Ever think about improving health beyond the gym? As we all know, diet plans come and go. Some work while others provide quick fixes that are soon forgotten. You may have heard the saying: “It won’t stick until it becomes a lifestyle.” So it is with eating and exercise. But what about other aspects of your…
Last year brought many changes as a result of the pandemic that altered life as we knew it. Now, many children are experiencing anxiety and parents are wondering what to do. Anxiety in children can look very different depending on the child and his age. Younger children often seem irritable and have meltdowns or tantrums. They…
Raising children is a joyful experience for most parents. Holding a new “little bundle of joy” in their earliest days of life can be indescribable. It’s an experience most parents enjoy with overflowing love in their hearts. On the flip side, becoming a stepparent is sometimes a very different experience. In most cases, you don’t get…
As parents, we spend years training our children to be fully functioning adults by the time they’re ready to fly away from the comforts of their childhood home—aka “the nest.” At least, we think we should be guiding them toward this big event. But is this parent-to-child training time something of days gone by? Is it…
Have you wondered when, and how, to discuss the topic of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco with your kids? Perhaps you’ve seen the devastation of substance abuse in families close to you and hope to keep this problem from entering your own doorstep. Benjamin Franklin is known to have said, “An ounce of prevention is worth…
Do you desire to parent children or teens, but have not been able to have kids of your own? If so, foster parenting may be a good option for you. Recently, I spoke with Daniel Vaughan—a licensed therapist at The BabbCenter for Counseling in Hendersonville, Tennessee—about his past experience of working in the foster care system.…
When is the best time to talk with kids about sexuality? The earlier, the better! For general growth changes, it’s great to “grow” these conversations along with your child’s physical growth. Meaning—start talking with them in their preschool years about simple matters related to their bodies. Talk about the uniqueness of their body compared to that of…
When was the last time you and your significant other went on a date? Has it been weeks, months, or even years? With busy schedules (and possibly several young kids at home), date night often becomes the last priority for many couples. Without intentional planning, “couple time” never makes the calendar. Not only can it…
Yes, Christmas feels different this year. In the past, we may have needed encouragement to slow down and simply notice loved ones standing right in front of us. But now, rather than being too busy to show we care, we have the added weight of not being able to gather as we normally do. There…
If you are the parent of a teen, you’ve probably heard the word “vaping,” but do you really know what comes along with this trendy addiction? It can be tricky to sort through the myths to get to the truth behind this latest craze of teens and young adults. The new ciggie First, it’s important to…