None of us wants our child to suffer from depression. No one wants their child to experience suicidal ideation, but unfortunately, some do. Since 2011, the number of children, teens and young adults committing suicide has doubled. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death in young people between the ages of 10 and 24, resulting in … [Read more...]
Looking away and looking towards
In "The Emperor's New Clothes," an entire village "looked away" from their ruler, who was parading naked in the street, in order to support the illusion that he was magnificent and refined. The villagers pretended that he wore fine clothes of silk, bolstering his vanity and protecting him from shame to avoid his wrath and their potential punishment. (Miller 1952) Conditioning children to "look … [Read more...]
A two-step approach to childhood pain
It is instinctual to intervene when a child is hurt, physically or emotionally -- to try to stop the young one's pain. Say when a child suffers a cut or a bruise. Or feels the emotional pain of losing a pet. Or reels from injurious comments made by a bully at school. Our inclination is to say something like, "It's OK; it’s not that bad." Or, "Honey you'll be OK -- just shake it off." Or the … [Read more...]
Siblings: the bitter and the sweet
While psychology -- in particular psychoanalysis -- so frequently focuses on early childhood experiences, it's surprising to find that relatively little has been written on the subject of siblings. Lately, however, researchers have found that in many ways one's siblings have a great impact on a person -- in childhood, of course, but also on the direction of later life. How that person views … [Read more...]
Playing the money game with kids
So much pressure these days to work harder and longer hours. Meanwhile, the economy continues to ride an unpredictable roller coaster. It's important to pause and look closely at not only how we budget our money but what really, at the end of the day, brings our families pleasure and connection. So often our kids will come up and say, "Mom (or Dad), can I have 5 bucks for this and that?" … [Read more...]