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How to Minimize the Effects of Deployment on Children
April is the Month of the Military Child, designated to remind us of the important sacrifices and unique struggles experienced by children of military parents. This month we are meant to reflect on the emotional and psychological impact that parental deployment has on children, and the steps that can be taken to help ease these life-changing transitions. According to Holly Hallen, of the Military Child Education Coalition, there are almost 4 million military-connected children, 75% of whom are school age. These children have to prepare for and deal with the long absences of a parent, who will be deployed from 3 to 15 months. They have to adjust to the absence of that...
Read MoreWhat Traits of the Elderly Can Teach Us About Mental Health and Longevity
What if someone told you that stubbornness promotes longevity, and that our stubborn parents and grandparents, who seem happy to be set in their ways, are going to benefit from their stubbornness by living longer with better mental health? A study, published in 2017, was conducted of 29 people, between the ages of 90 and 101, who live in different Italian villages. This group of participants is small, but the results are impacting the way scientists and psychologists think about longevity and mental health in old age. The results of the study, published by Cambridge Core, indicate that certain psychological traits, amongst them: stubbornness, optimism, a strong work...
Read MoreIs Your Teenager’s Phone Making Them Miserable?
Do you ever find yourself worrying your teenager is addicted to their phone? You may be right! In recent months, smart phone and social media designers from Silicon Valley have been going public about the addictive nature of their products. Online games, social media sites, Internet video chatting, video streaming and apps are all designed specifically to release dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released from the brain’s reward and pleasure region. It is often released when we use social media because the colors, notifications, buttons and features are all created specifically to make people crave the interaction again and again. An article in...
Read MoreWhy You Should Make New Year’s Resolutions as a Family
A New Year’s resolution is, traditionally, an individual pledge to meet certain goals in the new year. The most common New Year’s resolutions are: losing weight, eating healthier/exercising more and saving money. These resolutions are great goals to have, and will benefit your life and probably your families lives as well, if you can actually stick to them. Over 90% of people give up on their resolutions and slip back into their normal routines before the year is halfway over. This usually happens because the goal was too overwhelming, and because the only accountability was to oneself. This year, why not do resolutions differently? Why not make a resolution that...
Read MoreSolving Sexual Dissatisfaction
Are you and your partner on the same page when it comes to your unanimous sexual pleasure? Do you have sex at a frequency that pleases you both? You might want to shy away from these questions, but the truth is that sex plays a crucial role in relationships. Sex is a natural way to express intimacy, trust, desire and love between partners. It can add energy and happiness to a relationship. However, if one or both partners is uncomfortable or dissatisfied, sex can create hostility, guilt, and anger. This is because everyone has different expectations, needs and desires, and many people have difficulty communicating with their partners about what they want sexually and...
Read MoreTips for Helping your Child Transition to Middle School
As the summer comes to an end, kids across the country are making the move from elementary school to middle school. If your child is about to step into a middle school for the first time, they are probably experiencing a mixture of nervousness, fear, sadness, and excitement. This is a time when kids are beginning to make the jump from childhood to adulthood. Your role as a parent is to find a balance of support, guidance, structure and discipline at this emotional time for your child. Below are some tips to help you and your child through the process. Tip 1 – Be prepared Get a list of school supplies from the school and make sure your child knows how to use them. Read...
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