She reads.

December 9, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

When life throws you curve balls, and you want to keep from going under, read. Then you’ll hear how others have painstakingly mastered the curves, learn. Believing you might help others with your hard fought lessons, share. Then stand. Through the drenching storms and scorching sun, day in and day out, stand. In the midst of doubts, fears, and insecurity, stand. Through rejection, humiliation, and abandonment, stand. Until someone sees you and reads. Another hears you and learns. Finally, many join... Read more

We Are Not Cry Babies!

November 19, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

By Rasheedhrasheed (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Read more

Don’t Leave the Country

November 12, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

Your fellow Americans need you here. Not to argue with us. Not to take us to court. Not to crucify us in the court of public opinion. Not even to write negative comments about us on social media or all over the internet. No, we would like you here to be patient with us. Teach us how your viewpoints are more true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. We would like you here to be kind to us.... Read more

When You Have Writer’s Block

November 4, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

I don’t know how other bloggers do it, writing a blog consistently each week. How do you avoid getting writer’s block? Or in my case, how can I find time to blog when there are a zillion plus one other things that are equally or even more important to tend to? In the last two missed weeks of blogging, I’ve seen clients in the counseling office, picked up the kids from the bus stop to take them to their events and... Read more

Mommy, How Was Your Day?

October 15, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

He was five years old when I noticed that he was more interested in my electronic gadgets than in me. So, I decided it was high time I had a talk with my son about the importance of socializing and connecting. I told him how it made me feel to come home from a long day at work only to be greeted with, “Mommy, can I have your phone?” I told him how I missed him and thought of him while I was at... Read more

How to Balance It All

October 7, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

The life of a parent is like a circus act full of interesting characters and some predictable challenges. Whether you are a single dad, stay at home mom, married with one child or multiple children, step-parent, grandparent, custodial guardian or adoptive parent, in a two working parents or a sole bread earner household, you will be in a balancing act. Some of these roles and situations seem more difficult than others. Yet, I’ve had all of these types of caregivers in... Read more

You Are Special Needs

September 30, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

No matter how it appears on the outside, no matter our age, culture, race, socioeconomic class, or even how successful we become, the truth is that we are all special needs children. Social workers use the special needs label to categorize individuals with some kind of disability. For children, these can be developmental or intellectual delays, physical handicaps, or mental health and attachment issues. In my counseling office, I mainly work with the last two types of special needs children. These kids... Read more

East Meets West: Parenting From the Best of Both Worlds

September 17, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

The day is here. My blogging work that began earlier this year has culminated in introducing this book to the real world. More of my insides will be spilled out. But hopefully, it’s to encourage parents all over. East Meets West Parenting is not just an entertaining memoir, or just a resource book for parenting best practice, but also a thoughtful dialogue on diversity, human nature, race, and social justice issues. Please take a look at the back cover: Parenting can the... Read more

To Be Judgmental or To Be Wise?

September 9, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

In today’s modern world, everyone seems to be afraid of being called “judgmental.” However, it seems to me that not too long ago people were more afraid to be called “foolish.” I wonder if it’s true that if we are not judgmental to some degree, then we might very well be foolish in some ways? In other words, is there a difference between being judgmental and being discerning? And if foolish is the opposite of wise, wouldn’t people rather be... Read more

Mom, How Am I Doing at Childing?

September 2, 2016 By Kim Parker, LCSW

So I recently had an amusing, interesting conversation with my teenage son. By the way, he’s only a newly minted teenager since earlier this year, but in my mind, he’s been acting like a teen for a couple of years now. Just check out that independent, “I can do it, I don’t need you to instruct me” attitude! As I reflect in my safe space (which I’ve cultivated for years now inside my head), I realize that I helped create... Read more