Bully-Proof Your Kid, part 3/4

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

Teach kids emotional intelligence, also known as emotion regulation. While many parents focus on raising a child with high IQ, research suggests that when we cultivate a high EQ, or emotional intelligent quotient, that is actually more likely to be linked with strong leaders and future financial success. But what does emotional intelligence have anything to do with bullying? Simple. It’s better to prevent a problem from occuring than to spend days or months stressing and sweating up a viable solution. When two kids... Read more

Bully-Proof Your Kid, part 2/4

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

Make home a safe place to thrive, not just survive. As loving moms and dads, we all want to believe that we’re raising our wonderful kids in a loving home environment. We’ve given our kids almost everything that we did not have in our own childhoods–more stuff, more understanding, and more playtime. But why are the kids still acting out? Don’t they know any better? Can’t they just be grateful for all that we parents go through to insulate them from our own suffering and... Read more

Bully-Proof Your Kids, part 1/4

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

Part 1–Fortify their self esteem. Part 2–Make home a safe place to thrive, not just survive. Part 3–Teach them emotional intelligence/emotion regulation. Part 4–Help them figure out the path of least resistance. All these parts are related and intertwined, to be discussed in detail weekly for the next 4 weeks. Bullying is a big problem in American society today. Bullying occurs at schools, in the community, and on the internet. Each parent would be well served to learn how to... Read more

Black History Month

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

February is Black History Month in the United States. Stacy on the Right, a prominent black conservative radio personality, asked why is it just a month? Why does Black History have to be singled out instead of just being integrated as part of American History, period? While highlighting accomplishments of America’s unsung Black heroes, the Air Force Veteran reminds us: “we have much to be grateful for here. This is a blessing: to be an American and live free.” Obviously we don’t see White... Read more

Happy Lunar New Year!

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

Asian Americans make up 5.8 percent of the total American population.[1] On January 28th this year, many Asian Americans will be celebrating Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year by those of Chinese descent. With that in mind, let us reflect on what it means to be Asian or American. For those of us living in America from Asian ancestry, this question will dog us at some time or another. We are technically and practically both. It is... Read more

7 Ways to Make America Great

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

Want to make America great again? Start with you. Whether you consider yourself Democrat/Republican, Liberal/Conservative, Black/White, Northern/Southern, Eastern/Western, rich/poor, male/female, religious/nonreligious, young/old, or any characteristics within these ranges, you can do your part to make our country great. Just follow these 7 simple steps: 1) Spend more time with your family. Individual family units make up the community. Your spouse and kids help give you identity, so prioritize your time to be known by those closest to you as a... Read more

The Many Gifts in Your Life

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

Every relationship in your life can bring a gift, including a parent’s undying sacrifice, a spouse’s unconditional love, a friend’s sweet understanding, a client’s tender trust, or a child’s innocent respect for you. Without the gift of your appreciation, undying sacrifice can morph into angry despair, unconditional love turns into unrelenting bitterness, sweet understanding becomes cold disconnect, tender trust easily transforms into rash rejection, and innocent respect grows into stubborn defiance. Be patient, proactive, and positive by appreciating your gifts now, to keep the blessings... Read more

Are You My Mother?

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

I have a few books that are my favorite to read with children in bibliotherapy (a form of counseling that uses books). One is called Are You My Mother, by PD Eastman. I’ve probably read this book a hundred times over the last seven years. Reading children’s books is a nonthreatening way to teach kids about their feelings–identifying, validating, and expressing them. In particular, this book deals with a lost baby bird (symbolizing a child) who’s looking for his/her mother. The baby bird... Read more

Coming Out of the Big Closet

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

where practically everyone is hiding, except for celebrities. When people talk about coming out of the closet, it’s generally known that they are talking about their sexual orientation. I first heard this term twenty-some years ago in a psychology textbook in high school or college. Back then, it meant that a young person was struggling with same sex attraction and had decided to accept his “identity” as gay (or lesbian, for women), thereby validating and normalizing this part of himself. In... Read more

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Last updated on: January 12, 2018 at 2:25 pm By Kim Parker, LCSW

Whether or not this is a big debate is up to you. But during this holiday season, American parents often have to wonder about this question: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Like many other controversial issues in our modern times, parents can be thoughtful in how to respond. My Christian friends who have been following the news feel that their Christian faith has been under attack for quite some time. It feels like a marginalization of our religion and religious practices.... Read more