I think one of the most difficult things we do to ourselves as parents is to make ourselves appear happy on the outside when we really feel stressed on the inside. The amount of energy it takes to put on a show of happiness is tremendous. Especially when we are already busy working on trying to solve what is making us feel stressed. The extra effort to appear happy taxes our system even more.

Modern life has given us this false idea that we have to be enjoying ourselves on a moment-to-moment basis to be successful or happy. There is a trend to document all the #beautiful, #authentic, #blessings, #whatever to show everyone that we’re making it. This can be as simple as the specialty coffee that drink every morning or sweaty selfies at the gym or even an Amazon haul to show of fashion forward we are.

From the outside our lives can appear to others as a fantasy or dream. Those people looking at our lives from the outside can’t see or feel the daily stress that creeps in just to get by. Jobs can be challenging, children can go through periods that test our patience as parents, illnesses can surprise us, and sometimes there is just bad luck that throws us a curveball. This dissonance between what we actually live and what we present to others to see from the outside can create a social pressure to give people what they expect. It can almost make us feel like we have an unconscious obligation to perform.

There are numerous costs to us, and our families, when we pretend we are fine, even when we’re not.

Today’s topic is a hot one because it deals with video game addiction. Gaming is a big part of a lot of people’s lives and can be a wonderful source of entertainment. However, as with most things, too much of anything usually isn’t that good for us. So today we are going to look at new information about how gaming can become problematic for some children and teens. It’s important that parents know the risks and help guide their children towards a balanced use of video game engagement to avoid problems later. Prevention is the key to avoiding fights and issues related to video game playing.

Today’s topic is a sad and difficult issue to talk about, but because infant deaths related to suffocation continue to happen, I think it’s important that we discuss why it happens and what can be done to protect against it.

Infant death related to accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed appears to be on the rise. In 1992, pediatric health organizations recommended that infants be placed on their back to sleep and this reduced the occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) dramatically. However, at the same time, sleep-related suffocation, asphyxia, entrapment, and other unspecified causes of infant death have risen.

Focusing on safe sleep environments that reduce the risk of all types of sleep-related infant deaths, including SIDS, may keep your baby safe.

Okay, so today’s topic, spanking, may be a sensitive one for you based on your beliefs and ideas about parenting. Believe me, you’re not alone. Whether you are on the side of spanking or not, about 20% of parents admit to using physical punishment such as spanking or swatting as part of disciplining their children. Let me clarify, this is the percentage of parents who admit doing it. From what I see in my practice, it may be more common than that statistic lets on. However, among those that admit to spanking, interestingly, most also report not feeling very good about doing it.

Why would the parenting world be so divided on this issue. It’s probably because nearly all parents report that parenting is their greatest joy and, simultaneously, nearly three-quarters also describe parenting as their greatest challenge. So almost all parents find joy in the task of being a parent, but nearly 75% also say it’s a big job that is hard to do. It only makes sense that parents who are frustrated or feeling challenged would consider using spanking as a way of managing their children’s behavior - it may have been used by the

Today’s episode stems from a question I received from a listener. A first-time mom of a 4-month-old infant asked me if I knew any science-based tips to help them manage air travel with an infant. She said she had traveled often for work and was frequently surprised that parents couldn’t seem to control their infants on flights. Now that she was a mother, she better understood that no one can control babies. But, she hoped that there were some suggestions on how to help parents and babies manage flights with less stress.
As we know, modern life often requires plane travel for families. As this listener shared, frequent travelers know the dread when a flight is full of infants or small children. And, anyone who flies with any regularity has a story of a flight that was filled with continuous ear piercing screams of an infant or small child.

This awareness can be horrifying for parents when they must fly with their infant or small children. Luckily, some basic information and a good dose of humor will help most parents navigate air travel with infants and small children successfully. I assure you, there is no need to feel overwhelmed or shamed. All you need is the right information to help make everything easier.

Have you ever wondered if there is an easy way to boost your child’s brainpower and make him or her smarter? Luckily, the research shows that one simple, practically free, activity can help your child use his or her brain more effectively.

Most parents know that reading to children can have an important affect on how early kiddos learn to read independently and how well they perform in school. Reading to children from birth onwards has always been linked to better learning outcomes. However, current research shows how reading stimulates the brain and creates this change. MRI studies confirm that reading stimulates the brain to improve the way it creates meaning from language. Even more interesting is that these brain changes, from being read to, leads to improved reading skills and advanced language development.

A great thing about our kiddos getting older is that our children become exposed to many different ways of being a family. At school they mix with children from other backgrounds, other types of families, and learn that there are many different ways of being a family. This makes them tolerant, accepting, and more open, which are fabulous traits for their futures. Yet, many times our children may seek out friends who appear to be similar to them, such as speak the same language natively, look similar to them, or play the same sport. When external characteristics become the defining traits to start friendships, the more important characteristics such as honesty, compassion, or fairness may be forgotten.

As a parent, this can mean that, at times, our child has invited over a friend that does not fit our ideal image of who we want our child playing with. The children may speak the same language or play the same sport, but the children are worlds apart in terms of upbringing, values, and norms of behavior. The situation may be even more complex if the problematic friend is the son or daughter of a colleague or someone seen frequently at school events or activities.

It seems today that we are constantly consuming media messaging that is meant to make us feel like we are somehow behind or lacking what others have. This phenomenon has not skipped parenting. There are parenting influencers showing us an edited, stylized version of what their families are like. Please know I am not judging what other do or how they make a living. What I am pointing out is that it has never been so easy to peek into other people’s lives and use that information as a mirror in which to judge our own capacity, ability, or success.

In it’s lightest, breeziest form, TikToks, Instagram reels, and Facebook videos allow parents to see the similarities between our experiences. It creates a sense of connection that binds us in our shared lived experience trying to raise children in a certain time in history. That is a good thing. Especially for parents who are otherwise isolated - such as parents of babies or small children or parents of children with special needs.

However, it’s important to give light to the darker side of this trend. Not all parenting content creators are completely transparent or honest. There are some questionable creators that are performative. They act out the role of mother or father but are actually wrapped up in their own experience rather than caring for their child. The child becomes an object or prop in which to show how wonderful the parent is.