While happiness is a desirable emotional state, compassion and empathy are developed through opportunities to feel disappointment, sorrow and pain. Parents weaken their children’s resilience when they protect them from experiencing the uncomfortable consequences of life’s hard bits. Consequently, I invited parents to resign from believing or attempting to make happy children. I am not […]
Most parents want to be joyful, encouraging and wise with their children
Every Mother’s Day, her phone rings off the hook! Jamie Thomson, from a small Southern Alberta community, demonstrates resilience, mother love, and an open door to youth. Jamie goes beyond the term, good enough mother. I met Jamie, while taking an online Positive Psychology course. She has given me permission to give you a taste […]
Children have a moral right to be loved. S. Matthew Lia, New York University If all children have a moral right to be loved, then I and I imagine you have let them down. Absolutely, there have been times I have let my children down in the love department. They were when I was also letting […]
The mother’s curse is believing, “If I really loved my child I would . . . (you fill in the blank).” Guilt is a heavy emotion to carry and women tend to carry a big load of it.
My colleague Bernie Fitterer from Inspiring Developments specializes in helping fathers adapt to the challenges of their role. Recently, Bernie invited me and three other mothers to an event aimed at fathers. During this event, we were presented with questions from attendees seeking insights from a woman’s perspective. It was a tremendous honor for us. […]
“We are abusing our children in new ways. We are diminishing their resilience, their ability to deal with small or large challenges by overindulging them.” Jean Illsley Clarke, author of How Much Is Enough? This was the basic message Jean Illsley Clarke delivered at a Calgary public seminar. She and her colleagues have published their […]
Haven’t you had a moment, hour or day that you desired recognition? Here we will explore a loving curiosity question. Seldom is there a person who does not long to be seen, heard and acknowledged. Yet, many people feel unseen, unheard, unacknowledged and neglected. In my years of facilitating parent education, family counseling, marriage counseling, group […]