Dear Friends, As we enter week 6 of quarantine, I find myself thinking more and more about what flight attendants say at the beginning of each flight: Put your oxygen mask on first, before trying to assist others. It makes sense. Imagine for a second: some kind of emergency on the plane makes the masks Read More

Dear Friends, I hope you all are staying healthy. Since we are now in week 3 of the recommended Shelter in Place, I wanted to touch on the value and importance of chores. Let’s be clear: there is ALWAYS plenty of things to do around the house to stay busy…even when you’re not quarantined! What if Read More

Developing an Optimistic Mindset, in spite of the Coronavirus!   What have you done today for the good of the country?  “Our society has changed from an achieving society to a feel – good society. Up until the 1960s, achievement was the most important goal to instill in our children. In the 1980’s, this goal Read More

Dear friends, So much can change in a week. Schools are closed, some thru April 5 in Austin—well beyond the anticipated spring break week. Many parents will have to consider working from home, with kids at home, as a result. But like all things, if we look for the silver lining, we can find one. Read More

Dear Friends, Before I was in private practice, I was a classroom teacher for 13 years. So, when faced with my kids being home for at least 3 weeks…that’s where my brain went back to. Structure. Planning. Activities. There have been a ton of posts on social media about all the free resources that are Read More

Dear Friends, Jennie here: For weeks, our family had planned a little “stay-cation” over spring break. It was going to be fantastic, filled with much needed family time and also time to catch up on projects around the house. And then, things changed. It became very clear after spring break was extended by 2 weeks Read More

A Legendary Power Struggle about a Candle… and a Fine Mind in the Making   Years ago, my daughter Jennie & I had the opportunity to babysit with my niece, Isabelle, then 18 months old. We had a lovely afternoon and evening, and bedtime was approaching. As we readied the bath, I lit a candle Read More

As we begin to settle into the start of another school year, I wanted to share a little story.  Somehow in the hustle and bustle of life, time got away from me, so I find myself a year later finally writing this story down.   My oldest child is pretty cautious when it comes to Read More

Our dear friend and colleague Dana West Carvalho passed away in October, 2018 from cancer.  Dana worked with me at For Kids’ Sake as a parent educator for 3 years. Her kindness and dedication to parents was remarkable during this time. Dana is remembered as a long – term advocate of young children and families Read More

  Using Toys as Tools “Can I just have one toy? Please?”  “Pretty please?” “Do you have a special surprise for me?”   Parents worry when their children ask for toys, seemingly all the time. They worrying their kids will become demanding and spoiled and selfish and entitled as adults. This parent lament explodes around Read More