Make stress work for you!

Changing how you think about stress can make you healthier.

In her TED Talk, Kelly McGonigal states that when you change how you feel about stress, you actually change your body’s response to it. 

Reframing stress as  something that is not harmful has a protective factor because you may be able to see your rapid heart rate and nervous reaction as energizing and positive.The reframe is, “My body is helping me succeed," as opposed to, “Oh no, I’m falling apart.” Creating meaning for discomfort can be protective!

Kelly's message comforts those who can't eliminate the stress in their lives and want to find a way to make it work to their advantage. 

Embracing Vulnerability

We can't access empathy when we refuse to allow ourselves to feel vulnerable. 

Watch Brene Brown talk about vulnerability.

Well worth five minutes! 

The hands-on guide to communicate and develop a solid bond with your teen.

I've created a Facebook Page to post informative and interesting articles on parenting. Please click on Parenting Roadmaps and click LIKE to have access to all the current articles. 

I'm promoting, with my co-author Susan Shaffer, our newest book which is being released in may 2015. 

Bullying, gangs, social media, smartphones, reality TV . . .
The hands-on guide you need to communicate and develop a solid bond with your teen.

In the past, parents could block the threats of the outside world by merely closing their front door and turning off the TV. Now, your home is penetrable thanks to social media and cellphones, and drugs are easier to get than ever.

How to Connect with Your iTeen helps you re-open the lines of communication with "silent" teenage boys and cut through the drama of teenage girls. The authors provide education and coping skills for navigating the everything from socially complex issues concerning sexting and bullying to mundane challenges like school and homework.

New resouce for parents of teens

It's official. The publications date of our new book on iTeens is May 15. 

How to Connect with Your iTeen: 

 Susan Morris Shaffer and 

Linda Perlman Gordon

Bullying, gangs, social media, smartphones, reality TV . . .

The hands-on guide you need to communicate and develop a solid bond with your teen.

In the past, parents could block the threats of the outside world by merely closing their front door and turning off the TV. Now, your home is penetrable thanks to social media and cellphones, and drugs are easier to get than ever.

How to Connect with Your iTeen helps you re-open the lines of communication with "silent" teenage boys and cut through the drama of teenage girls. The authors provide education and coping skills for navigating the everything from socially complex issues concerning sexting and bullying to mundane challenges like school and homework

Do We Engage in Fear Based Parenting?

According to David Finkelhor at the Crimes Against Children's Research Center, abductions by strangers are down 51% since 1997 yet only 13% of school aged children walk or bike to school compared to 48% in 1969. 

Childhood is now a danger free zone, with kids bubble wrapped to keep them perennially safe. While we think we can shield our kids from imagined danger, we often ignore the fact that via the internet, our homes now bring the outside inside. 

It may be time to realistically assess what threatens our children. Is it the unaccompanied ride or walk to a friends house or the time spent trolling the information highway for mind numbing hours.  

Read about the five myths about missing children, in the Washington Post Article by David Finkelhor.  The ubiquitous mantra, NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS isn't the answer. It is better to teach our children to discern the signs of the inappropriate stranger. 

New study says: Meditation is a powerful tool to manage symptoms of depression

         The concrete physical health benefits of mediation and mindfulness are being studied by many scientists. Carolyn Gregoire reported the findings of a study completed in Sweden in The Huffington Post. It included over 200 patients and compared the effectiveness of two interventions, individual CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and mindfulness training. The study found that mindfulness training can be as effective as traditional forms of therapy in managing the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The reduction in participants' symptoms may be due to real changes in the brain. 
        Mindfulness is free and available to everyone, however while many people have good intentions and want to meditate, they just don't get around to it. So, fortunately or unfortunately therapists will remain busy even after they educate their patients about the power of meditation. 

A.D.H.D, New Research and the Implications

In his article for the New York Times,  Dr. Richard Friedman cautions parents to refrain from squashing the enthusiasm, creativity and curiosity of children identified with ADHD.  New research has found that ADHD kids as well as adults are hard-wired to seek novel and exciting experiences due to a less sensitive reward circuit in their brains. 

Knowledge is power. Translated for the parents of  ADHD children, this means providing stimulating activities that will trigger their children's interests as well as finding an environment that celebrates their strengths. Because most structured environments label ADHD as a liability, parents can help their kids see it as an asset; and help them envision a future where they can thrive.