Raising a Happy Family
What does it take to create a happy family, when modern life threatens to overwhelm us? Here are six secrets of Happy Families that you can easily put to use in your own home to create a joyful and connected family, where everyone flourishes and even the teenager treasures family time.
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Dinner: 30 Minutes to a More Connected Family
You’ve probably heard that having dinner together as a family is a good thing for your kids, but you may not realize that it could change your child’s life. Dinner is the best predictor we have of how kids will do in adolescence. The more frequently kids eat dinner with their families, the better they do in school, and the less likely they are to get involved with drugs or alcohol, suffer depression, consider suicide, or become sexually active during high school.
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7 Ways Kids Benefit When You Use Routines
Why do kids need routines? Because routines give them a sense of security and help them develop self-discipline.
Getting Your Child Out the Door In the Morning
Wouldn't it be amazing if all parents could have flextime, so there's more time in the morning for small humans to have a more humane start to their day? But that's not possible for many families.
So what's the answer? Re-frame your idea of the morning routine. What if your main job was to connect emotionally?
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Surviving Arsenic Hour
Every parent knows arsenic hour, when hunger, homework, and exhaustion merge into one big emotional accident waiting to happen. One obvious reason that kids have meltdowns at the end of the day is that they're hungry and tired, whether they've been home with you or out at school. But there's another reason.
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The Family That Plays Together
From the infectious fun of side-splitting laughter to the exuberance of an impromptu pillow fight, infusing a spirit of joy and playfulness into your home nurtures your family like little else.
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How to Use Family Meetings to Build a Closer Family
Does the idea of Family Meetings seem stilted and artificial to you? It certainly did to me, when I first heard about them.
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Sanctuary: Making your Home a Haven
Home, which once served as our refuge, is no longer a sanctuary for most of us. Cell phone calls, texts, social media notifications and emails connect us constantly with the outside world, at the same time interrupting our contact with our families. In some homes, the TV is on constantly, blaring news of upsetting events and life and death dramas.
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Family Culture: Shared Identity and Belonging
How do you hold a family together? How do you make kids WANT to spend time with the family? How do you give your children the motivation to work things through with their siblings and with you? Much of the answer has to do with the family culture you create, which can take your family life from good to great. Here's how.
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Moving? 10 Tips To Help Your Child Adjust
"Dr. Laura....We're moving to Texas this summer. My 7 year old is furious, my 4 year old is clingy, and my toddler doesn't seem to understand what a move is. How can I make this easier on everyone?"Read More
How can I help my kids through my divorce?
If you're getting divorced, you're probably worried about your child or children. So you'll be heartened to know that the research shows that kids can cope with a divorce and come out just fine.
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Karina
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Liz McIntosh
Dr. Laura's parenting advice completely changed my relationship with my daughter, improved her self-esteem, and transformed our lives. Providing my daughter with acknowledgement of her feelings and point of view reduced her oppositional behaviors and emotional meltdowns to nearly none. - Jodie Tokatlian
Dr. Laura, you have created miracles, large and small, in so many lives and our children thank you.
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Makchoon
I have seen amazing improvement in my *very* angry 17 year-old son after acknowledging that there was a reason he was so angry and acting out. We have had several heartfelt conversations and I have seen a real change in how he treats his younger brother, and how he treats me.
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Chantal Harrison
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Andrei
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Lisa Fernandez
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Jennifer B
Yes. It works. And the more rest I get, the more patience I have. It makes a difference.
Dear Dr. Laura Markham! I am a mother of 2 boys - 16 and 7 years old. I am extremely grateful for all the emotional and relational education that you provide us and also for your incredible loving energy to support our evolution as parents, as human beings. I took your course 3 years ago. Although the challenges of the parent-child relationship change almost every year, your parenting principles are equally valuable and effective. It's hard to reprogram the emotional-behavioral pattern learned in my own childhood... so I find it very helpful to go back to your teachings to regain trust and patience as a parent every time new challenges trigger my anxiety. To have more clarity, to reset my energy. Thank you!!
Janina-Madalina Dobrescu
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Dana Questad
