Check out this live I did with Pastor Mark Grochocki, another therapist, about psychological coping during the coronavirus outbreak. You'll hear specific coping skills for anxiety and answers to real-time questions submitted by viewers. You'll also hear the story of the silliness my 11 y.o. son is engaging in to keep things light during quarantine. (Note: No toilet paper was wasted in the making … [Read more...]
Don’t Be a Slot Machine Parent
October 21, 2019 by
When we want a child to behave a certain way, one of the best ways to ensure this is by using reinforcement. A schedule of reinforcement indicates whether a behavior will be reinforced after every time it occurs (continuous) or after only some times (intermittent). Each of those frequencies also has 2 possibilities, fixed and variable, resulting in 4 schedules of reinforcement. Of those, the … [Read more...]
School Shootings and Other Entitlement Fallout
August 16, 2019 by
After the school shooting in Florida awhile back, my husband became engaged in a discussion on social media about gun control. He responded to a post a man made noting how frustrated the man was with the “thoughts and prayers” sentiments he kept seeing on social media in response to these senseless acts of violence. The implication in his post was that faith has nothing to do with the solution to … [Read more...]
My Papa and Danielle Bregoli
April 5, 2017 by
My family just buried the most amazing man I have ever known: my Papa. My grandfather was 91 years old and led a life of impact. Among many other things, he fought for his country in World War II, he was active in the local church, he was the mayor of our Texas farm town, he was a hardworking small business owner and he never met a stranger. I know he had his faults, but I'm pretty sure he was … [Read more...]
Be Vulnerable with Your Kids
March 8, 2017 by
Let them see your human side. Be real. We want our kids to look up to us and think that we are spectacular, but they have to know that we are not perfect and that we can be vulnerable. Here are some ideas about how to accomplish this. Read to the end to see why it's important. *Talk to your kids about mistakes you make. Share the lessons you've learned. Kids often have to make their … [Read more...]
How can grandparents be so much better than they were as parents?
March 3, 2017 by
Tonight’s ATAQ: “How is it that a set of parents who did such a poor job, were neglectful, were abusive, etc. can be such a great set of grandparents?” Well, you could always ask them in a tactful way. If you don't want to do that or they don't have an answer for you, here are a few possibilities: They learned a few things from raising their own kids. They've mellowed out over the … [Read more...]
What do I say to others’ parenting interference?
March 3, 2016 by
ATAQ: “What do you do when parents and grandparents in your family give unsolicited advice or even try to undermine your parenting? For example, my mother-in-law tries to argue with me about my son being grounded and unable to go anywhere, even another family member’s house. Sometimes, she even launches into a spiel about how she used to parent, with the implication that I should be doing it her … [Read more...]
Should parents make their child stay involved?
August 18, 2015 by
ATAQ: Should parents make their child stay involved in something if the parents believe the child wants to quit for the wrong reason? This one is tricky, so I’ll give my most diplomatic answer: It depends. Honestly, it does depend on a number of factors, such as age, child’s interest level going in, whether it involves a team that he’s already committed to, type of child, what else is going on … [Read more...]
Parenting Tips for the Holidays
December 7, 2012 by
In a world where friends and family members can be across the globe from one another, travel is quickly becoming a normal part of life for more and more families. Because travel necessitates a change to our daily routines and schedules, though, it can prove very challenging for children. Just like adults, children want predictability and control. When things change due to holiday schedules and … [Read more...]
