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Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom: Simple Tools for the New School Year

by Suzanne Tucker

Social emotional learning starts in everyday classroom moments. Explore simple SEL strategies teachers can use to build emotional literacy, support regulation, strengthen relationships, and create a classroom where children feel safe, understood, and ready to learn.

Woman kneeling to comfort a young boy, with illustrated hands exchanging a gray cloud for a red heart in the background

Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement: A Guide for Parents

by Alex Petrou

Learn how positive vs. negative reinforcement influence your parenting style and the ways positive reinforcers can support your child’s development.

Mother comforting her highly sensitive teenage son during an emotional moment, illustrating parental support, empathy, and teen mental health.

Helping Your Highly Sensitive Child Gain Confidence

by Rebecca Eanes

When our children are highly sensitive, rejection and criticism hurt more deeply. They get embarrassed easily and have strong emotional reactions, which can make them the target for bullying. Here are 5 tools to boost your child's confidence.

Woman looking at an old childhood photo of herself, surrounded by illustrated hearts and clouds

Healing From A Childhood You Don't Remember

by Ashley Patek

While we may not remember our childhood with our mind and verbal words, our body keeps the score and stores the information it receives from our formative years, namely which parts of us to grow and which to shrink. These downloads show up as patterns in adulthood and in our parenting. Read more.

Woman with eyes closed and hand on her chest, staying calm, with a flower graphic beside her

9 Mantras I Use When Low On Patience With My Kids

by Ashley Patek

Mantras can change the wiring of our brain and create a new lens to see ourselves, our kids, and the world at large. Here are 9 parenting mantras I use when low on patience with my kids.

of two young girls/ siblings fighting, one pulling hair

End Sibling Rivalry And Bring Peace Into Your Home

by Ashley Patek

Siblings are natural competitors for attachment, bidding for our love and attention. Here's 3 Parenting Do's and Don'ts when it comes to sibling relationships.

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Meltdowns Develop Your Child's Brain When Met With Connection; Punishment Doesn't Work

by Ashley Patek

Toddlers are one of the most authentic creatures on the planet, and also, arguably, the most misunderstood. On the surface, we see meltdowns, defiance, and limit testing. But there’s so much more than what meets the eye.

Is My Child Too Old To Use A Calming Space?

by Ashley Patek

How do you use a Calming Space with kids beyond the toddler stage? Here are 5 tips.

Why Does My Teen Do That?!

by Rebecca Eanes

The teenage years are a critical time period for brain growth. The physiological changes that take place in adolescence cause behaviors that are often misunderstood. We explain them here.

Staying Mindful During Teen Tantrums

by Guest Author

Like young children, teens thrive off feeling safe and connected. Here is how you can navigate a teen tantrum.

Collecting Moments Watching Our Toddlers Grow Into Teens

by Rebecca Eanes

One mama urges, "Bring awareness to your moments. Collect them even though most of them will eventually fade away and be forgotten, because each one leaves its mark. And even when the mind can no longer recall it, it doesn’t matter because that moment has become you."

Mom and teen daughter laughing together on a couch with a heart icon above them

I’ve Never Grounded My Teenager - Here’s Why

by Rebecca Eanes

In our culture, we are accustomed to training children through pain. We are fooled into thinking it’s good because it works, but it only works for a short time, and the reason it works is heartbreaking. Here's what to do instead of punishment.

Raising Teens: They're Still Under Construction

by Rebecca Eanes

“Just wait until the teen years,” they’d say. Now I am here, and I get what they were referring to. Teens' fluctuating moods can be hard to deal with, but it's not our fault. Blame it on the brain.

Rewriting the Narrative On Terrible Twos and Tyrannical Threes

by Rebecca Eanes

The majority of the “problem behavior” that we see in children is because we are looking through a distorted lens. Tantrums are a developmentally normal emotional release when the child’s brain feels flooded with big feelings. Punishing a tantrum cannot make a brain develop faster, but there are things parents can do.

Helping Teens Cope with Holiday Stress

by Rebecca Eanes

As our children grow up and the pure wonder and excitement of the holidays wane, adolescents often experience an uptick in stress and anxiety during the holiday season. What can parents do?

Your Words Affect Your Child’s Brain

by Rebecca Eanes

Are we collectively destroying the potential of a generation with our mouths? As parents, we hold many of the keys to our children’s futures. These keys are the words we speak to them.