Raising children is not easy, especially in difficult times. It is during these times that honesty becomes so important. Say what you mean and mean what you say because children “hear” our non-verbal communication as loudly as our verbal conversation. Shara suggests that rather than shield our children during times like these that we engage them and teach them coping skills to help them become successful adults.

My oldest son is recovering from back surgery. My daughter is anxious about not meeting up with us in heaven after we die. My youngest son is awaiting anxiously to hear about his medical school applications and my middle son is stressing about the amount of school work on his plate. I admit that enmeshing [...]

The Huntsville Times published an article on November 1, 2009 called, “Better Parenting Can Save The World,” by Judi Light Hopson, Emma H. Hopson, R.N., and Ted Hagen Ph.D. This article, short and sweet, says it all. I wanted to reinforce the message. Marsha Jacobson is author of “Boom… Boom… Boom…: A Story to Raise [...]

We usually think of bullying as physical aggression such as punching, hitting, shoving, but it’s way beyond that. If your kid is being bullied or harassed that means his friend or peers are hurting him intentionally. As a result, your son or daughter feels powerless, helpless, humiliated, shamed, and hopeless about the whole situation.

Several years ago, I got into a car accident and totalled my car (ok, my mother’s car).  Thankfully, no one was hurt and the only injury I sustained was to my bank account, which was hit with a hefty fine for “following too close”.  The other driver was forgiving, my parents showed concern only for [...]

I came across a beautifully written article by author Leslie Gilbert-Lurie in the Huffington Post called “10 Ways to Minimize Your Child’s Stress.” Leslie is a daughter of a Holocaust survivor and talks about the stress that can be passed on from generation to generation. She has wonderful suggestions for dealing with this and other [...]

Anxiety and depression in adults and children continues to rise at an alarming rate. Many struggle just to make it through each day. And the reality is that life doesn’t get any easier. The stresses that we face are increasing and we need all our emotional strength to cope with them. How do we bolster [...]