Last week Sara came to see me in my private practice. Sara had that spaced out, frazzled look. She said, "I want my life back. It's only the first week of summer and I'm ready for school to start." Sara really didn't want school to start,...
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If I were to ask you, "How much do you feel appreciated on a scale of 1 to 10 by your kids, husband, partner, friends, family, or work?" What would you say? I have talked to plenty of moms who feel they were appreciated at...
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Take the 12-day challenge! I want you to feel good for Mother's Day. This is my gift to you. ...
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Every mom wants to see her daughter making progress. You hope to witness your teen moving forward and progressing in their academics, creativity, relationships, responsibility, and maturity. This yearning is instinctual in moms and feels like it is written in our DNA. Because this feeling is so...
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Teenage girls live in the selfie generation. It's what teen girls do. So what's up with all these selfies? Parents can be baffled by the frequency of their daughter's selfies. When we were teens we also loved getting our pictures taken but it wasn't all the...
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There are physiological reasons why exercise decreases drama. I know when I exercise consistently I am more patient and pleasant to be around. The same is true for your teenager. Consistent exercise, especially cardio, decreases stress and therefore will decrease drama. The Problem is current trends...
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Defining success is tricky, especially when it comes to your teenager. Would you say your daughter is successful? Would your daughter say she was successful? These are uncomfortable questions for both you and your daughter. Here's why. This culture defines success in terms of ranking from the...
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It seems so simple. In your head, it's super clear. All you need her to do is clean her room. That's not asking too much. It's the least she can do. You are having guests over and you are cleaning the rest of the house, plus...
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