Susan and Larry called our counseling clinic to get help dealing with the problems of their seven year-old son, Billy. Billy was falling behind in school, having trouble paying attention in class, getting into skirmishes with kids on the playground, and fighting constantly with his four-year old sister. Mom and Dad were upset, worried, and […]
Being A Smart Kid Can Sometimes Spell Trouble
Results of a new longitudinal research study done in the United Kingdom led to the conclusion that high childhood IQ increases the risk of illegal drug use in adolescence and adulthood. “It’s counterintuitive,” said lead author James White. “It’s not what we thought we would find.” The Cardiff University team looked at data from 8,000 people […]
Building a Strong Marriage
One of our most popular books for anyone who wants to read up on the secrets of happy relationships is called The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by psychologist John Gottman and Nan Silver, published in 2000. Gottman revolutionized the study of marriage by using rigorous scientific procedures to observe the habits of married couples […]
Kids from Happy Families Adjust Better to School
A three year longitudinal study confirmed what family therapists have observed clinically for decades–namely that patterns of family interaction have profound effects on children–both for better and for worse. Melissa Sturge-Apple, a researcher from the University of Rochester, studied 234 families with 6 year-old children, and followed the adjustment of the kids in their first […]
Parenting Advice for the New Millenium
“Parenting today is a wildly challenging, confusing job, far beyond anything most of us expected.” -Ron Taffel, Ph.D. This is how family therapist and child-rearing expert, Ron Taffel, begins his most recent book for parents, Childhood Unbound: Saving Our Kids’ Best Selves–Confident Parenting in a World of Change. What I love most about this […]
Lessons for Parents from the Tiger Mother
“This is a story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs. This was supposed to be a story of how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones. But instead, it’s about a bitter clash of cultures, a fleeting taste of glory, and how I was humbled by a thirteen-year-old.” […]
