2+ hour, 15+ min ago (508+ words) Posted November 30, 2025 | Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano An investigation by The Wall Street Journal into ADHD prescribing revealed a national phenomenon racing ahead faster than families, science, or ethics can keep pace (Ramachandran, McKay, & McGinty, 2025). Within that reporting, the story of Danielle Gansky stands out as a portrait of the hopes parents cling to and the risks they often never see coming. Danielle was 7 years old when her school suggested a psychiatric evaluation due to concerns about distraction and sloppy work. What followed was a decades-long journey through 14 psychiatric medications that left her unsure who she might have become without them. Parents often arrive at appointments exhausted, pressured, and out of options. Clinicians who lack extensive pediatric mental-health training may respond to stimulant side effects by adding more medication. Insomnia, irritability, or anxiety may be mistaken for new disorders requiring…...

7+ hour, 1+ min ago (553+ words) Posted November 30, 2025 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader When I'm working with a family to solve their childrearing challenge(s), I guide parents through a process that helps us come up with sensitive, effective strategies that empower them to be the loving, connected mom/dad they want to be while setting the clear limits and boundaries that help their kids work through difficult situations and thrive. My goal is for parents to be able to internalize this process and use it to solve the myriad challenges that arise as part of parenting. 1. Be sure the expectation is age- and situation-appropriate. For example: having a 3-year-old bring their dishes to the sink after a meal; a 4-year-old dress themselves; a 5-year-old manage being dropped off at an activity without their parent staying. Establishing accurate expectations is critical because when they are too high, kids…...

1+ day, 13+ hour ago (256+ words) Posted November 29, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley We all like to think we're enlightened enough to make better choices for our kids than to repeat some of the shortcomings of our own upbringing. We want them to know they're cared for, and we want to help prepare them to have their best lives. While these may be our goals, no matter how hard we try, there can be times we may find ourselves doing the same things our parents did that drove us crazy. For example, have you ever found yourself saying something to your child in frustration that was exactly what your parents said to you when you were a teen? If so, then you recognized you were caught by old patterning. Most of us have done that, and it's not because we chose to do it; it's because it…...

1+ day, 22+ hour ago (762+ words) Posted November 28, 2025 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D. But that weekend, no text came. Not after a few hours. Not after a day. Not after two. At first, I told myself, Of course she's fine. Take a breath. But by the third day, my mind began to race down that familiar, terrifying parental path of what ifs. What if they're hurt? What if they're lost? Within minutes, my worry had morphed into panic. I called my son; I knew she would have told him where she was going. Then, in full "worried mom mode," I called the park ranger and asked, Could you just check if my daughter, Melissa, arrived safely? I imagined he'd look at a list and call me back with reassurance. Instead, as I learned 45 minutes later, he jumped into a boat, rowed to the island where she…...

2+ day, 8+ hour ago (495+ words) Posted November 28, 2025 | Reviewed by Davia Sills Technology has impacted every area of our lives, and its influence on families is undeniable. The modern parenting conversation around technology focuses on concerns like excessive screen time and overexposure through social media (Overuse of Devices and Social Media Top Parent Concerns, 2023). However, there's a hidden crisis within the modern family that we risk overlooking in our discussions about technology: parental and caregiver substance use disorder (SUD). New tools like breathalyzers and alcohol monitoring devices, in conjunction with support systems, are now offering parents and caregivers with SUD a path forward. SUD is a major threat to families. Today, one in four children lives with a parent or primary caregiver with a substance use disorder, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). This equates to approximately 19 million children (Morgan, 2025). AUD is the most common substance use…...

4+ day, 8+ hour ago (972+ words) Warrior Academy is leveraging Bruce Lee's philosophies and martial arts to improve kids' mental health and wellness. The Little Dragon's Life Philosophy Lifts Resilience in Kids The Bruce Lee Foundation turns it focus to youth mental health. Updated November 26, 2025 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch Bruce Lee inspired generations of folks around the world to explore martial arts. My own path, through my brother, is just one such example. People watch Lee's movies, read his words, study his art of Jeet Kune Do, and are inspired'but what if you could take all that inspiration and create programming directly aimed at fostering resilience and growth in kids? This was the idea Shannon Lee had for the activities of the non-profit Bruce Lee Foundation. The Bruce Lee Foundation describes itself as helping motivate "individuals around the world to become the best version of themselves....

5+ day, 8+ hour ago (447+ words) Updated November 25, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley In the film, the central family's unwavering devotion to the Buffalo Bills isn't just a sports preference'it's a ritual that structures their lives. Every Sunday, extended family gathers around the TV (or the tailgate) for the same familiar sequence: snacks, superstitions, commentary, cheers, heartbreak, and hope. Each year, the family takes a picture at the stadium. Research in family psychology shows that traditions like these do far more than fill time. They create predictability, belonging, and a shared narrative. Sociologists call this family identity'the sense that "this is who we are, and this is what it means to belong here." For many families, especially those with strong ties to place or team culture, these rituals become emotional anchors. Watching Bills games together offers: In the movie, these traditions keep the family grounded even as…...

5+ day, 9+ hour ago (239+ words) Posted November 25, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley If you live in an autism family like I do, you may be feeling anxious about Thanksgiving and your autistic loved one. The holidays for Nat promise so many things he loves: favorite foods, especially desserts, his brothers visiting, and ritual. If a holiday involves lighting candles, he's a happy man. He memorizes prayers and holiday songs and fully expects all of them every time. I believe that he learned to trust us once he understood that there would be a beginning, middle, and end to any event, and that the parts in between would be manageable. Experience could then teach him confidence and give him a sense of security. By now, my interactions with Nat have deepened into more of an empathic, organic, connected dynamic because, over time, I have learned so much…...

6+ day, 7+ hour ago (716+ words) Posted November 24, 2025 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk Unspoken family rules. What are they? Sometimes they're positive and healthy. Other times, they are toxic. Either way, these powerful messages from your childhood home plant themselves into the base of your brain and become an unconscious part of how you live in the adult world'perhaps even embedded in your very sense of who you are: your identity. Read through the list below, and see if any of these unspoken family rules speak to you. Did your family adhere to one, two, or even more? As you read through the list, write down any messages that feel familiar. These are the messages that run through your head, affecting your choices, emotions, and life to this very day. Becoming aware of these powerful unconscious rules can free you up to override them. You can take…...

6+ day, 9+ hour ago (537+ words) Posted November 24, 2025 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch It" is said that families living in disadvantaged neighborhoods face a "triple threat: harsh parenting, negative sibling influences, and unsafe community conditions. Individually, each factor can severely affect a child's development, but when they coexist, these factors create a cycle of stress that significantly increases the risk of conduct problems. Harsh pare nting'yelling, physical punishment, or inconsistent discipline'often stems not from cruelty, but from chronic stress and fear. In such environments, older siblings may become role models for defiant or risky behaviors that younger siblings imitate. When parental stress, sibling influence, and neighborhood danger converge, their impact does not simply add up, but rather multiplies. Life in dangerous or disorganized neighborhoods serves more than just a backdrop; it actively shapes family life. Daily exposure to violence, economic hardships, and instability drains parents' emotional resources....