In my career as a child psychiatrist, I’m seeing more and more teens and young adults who are completely and totally lacking resilience. I don’t say this to be mean or judgmental, I honestly utter it with fear and trepidation. These are bright, well-intended kids whose lives are completely derailed by one bad test grade... Continue Reading →
The Surprising Things I’m Grateful For In My 30s
I remember back in my 20s I would read articles in Vogue and Cosmo written by women in their 30s, talking about how much better their lives were and how much confidence they had. I could never quite grasp that when I was younger, because back then I just assumed that everything gets worse as... Continue Reading →
I’m Not the Kindergartener: Why I’m Not Doing My Son’s School Projects
My son is in kindergarten this year, and he loves it. It’s been overall a great experience for us as a family. His teacher really encourages parent participation, not just in the classroom but also with “homework” and take home art projects. Every month she sends us directions for a themed art project to be... Continue Reading →
Minimalism: Mastering the Art of Less is More
I recently attended a work shop for moms looking to de-clutter and de-stress their life. The speaker has devoted much of her recent years to pursuing a life of minimalism. While that word means different things to different people, her definition really resounded with me: The intentional pursuing of what really matters in my life, and... Continue Reading →
Parents, Please Tell Your Babysitting Teens to Clean Up Their Act
How many times have you come home after a fun, relaxing date night to find a dirty dining table and the sink full of dishes? Mac n’ cheese still stuck to the pot on the stove? Toys littering the living room? Or worst of all, the kids still awake?? When I used to babysit at... Continue Reading →
The Message Acceptance Sends to My Daughter
I sit down with my cup of coffee and google “effectiveness of Cool Sculpting” while simultaneously writing a post on how to encourage my daughter to love her body just the way it is. Sadly, the irony of this escapes me for the better part of a week. Then my mind shifts to my mother,... Continue Reading →
Depression and Motherhood: How to Make It Work
I’m prone to depression and anxiety. I’m pretty sure it runs in my family (although everyone else denies it) so I feel that I come by it fairly honestly. That being said, no one really talks about it much, so the first few times I had bouts of depression, I didn’t really grasp what was... Continue Reading →
Surviving Drop Off At Daycare
As I left my kids’ daycare this morning, I passed by a mom who was hiding in the doorway, listening to her toddler screaming her name over and over, a pained look on her face. I gave her a hopeful smile and said, “It does get easier, I promise.” She nodded grimly, making it clear... Continue Reading →
Why I Want My Babies Back
I have spent a lot of time both personally and publically trying to figure out if I want to have more kids. It’s an achingly hard decision for many of us, especially when our spouses don’t always agree. But the other night, after holding a friend’s newborn and then finding myself looking at pictures of... Continue Reading →
The New Meaning of Valentine’s Day
After doing some very informal research on Valentine’s Day, I noticed that the word “martyr” kept popping up. According to Wikipedia, the original Valentines were the Valentine of Rome and the Valentine of Terni, who were honored for their martyrdom in the early first century. Which got me thinking: wait a minute, this holiday is... Continue Reading →