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. […]
Tag: Support
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: Readers’ Comments on Skyping Situation
Several readers responded to my column, “Granddaughter Resists Skyping with Grandmother”. Some merely wanted to say they appreciated having the list of websites with digital activities that could make “staying connected” more fun and interesting. “Great timing! Our Skyping with our granddaughters was beginning to feel a bit forced and repetitious, so having some different […]
House Cleaning Tips for Allergy Sufferers
For some, the changing of the seasons means updating wardrobes and planning vacations. For others, it means the onset of seasonal allergy symptoms. Did you know that about 36 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies (sometimes also called allergic rhinitis, or “hay fever”). Seasonal allergy symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, and sometimes […]
Three Steps To Help Keep Order During Chaotic Times
I recently had a check-in call with a client who is a mother of two young kids and a business owner with her husband. During the call she recalled her hectic life over the past 3 months. Between a newborn and a toddler running around causing mayhem and her tutoring company gearing up for finals, […]
Establishing Limits: The Great Bedtime Debate
My youngest daughter was always the world champion of delaying bedtime. She would beg me to read “just one more book” until I was so tired, I ended up falling asleep in bed with her. As a parent, I had a very hard time saying no to her requests. For one, I wanted to spend […]