Is your happiness dependent on your teen's happiness? Here's why I asked you this question. Last week a mom told me with a big smile on her face, "I guess it's time to go back to my recovery meeting," I asked her, "Why?" She told me that...
Read More
Sometimes the answer is no. It has to be if we are going to protect our teens. 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. ...
Read More
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 it was still warm so I went to the beach. I watched one...
Read More
Can your son or daughter relax at your house? Is your teen comfortable with having friends over? Do you like being in your home? If you answered yes you have a thriving home environment. A thriving home environment is key to having a happy, healthy, and productive...
Read More
I remember when I was 8 months pregnant when an acquaintance came up to 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...
Read More
I know there are moms who have been counting the days till their teen moves out of the house and goes to college. And may even feel giddy with excitement till they can push their teens out the door. But actually, it is rare that moms...
Read More
All moms experience weariness. The reason 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 is...
Read More
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 and had four horses on several acres of land. Her...
Read More
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...
Read More
"How do I get my teen 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...
Read More
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...
Read More
On May 23, 2023, the Surgeon General Issued New Advisory About the Effects Social Media Use has on Youth Mental Health. (This article is worth your read https://bit.ly/3oVocsN) The advisory states, "Recent research shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social...
Read More
Last week Sara came in to see me at 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,...
Read More
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...
Read More
Is your happiness dependent on your teen's happiness? Here's why I asked you this question. Last week a mom told me with a big smile on her face, "I guess it's time to go back to my recovery meeting," I asked her, "Why?" She told me that...
Read More
All moms experience weariness. The reason 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 is...
Read More
Every mom wants to see her teen 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...
Read More
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...
Read More
When I was a teen there were no smartphones; we only had landlines. This meant that if I was going to talk to my boyfriend, I had to s t r e t c h the telephone cord as far as I could to get...
Read More
The sky was deep blue, no humidity, and the temperature was 60 degrees. I decided to take advantage of this beautiful day in Houston. Days like these are rare in Houston and I wasn't going to miss it. The red buds were out and some...
Read More