Holidays don’t always bring out the best in families…no matter how hard you may try. This is the time of year when individuals often succumb to the “perfect family” goal. Furniture advertisements abound, as do flooring ads. At this time of year more than any other, we want our homes–and our families–to be perfect. The […]
It’s easy to recommend not freaking out over everything when you don’t have a child. I have two, so I’m safe in saying this, but don’t assume I’m saying I’ve done everything right. So, not the case. Even if the kid is massively annoying (and they all are, at times), parenting carries with it a […]
Relationships add to your life. Insurance statistics say this–people who are married live longer, but living intimately with another human being is one of the hardest things we humans do. Really smart people have no edge here. Married or not, your partner gets the best…and the worst of you. This is in the nature of […]
Although some individuals seem to enjoy a competitive interaction with their mates, you need your partner to win sometimes. Some people work hard to win as many relationship arguments as they can, but this can backfire on you in a big way. If your partner always loses with you, she won’t want to be with […]
If you’ve ever been around a two year-old, you’ve seen defiance. At two and a half years, most children become excellent at saying “No!” From a developmental perspective, we know that kids this age are just learning to separate themselves as individuals. They protest and refuse almost everything and they usually do it loudly. These […]
“We need direction. Our adult son is living with us. He has been out of work for more than 3 years but is currently attending college ( at our expense) to try to get a technical certification. His past employment required considerable physical labor which he is no longer able to do. He is 52, […]
I get why people don’t come into counseling when they first have trouble in a relationship. It’s weird to sit down and talk to a complete stranger about very personal things…besides, you hope it’ll just go away. Relationships are complex and vital and, outside of parenting, they’re the hardest thing we do in this world. […]
When your kids were young, you fed them, pulled them out of stuck spots and kept them from running into the street. You changed their pants, talked to their teachers and gave them curfews that they tended to ignore. In the beginning of children’s lives, parenting is a verb. It involves lots of sometimes exhausting […]
You don’t mean to be defensive; you’re just trying to explain. In the middle of a relationship conflict, however, no one wants to be explained to. Communication in relationships is often complicated. The most frequent complaint I hear from clients is that their mate doesn’t listen. The partner, however, insists he listens. Who’s right? It […]
All couples have disagreements at times, but trouble starts brewing when these conflicts aren’t resolved. I mean, resolved so everyone feels understood and satisfied with the outcome. This means that both partners actually hear one another, paying attention to the concerns of both. Everyone comes out of these arguments feeling their issues were aired and seriously considered. […]