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Strollerderby
Is happiness worth all the trouble?
The pursuit of happiness may be an inalienable right, but some psychologists are coming to believe it’s worth the bother.
For me as a parent, happiness is one of the big things I want for my kids. It’s right up there with health and safety. I strive to give them joy in all kinds of ways, ranging from a loving bedtime ritual to special mother-daughter trips to the corner coffeeshop.
So the new research suggesting that joyful moments may be no better than ordinary ones is a little disturbing. Am I chasing the wrong star in aiming to raise happy kids?
Being compassionate with yourself can work wonders
I once saw a humorous Mother’s Day menu that included, for a wine special, “oh, just half a glass of whatever you have open, I don’t want to trouble anyone.”
The joke being that moms never want to trouble anyone, even when it’s their special day.
That’s a joke that wears thin when you’re the mom. Mom’s are expected to be endlessly self-effacing and self-sacrificing. We give everything and don’t need anything. It can get downright exhausting.
Ever feel like you’re running on empty? Not living up to your potential? It might be time to treat yourself to some of the same tender loving care you give your family.
The new pyramid makes baby the king.
On Friday, Lisa Belkin at Motherlode finally gave her opinion about the recent re-design of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that puts parenting at the apex of a pyramid explaining how humans can live life to the fullest. As you can imagine, those without children are not only appalled but actually laughing about it, and those of us with children are left scratching our heads. Parenting is the new self-actualization? I don’t think so. I’d like to think part of being self-actualized means not being covered in spit-up. Continue reading »
When is the last time your told your husband what a good boy he is and gave him a little treat? Or scratched your wife behind the ears just because you know how much she likes it? What? You never do that? Maybe that’s what is wrong with your marriage.
Clinical psychologist Suzanne B. Phillips suggests that if we all treated our spouses with as much unconditional love and kindness as we do our pets, we’d all be much happier. She says that in her work with couples, she’s noticed that despite the differences and issues that have brought them to her, her clients generally seem to have a common appreciation for their pets. And a much gentler way of interacting with them. Continue reading »
So you survived Thanksgiving with the family … give yourself a pat on the back. But don’t get too comfortable. By my watch, Christmas is approaching fast. There’s a reason we all overeat and over-drink during the holiday season: Too much together time.
If your family puts the fun in dysfunction, then you might actually look forward to the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. But if the thought of spending a day, or two, or three with your family makes you want to weep, you might benefit from these sanity-saving holiday tips from Carl Sheusi, zen master extraordinaire and psychologist who says that the reason why your parents are so good at pushing your buttons is because “they installed them.”
Yelling at your shy kid can produce an aggressive, rule-breaking truant. So says the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. In a study published in an upcoming issue, children who are “introverted, non-conscientious, non-benevolent or imaginative” are deeply affected by overreactive parenting styles.
“So if Heather told you to jump in the lake, would you?
Are you really sure you know how you’d like your teen to answer that question? You may want to think again.
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
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