Today, I am super honored to be a contributor to ModernMom discussing how to talk with children about a cancer diagnosis. You know that talking with children is at the tippy top of my priority list and I’m grateful to share this information to a wonderful new audience. Thank you to ModernMom for this opportunity! Here… Continue reading Talking with Children About a Cancer Diagnosis on ModernMom
Family
Happy Father's Day!
Wishing you and all of the dad’s in your life a beautiful Father’s Day, full of Silver Linings and gratitude.
The Oklahoma Tornado – How to Talk to Children about Tragedy and Disaster
On Monday, May 20th, an Oklahoma tornado crashed through suburbs, leveling entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow to an elementary school. In the photo* above, a woman carries her child through a field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma on Monday, May 20, 2013. How much more… Continue reading The Oklahoma Tornado – How to Talk to Children about Tragedy and Disaster
Children's Series: 5 to 7 Year Shift
One of the most poignant things that I learned during my graduate work earning a masters degree in early childhood development was that when children prepare to move to the next stage of development, they have periods – often intense – of regression. Our daughter, a/k/a Suddenly Seven has had a slight (ok, not so… Continue reading Children's Series: 5 to 7 Year Shift
How to Talk With Children about a Cancer Diagnosis
As you all know by now, I am a firm believer in and advocate for talking with children about a cancer diagnosis. A cancer diagnosis is always an f-bomb. There’s no other way to say it; however including children in the process – from the time of a diagnosis – is the most important thing… Continue reading How to Talk With Children about a Cancer Diagnosis
Children's Series: Approach-Approach Conflict
Have you ever been in a situation in which you can’t decide between two desirable (or even really awesome) things? For example: chocolate or vanilla? Or decisions of a more impactful nature such as: do I take an incredible job (one I’ve always wanted) or stay home to raise my child full time (what I’ve… Continue reading Children's Series: Approach-Approach Conflict
Talking with Children about Tragedy
With the tragic, unthinkable, and unbearable mass shooting in Connecticut on Friday, the world is reeling. This massacre didn’t just happen in Sandy Hook. It happened everywhere because Sandy Hook Elementary is every school. One of the (many!) sequelae is how to help children through this trauma. The fact that we even have to help children through something… Continue reading Talking with Children about Tragedy
Children's Series: Coping with Back to School Jitters
Happy Monday! Today, I am super honored and excited to introduce you to Dr. Deborah Roth Ledley, a psychologist at the Children’s Center for OCD and Anxiety and founder of TheCalmMom.com. We met at a dinner recently and I was fascinated by her and her work. She has generously agreed to share some of her pearls of wisdom… Continue reading Children's Series: Coping with Back to School Jitters
Children's Series: Talking with Children About Miscarriage
Today at lunch a girlfriend told me about me a really yucky story, one that involves having to tell her daughter (who happens to be Sweetly Six’s bestie) about a friend’s miscarriage. She asked me how she should tell her daughter. Because anywhere from 10-25% of all clinically recognized pregnancies will end in miscarriage, I thought… Continue reading Children's Series: Talking with Children About Miscarriage
The Silver Lining Video Series: How to Talk With Children About Cancer
My beloved mother-in-law used to love the phrase, “It’s a Big Day.” She used the phrase quite liberally, which is one of the things that I adored about her. To think that we have lots of “Big Days” in our life is such a Silver Lining! Well, today is a “Big Day” for The Silver… Continue reading The Silver Lining Video Series: How to Talk With Children About Cancer