Last night was an example of immature behavior by grown men. Chris Rock is a comedian and the norm for the hosts of the Oscars has been to make fun of people in the audience. Amy Schumer made fun of Leonardo DiCaprio. Regina Hall referenced Kim Kardashian in a derogatory way. And Chris Rock made fun of Jada Pinkett-Smith. It’s not known if Chris Rock knew about Jada’s hair condition. I certainly didn’t. But his comment about her starring in GI Jane 2 was not warmly received by Jada or Will. At first, Will laughed. But then what Chris Rock said soaked in and Will was pissed. He might have been ..read more

Teen Dating: Is this Love?  Young love is so exciting- spending time together, holding hands, going on dates, sharing love notes. Because teens are biologically wired for heightened emotions, their feelings can be intense and overwhelming when they enter into a steady committed relationship.   Although most parents would prefer their kids put off dating until they are 30 (I wish!)…  dating is actually a normal and healthy way for your teen to learn how to navigate relationships. There are so many skills to learn like   …compromise,   ….boundaries,  ..read more

We were attending an event aimed at empowering girls. This mom was sitting nervously in the audience beside me. She was wringing her hands and sitting on the edge of her seat. When it was time to ask questions, her hand shot up. It was her time to confess…  MY DAUGHTER LOVES PRINCESSES  She tearfully told the powerful panelist of women how she tried her best to deter her young daughter from liking princesses, and Barbies, and the color pink. She had failed. Her daughter enjoyed dressing up in her pink princess gown while playing with her Barbies. “What can I do?” she asked with a sin ..read more

Think back to those glorious days of elementary school. It was party time. Every holiday that came up was an excuse to have a fun-filled over-the-top classroom party. Parents raided the room with cookies in hand, snacks, crafts, décor and sometimes even balloons. Fast forward to middle and high school. The celebrations are few and far between. No time for parties. Only time to lecture, study, learn, test. Your teen may seem too cool or aloof to care about classroom parties, but I can guarantee they miss those days on some level. And while your teen may have one foot in adulthood, their other f ..read more

My Teens Got Attitude: How Do I Respond? Even the best of teens will go off the deep end from time to time. You can chalk it up to stress, chemicals, brain development, being overwhelmed, or all of the above. During my presentations about COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TEEN, I’m always asked, “But what do I do about attitude?” Here’s my simple formula: STAY CALM-This is the most difficult part of the formula. If your teen is rude or talking back, our fangs come out and we are ready to rumble. We wonder where we went wrong as parents. We wonder if this is going to start happening more often. Take tha ..read more

Gifts are my jam. I LOVE finding the perfect gift for the people in my life. For teens, it can get a little tricky especially when their gifts are all electronics! Here’s a few lovely gift ideas for your teen. (click to take you to the website for purchase) JOURNAL: Journaling allows your teen to get the thoughts out of their head and onto paper. Some teens love the free form of blank pages. Others need a little boost. I highly recommend the BIG LIFE journal. It’s a great boost for self esteem and confidence. JEWELRY: Give your daughter a piece of jewelry with a message. There are many choices ..read more

Give yourself a high-five for all that you’ve been able to manage in the last decade or so. No matter what came your way, you dealt with it. You are still standing. How are you doing? “Fine” is probably echoing through your head. But I’m asking…really, how are you doing? It’s so easy as a parent to forget to take care of yourself. Self-care can easily end up at the bottom of your list, somewhere after laundry, carpool, making dinner, and organizing your closet. Time for yourself becomes something of a joke. You might be busy, but even YOU can manage to fit self-care into your day. Here are a ..read more

I gave her my heart and she rolled her eyes and walked off…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There have been times when I gave it my all to make my daughter happy. Maybe she was fighting with a friend or overwhelmed by school. She wasn’t happy for some reason, and I was determined to change that.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So I went into Martha Stuart mode. I made her a snack, plated it like a professional chef, and proudly took it up to her room.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In my mind, as soon as she saw that perfectly plated snack, she was going to smile, thank me profusely, and, wait for it…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ say “I lov ..read more

Your daughter walks into the cafeteria the first week of school. She brought her own lunch to avoid the long lunch lines and the not-so-healthy food. A quick look around and she spots her friends at the far end of the cafeteria. As she walks towards them, the last available seat is taken by someone else. Hoping that people will scoot over and make room, she approaches the table. Sadly, no one will move over so she has space to sit down. Her heart drops. Now what does she do? LUNCH TIME, ESPECIALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, CAN BE BRUTAL. There are a lot of social dynamics in play when it c ..read more

You can see it in her face. You walk in the room and the hairs on the back of her neck seem to bristle and her body stiffens up. She looks at you like you are an alien from a planet far, far away. This is just seconds after she is giggling and laughing as she is scrolling through her texts and social media. Without even muttering a single word, you have somehow changed her mood. This is a scenario that parents sadly recount to me quite often. Your mere presence can adversely affect your daughter’s mood. You are probably thinking… WHY DOES SHE HATE ME? Rest assured, she doesn’t hate you, even i ..read more