Blog

A couple weeks ago, I sent out  the link to the first video I’d made as part of my FREE summer parenting tips series. In case you didn’t get a chance to watch that,  I've got valuable insights to share from that clip that I hope will have you thinking,...

Supporting your child as they transition to college brings up parental emotions from elation to grief and everything in between. The resources below are ones I've collected over the years that address this exciting, nostalgic...and sometimes chaotic time in a family....

Could Cold Showers be the Secret to Better Parenting? For the last 90 seconds of my morning shower, I turn the hot water all the way off, and pretty much just gasp while icy water hits my skin.  I’ve been engaging in this nonsense for nearly a year, after...

Parenting can be a real bear sometimes. When it comes to navigating rough patches, studies show that some parental responses are more effective than others. Experts have determined three different parenting approaches: authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative, and...

I'm in the middle of a big professional change that can be summarized in a one word: Transition. Transitions, while potentially exciting, are also a time of unsteadiness, uncertainty, and unfinished business. Big changes on the professional horizon Last week, I let...

I tend not to make a New Year’s resolution, in part because, as an educator, my “year” has started in August and ended in June for the past four decades. Thus, January is often more of a midpoint for me than it is a beginning.  That said, over the past couple...

WHY TO AVOID "WHY" QUESTIONS WITH YOUR TEEN When it comes to making requests and inquiries of their teens, parent language matters–a lot.  With my parent coaching clients, we do a lot of examining of the language, tone, and timing around parent-child...

If you are raising an anxious teen, first, my heart goes out to you.  Parenting anxious kids requires one of the finest balancing acts in that parents must constantly ask themselves “Does my child need comfort or pushing in this moment?”  “Should I...

I have a confession to make. I dropped my kid at college, and I’m pretty stinkin’ happy about it. Last week, I dropped my oldest off at college. In the days leading up to the drop-off and throughout the day-of, friends kept checking in with me to ask how I was holding...

September is almost here, bringing with it the promise of a new beginning in the form a new school year. But with new beginnings also come transitions. And with transitions, even happy ones, stress is usually lurking nearby. It's a lot to balance as students adjust to...

by Samantha Straub When your child has a setback, remember that, often, parents need support, too!  It hurts to watch your kid struggle.  When they are treated poorly by others, feel misunderstood, get left out, don’t make the team, aren’t admitted, or experience most...

by Samantha Straub Parents often worry that the poor teen behavior we see at home is the same stuff our kids show the world when we’re not around.  Generally, however, that’s not the case.  They save their ugly for home.  On the road (i.e. at school, at friends’...

A couple weeks ago, I sent out  the link to the first video I’d made as part of my FREE summer parenting tips series. In case you didn’t get a chance to watch that,  I've got valuable insights to share from that clip that I hope will have you thinking,...

Supporting your child as they transition to college brings up parental emotions from elation to grief and everything in between. The resources below are ones I've collected over the years that address this exciting, nostalgic...and sometimes chaotic time in a family....

Could Cold Showers be the Secret to Better Parenting? For the last 90 seconds of my morning shower, I turn the hot water all the way off, and pretty much just gasp while icy water hits my skin.  I’ve been engaging in this nonsense for nearly a year, after...

Parenting can be a real bear sometimes. When it comes to navigating rough patches, studies show that some parental responses are more effective than others. Experts have determined three different parenting approaches: authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative, and...

I'm in the middle of a big professional change that can be summarized in a one word: Transition. Transitions, while potentially exciting, are also a time of unsteadiness, uncertainty, and unfinished business. Big changes on the professional horizon Last week, I let...

I tend not to make a New Year’s resolution, in part because, as an educator, my “year” has started in August and ended in June for the past four decades. Thus, January is often more of a midpoint for me than it is a beginning.  That said, over the past couple...

WHY TO AVOID "WHY" QUESTIONS WITH YOUR TEEN When it comes to making requests and inquiries of their teens, parent language matters–a lot.  With my parent coaching clients, we do a lot of examining of the language, tone, and timing around parent-child...

If you are raising an anxious teen, first, my heart goes out to you.  Parenting anxious kids requires one of the finest balancing acts in that parents must constantly ask themselves “Does my child need comfort or pushing in this moment?”  “Should I...

I have a confession to make. I dropped my kid at college, and I’m pretty stinkin’ happy about it. Last week, I dropped my oldest off at college. In the days leading up to the drop-off and throughout the day-of, friends kept checking in with me to ask how I was holding...

September is almost here, bringing with it the promise of a new beginning in the form a new school year. But with new beginnings also come transitions. And with transitions, even happy ones, stress is usually lurking nearby. It's a lot to balance as students adjust to...

by Samantha Straub When your child has a setback, remember that, often, parents need support, too!  It hurts to watch your kid struggle.  When they are treated poorly by others, feel misunderstood, get left out, don’t make the team, aren’t admitted, or experience most...

by Samantha Straub Parents often worry that the poor teen behavior we see at home is the same stuff our kids show the world when we’re not around.  Generally, however, that’s not the case.  They save their ugly for home.  On the road (i.e. at school, at friends’...