Lights are twinkling in our neighborhoods and holiday music is playing everywhere. The holiday season is here. I was reminded of one of my favorite Christmas songs when I was little, "All I want for my Christmas is my two front teeth...
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Recently a mom told me, “I’m so sick of hearing the song, It’s the most wonderful time of the year, everywhere I go. Really . . . the most wonderful time of the year??? The problem is I have a teenaged daughter.” Here’s the deal. The...
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The teenage brain is under major reconstruction during the teenage years. There is a window of opportunity to "use it or lose it." What this means is that the brain is doing some major pruning of brain cells. If you use these brain cells these...
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Get prepared for the Holidays. The shopping malls have been ready since October with decorations of shiny tinsel, red bows, gigantic wreaths, and white lights. Thanksgiving is almost here and then the busy season hits. If you are not intentional you will be swept away in the...
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Every mom wants to know that she's doing a good job. It's natural for moms to look for validation. We compare ourselves to other moms and other daughters, or we look to our daughter's behaviour for confirmation. ...
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I love the ocean. I enjoy the smell of the ocean, the song of the seagulls and the sound of waves crashing upon the shore. Nothing feeds my soul like the ocean. Last week I took one last trip to the beach before school starts. I...
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What is Mother Fog? Mother Fog is when there are so many things going on at one time that you can't think clearly. This happens all the time with mothers....
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Today's episode in my Dial Down the Drama series comes from the fifth chapter in my upcoming book that will be released this November 2015. It takes a lot of energy to protect, nurture, and guide your teenager. And this is only one facet of your...
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Many of you are familiar with Brene' Brown's work. You may have seen her Ted talks about vulnerability along with millions of other viewers. I have been a big fan of Brene's work for many years and had the privilege of working in the office...
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(What does that really mean?) My family loves to tell stories. One of my favorites is when my sister was 13. My dad, sister and I were down at...
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I was talking to Chelsea a 15-year-old girl a few days ago. She's gorgeous and tall, yet she looked small sitting on my office couch. I asked her what was going on. She looked out the window and said, ...
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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...
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Your daughter is going to get upset. The question is how will you handle it? This is a hard one for moms. We hate to see our daughters unhappy, so we jump in and try to fix it, but we make it worse. Your daughter needs...
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Why is it rare for moms to feel like they're doing a good job parenting their teenage daughter? What would your grade be? What's the criterion for...
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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....
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This podcast comes from the third chapter in Dial Down the Drama: Why Moms and Daughter's Can't Get it Right All the Time, which will be published at the end of October 2015. No mom or daughter can get it right all the time, but we feel...
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I just got back from seeing some of my life-long friends in Novato, CA, which is about an hour north of San Francisco. We started visiting their family when my daughter was in second grade and made this a yearly ritual. This was a win-win...
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We call it multi-tasking. Women pride themselves for 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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Every mom wants to see that her daughter is making progress. You hope to see your daughter moving forward and progressing in her academics, creativity, relationships, responsibility and maturity. This yearning is instinctual in moms and feels like it is written in our DNA. Because this feeling...
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Laughter is medicine for the soul and has many health benefits. It helps you bond with your daughter. It decreases stress and releases the endorphins that make you feel good. In other words laughter helps you lighten up, enjoy your life and enjoy your relationships. But...
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