One of the hardest things as a parent is learning when to push your children and how much to push them. On the scale of Tiger Mother to pushover, we probably veer more toward Tiger Mother. Of course, our goal is to encourage them to face the things they initially fear or reject. But, at […]
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4 Inexpensive Summer Activities the Entire Family Will Enjoy
Summer is the time to have fun! However, much to a parent’s dismay, children will often complain about being bored with nothing to do. This is crazy when there’s so much to do in summertime! If you have a few kids of your own who never seem to know what to do with themselves during […]
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: Do’s and Don’ts for Supporting Widows and Widowers
Dear readers, This is an unabridged column I wrote for GRAND Magazine. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 800,000 spouses are widowed each year. Well-intentioned family members and friends, often not sure how best to be helpful to and supportive of their grief-stricken loved ones, often say and do things that are insensitive, even hurtful. […]
Allergies: Independence and Safety in the Outside World- Teleclass Recap
The number of children with food allergies is skyrocketing. It’s changing the landscape of food at home, in schools, on airplanes and in restaurants. And it’s changing how we think about what we are feeding our families. Today, 1 in 13 children has a food allergy, the number of children with the peanut allergy quadrupled […]
The ABCs & 123s of Life Insurance Without Falling Asleep: Teleclass Re-cap
As a parent, you know that financial planning is vital, but it can be boring, time consuming, uncomfortable and confusing – to say the least. You dread it, right? So do we – and that’s why we held an important, highly informative teleclass, which was expertly and entertainingly presented by Scott Kohen, Estate Planning & […]
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: Young Mom Dealing With a Rude Grandmother
When I was 15, I got pregnant with my daughter Tess, who is now eight years old. Tess’s father, Shane, 17 at the time, was a handsome football player from one of our town’s wealthiest families. When I got pregnant, Shane’s mother, Merry, ranted and raved about what I had done to her son’s future […]
Setting Up a Stress-Less Summer
I love the summer, but with it comes fights about drinking water and putting on sunscreen. The kids are bored and travel is a nightmare. Help me make this summer less stressful! Summer fun is great but YES it does come with some stress. Here is how to chill out this summer. Get the sunscreen […]
Handling Conflict With Your Children
I’m a huge proponent of conscious parenting, the idea that you are present in the moment and look at each situation with a deep awareness of your own perspective and a thorough understanding of your own thoughts. One of my favorite authors and psychologists, Dr. Siegel, dives deep into this topic in his brilliant book […]