by Chris Jones | Feb 24, 2021 | COVID-19, Mental Health, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, School Challenges
It has been a year since we began to “shelter in place” to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities from COVID-19. It has been a year full of tragedy, loss, fear, and isolation as well as heroism, hope, innovation, and new experiences. Some young children...
by Chris Jones | Feb 11, 2021 | COVID-19, Parenting Relationships, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips
Relationships with our partners can be challenging, even in normal times. In almost every relationship, the pandemic has done some damage, either by exacerbating existing problems or opening new cracks in the relationship. There are multiple changes in most...
by Chris Jones | Feb 9, 2021 | COVID-19, LGBTQ+, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips
Family life is already complicated during normal circumstances, but the pandemic puts blended families and co-parenting situations on hyperdrive. I have one teen from a previous marriage, and my partner has a tween and a teen. Included in our family are my ex-husband...
by Chris Jones | Jan 29, 2021 | COVID-19, Media Safety, Mental Health, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips
During this global crisis, we’ve seen many new themes show up in our work with parents, but none is more prevalent than the stress and guilt parents feel as they watch their kids turn into homebodies, spend more time on screens, do the bare minimum for school,...
by Chris Jones | Jan 15, 2021 | Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Preteens & Teens
Adolescence is by definition a tumultuous time in one’s life. This is likely especially true now, given academic, social, and psychological pressures that were even more compounded than usual by the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people have lost a measure of independence,...
by Chris Jones | Jan 14, 2021 | Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips
Feeling stressed? You’re not alone. Over 70% of U.S. moms say that mothering is “incredibly stressful” and now the pandemic has intensified this pressure. Studies also show that chronically stressed parents tend to be more insensitive to their kids’ needs,...
by Chris Jones | Jan 8, 2021 | Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips
As we watch the news unfold, remember that our kids are watching us. Children expect adults in their lives to provide protection and security. When current events are disturbing or worrisome to us, children may pick up on our emotional cues and respond behaviorally....
by Chris Jones | Dec 29, 2020 | COVID-19, Grandparenting, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips
During this time of COVID-19, many grandparents have stepped in and expanded our roles as caregivers to help support our families. This has brought with it many joys. The happiness of being able to see our children and grandchildren regularly, being part of their...
by Chris Jones | Dec 16, 2020 | Parenting Tips, Preteens & Teens, Technology
Over a decade ago, I needed a drastic change. Within days, my father died and my daughter was born. These life-altering events made me think about the brevity of our time here, and question how I was spending it. I didn’t like where we seemed to be headed, with...
by Chris Jones | Dec 15, 2020 | COVID-19, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Preteens & Teens, Technology
Many of us know about the downside of social media. The recent documentary The Social Dilemma made some of us even more aware of the way that social media is designed to be addictive to its users. While many of us would like to have our children spend less time on...
