I’m on my third teenager now with one to go. My kids are 20, 18, 14, and 11. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to share what I’ve learned about raising teenagers. There were a few dozen women in the room who were either raising teens or about to raise teens. The challenge of teens is […]

Here’s a scene from my life: I’m on my way home after a long day. I’m tired. I’m hungry. My mind is full after a day of work. I walk in the door of my home. The house is a mess. There’s no dinner plan. The kids need help with homework. There’s laundry or other […]

In his new book, Brainstorm, Daniel Siegel explains that there are four common characteristics of adolescents that are a direct result of changes in the brain during the teen years: NOVELTY SEEKING: looking for new opportunities and experiences that enable them to more fully experience life. SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT: seeking support and meaning in relationships and […]

I love to reassure. Most of us are wired to comfort someone in pain. I often wish I could just make pain go away. It’s hard to watch others hurt. We want to get rid of it and fix it. But we can’t avoid pain. And the truth is if you take away all pain […]

I’ve never liked New Year’s resolutions. I’m not great at making them and not great at keeping them. In fact, I don’t like goals in general. I have an inner rebellion against the concept of goals. I’ve tried to notice why I have this rebellion for the last few years. Sometimes I think it is […]