Blog
Back-to-School Tips for Elementary Kids: From Kindergarten to Fifth Grade
Back-to-school tips for elementary kids can make the difference between a smooth transition and weeks of stress—for both children and parents. In our latest Parenting Shrink Wrapped episode, Melissa and I sat down with child therapist and school counselor Jennifer...
Nature of the Beast: Middle School Parenting Tips Every Parent Needs
When I was in 7th or 8th grade, my middle school librarian decided to make an “All About Middle School” video for incoming 5th graders—a behind-the-scenes peek at the excitement (and terror) of grades 6–8. This was the ’80s, so she lugged around a video camera roughly...
The Nature of the Beast: High School Back-to-School Tips for Parents
When it comes to high school back to school tips, one thing is certain—there’s no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Whether your teen is a confident senior, a pressure-packed junior, an easygoing sophomore, or a wide-eyed freshman, each grade comes with...
The Nature of the Beast: What No One Tells You About Parenting a College Freshman
College drop-off is supposed to be the finish line, right? You did the visits, survived the applications, filled out the FAFSA, bought the XL twin sheets. You waved through tears as the dorm room door closed behind your now-officially-an-adult kid. But then the texts...
Parenting with Chronic Illness: How to Show Up with Self-Compassion
What does it mean to be a “good” parent when your body—or mind—just isn’t cooperating? In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we sit down with psychologist Dr. Katie Lawless to talk about what it’s really like to navigate parenting with chronic illness....
How to Stay Calm When Parenting Triggers You
If parenting triggers—like finding laundry on the floor, a missed homework assignment, or a teenager’s “I got it” shrug—ever make you lose your cool, you’re not alone. In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa and I unpack what’s really going on when...
How Occupational Therapy For Kids Can Help with Sensory Issues, Strength, Stamina, and Self-Regulation
If your child refuses to wear jeans, can’t sit still at dinner, or melts down over seemingly minor transitions, you’re not alone—and it might not be behavioral at all. In the latest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we explore how occupational therapy for kids can...
ADHD Unwrapped Part 2: Why “Just Try Harder” Doesn’t Work (and What Actually Might)
Understanding what ADHD kids wish their parents knew is the key to unlocking more compassion and more connection. Helping to have fewer power struggles. With Part 2 of our ADHD series on the Parenting Shrink Wrapped podcast, we dig into the real-life parenting...
ADHD in Kids: What Most Parents Miss (and Why It Matters)
ADHD in kids is one of the most commonly discussed—and commonly misunderstood—diagnoses in parenting today. If your mental image of ADHD involves a fidgety, blurting, can’t-sit-still kind of kid, you’re not wrong… but you’re not seeing the whole picture. In the latest...
How Trauma Affects Parenting—and What You Can Do About It
If your teen’s eye roll makes you feel irrationally furious, or their silence sends you spiraling into shame, you’re not alone—and you’re not crazy. These moments might be revealing how trauma affects parenting, especially when old wounds resurface in everyday...
Trauma Doesn’t Have to Define Your Parenting with Kristen Keuleman
If you’ve ever found yourself snapping at your teen over something small—only to later think, Why did I overreact like that?—you’re not alone. Many parents are carrying emotional baggage from the past that’s quietly influencing how they respond today. That’s where...
Two dads, laughs, advice about fatherhood and the truth about raising kids with heart.
This week on Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we’re honoring Father’s Day with a raw, real, and refreshingly unfiltered conversation about fatherhood and grief. Our guests—two dads who aren’t afraid to admit they don’t have it all figured out. They open up about the messy,...
Surviving the End of the School Year: How to Help Your Teen (and Yourself) Cross the Finish Line
If it feels like your house is being held together with forgotten permission slips and lukewarm coffee, you’re not alone. May is chaos. And for parents of teens and tweens, surviving the end of the school year can feel like an extreme sport. In the latest episode of...
Hormones and Mental Health: What Parents of Teens Need to Know
When hormones and mental health are running the show, your household can start to feel like a cross between a teen soap opera and a sleep-deprived group therapy session. Parenting teens is tough—but it gets even trickier when you’re juggling your own mood shifts right...
How to Prepare Teens for Medical Challenges Without Panic or Power Struggles
When it comes to parenting teens, few things raise the stress level faster than figuring out how to prepare teens for medical procedures. It could be the dread of hearing, “You’re getting a shot today.” Or the full-on refusal to swallow that chalky bubblegum-tasting...
Parenting Teens While Being Parent-ed: Welcome to the Sandwich Generation
If you’ve ever felt like the peanut butter squished between two very emotionally complex slices of bread—your teen on one side and your parent(s) on the other—congrats. You’re living the sandwich generation life. In our latest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped,...
How Youth Sports Build Life Skills in Teens: More than a game
As parents, we all want our teens to succeed and build life skills, but the road to success isn't always about academic achievement or winning trophies. One of the most valuable places for teens to build important life lessons is through youth sports. Whether they’re...
3 Teen Mental Health Myths—Debunked by a Therapist and Psychiatrist
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, and we’re starting it with some real talk—and real myth-busting—about teen mental health. 🎤 In the newest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, I team up with my co-host, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Melissa Wellner, to...
Horses, Parenting & Presence: Lessons from the Ring
If you've ever seen your teen react like a startled horse when asked about missing homework, you're not alone. Teens and horses have more in common than you’d think—and when parents gain insights and understanding those reactions can help build stronger communication....
🎲 What Play Therapy Can Teach You About Parenting Teens
Spoiler alert: Your teen probably isn’t going to sit cross-legged in a playroom and build castles in a sand tray in play therapy. But what if the principles behind play therapy could still help you understand, connect with, and support your teen—especially when...
Raising Kids on the Autism Spectrum: What Parents Need to Know
Parenting is never a one-size-fits-all journey, and when you're raising a child on the autism spectrum, the path can feel even more complex. From navigating school accommodations to understanding sensory needs, parenting a child with autism requires patience,...
Back-to-School Tips for Elementary Kids: From Kindergarten to Fifth Grade
Back-to-school tips for elementary kids can make the difference between a smooth transition and weeks of stress—for both children and parents. In our latest Parenting Shrink Wrapped episode, Melissa and I sat down with child therapist and school counselor Jennifer...
Nature of the Beast: Middle School Parenting Tips Every Parent Needs
When I was in 7th or 8th grade, my middle school librarian decided to make an “All About Middle School” video for incoming 5th graders—a behind-the-scenes peek at the excitement (and terror) of grades 6–8. This was the ’80s, so she lugged around a video camera roughly...
The Nature of the Beast: High School Back-to-School Tips for Parents
When it comes to high school back to school tips, one thing is certain—there’s no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Whether your teen is a confident senior, a pressure-packed junior, an easygoing sophomore, or a wide-eyed freshman, each grade comes with...
The Nature of the Beast: What No One Tells You About Parenting a College Freshman
College drop-off is supposed to be the finish line, right? You did the visits, survived the applications, filled out the FAFSA, bought the XL twin sheets. You waved through tears as the dorm room door closed behind your now-officially-an-adult kid. But then the texts...
Parenting with Chronic Illness: How to Show Up with Self-Compassion
What does it mean to be a “good” parent when your body—or mind—just isn’t cooperating? In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we sit down with psychologist Dr. Katie Lawless to talk about what it’s really like to navigate parenting with chronic illness....
How to Stay Calm When Parenting Triggers You
If parenting triggers—like finding laundry on the floor, a missed homework assignment, or a teenager’s “I got it” shrug—ever make you lose your cool, you’re not alone. In this week’s episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, Melissa and I unpack what’s really going on when...
How Occupational Therapy For Kids Can Help with Sensory Issues, Strength, Stamina, and Self-Regulation
If your child refuses to wear jeans, can’t sit still at dinner, or melts down over seemingly minor transitions, you’re not alone—and it might not be behavioral at all. In the latest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we explore how occupational therapy for kids can...
ADHD Unwrapped Part 2: Why “Just Try Harder” Doesn’t Work (and What Actually Might)
Understanding what ADHD kids wish their parents knew is the key to unlocking more compassion and more connection. Helping to have fewer power struggles. With Part 2 of our ADHD series on the Parenting Shrink Wrapped podcast, we dig into the real-life parenting...
ADHD in Kids: What Most Parents Miss (and Why It Matters)
ADHD in kids is one of the most commonly discussed—and commonly misunderstood—diagnoses in parenting today. If your mental image of ADHD involves a fidgety, blurting, can’t-sit-still kind of kid, you’re not wrong… but you’re not seeing the whole picture. In the latest...
How Trauma Affects Parenting—and What You Can Do About It
If your teen’s eye roll makes you feel irrationally furious, or their silence sends you spiraling into shame, you’re not alone—and you’re not crazy. These moments might be revealing how trauma affects parenting, especially when old wounds resurface in everyday...
Trauma Doesn’t Have to Define Your Parenting with Kristen Keuleman
If you’ve ever found yourself snapping at your teen over something small—only to later think, Why did I overreact like that?—you’re not alone. Many parents are carrying emotional baggage from the past that’s quietly influencing how they respond today. That’s where...
Two dads, laughs, advice about fatherhood and the truth about raising kids with heart.
This week on Parenting Shrink Wrapped, we’re honoring Father’s Day with a raw, real, and refreshingly unfiltered conversation about fatherhood and grief. Our guests—two dads who aren’t afraid to admit they don’t have it all figured out. They open up about the messy,...
Surviving the End of the School Year: How to Help Your Teen (and Yourself) Cross the Finish Line
If it feels like your house is being held together with forgotten permission slips and lukewarm coffee, you’re not alone. May is chaos. And for parents of teens and tweens, surviving the end of the school year can feel like an extreme sport. In the latest episode of...
Hormones and Mental Health: What Parents of Teens Need to Know
When hormones and mental health are running the show, your household can start to feel like a cross between a teen soap opera and a sleep-deprived group therapy session. Parenting teens is tough—but it gets even trickier when you’re juggling your own mood shifts right...
How to Prepare Teens for Medical Challenges Without Panic or Power Struggles
When it comes to parenting teens, few things raise the stress level faster than figuring out how to prepare teens for medical procedures. It could be the dread of hearing, “You’re getting a shot today.” Or the full-on refusal to swallow that chalky bubblegum-tasting...
Parenting Teens While Being Parent-ed: Welcome to the Sandwich Generation
If you’ve ever felt like the peanut butter squished between two very emotionally complex slices of bread—your teen on one side and your parent(s) on the other—congrats. You’re living the sandwich generation life. In our latest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped,...
How Youth Sports Build Life Skills in Teens: More than a game
As parents, we all want our teens to succeed and build life skills, but the road to success isn't always about academic achievement or winning trophies. One of the most valuable places for teens to build important life lessons is through youth sports. Whether they’re...
3 Teen Mental Health Myths—Debunked by a Therapist and Psychiatrist
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, and we’re starting it with some real talk—and real myth-busting—about teen mental health. 🎤 In the newest episode of Parenting Shrink Wrapped, I team up with my co-host, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Melissa Wellner, to...
Horses, Parenting & Presence: Lessons from the Ring
If you've ever seen your teen react like a startled horse when asked about missing homework, you're not alone. Teens and horses have more in common than you’d think—and when parents gain insights and understanding those reactions can help build stronger communication....
🎲 What Play Therapy Can Teach You About Parenting Teens
Spoiler alert: Your teen probably isn’t going to sit cross-legged in a playroom and build castles in a sand tray in play therapy. But what if the principles behind play therapy could still help you understand, connect with, and support your teen—especially when...
Raising Kids on the Autism Spectrum: What Parents Need to Know
Parenting is never a one-size-fits-all journey, and when you're raising a child on the autism spectrum, the path can feel even more complex. From navigating school accommodations to understanding sensory needs, parenting a child with autism requires patience,...