Open Book Parenting

10/16/2026

It is a beautiful and human thing to need and want attention, affection, and care. It isn't a weakness or something shameful. I know it feels risky to be vulnerable but when you allow yourself to accept love you are creating love. Your acceptance is such a wonderful opportunity you're giving to someone else to feel pride and joy in loving you.

10/14/2026

10/13/2026

I think that parental anger isn't something to be afraid of; I think it's something to explore. Why is this? Because being a parent means you're going to get angry sometimes! And being the parent of an anxious child actually makes it MORE likely that you're going to get angry because parenting an anxious child is hard AND parenting an anxious child means you can catch their anxiety, which can ratchet up your anger!

So instead of telling you to STOP getting angry, I think it's time to get clued into what that anger means and what you need to do about it. Scroll through to learn more and let me know what you think!

10/13/2026

You know what DOESN'T make anxiety better? Puberty! It's an already difficult time so for kids who head into the tween/teen years with anxiety, expect it to heat up. The best time to address anxiety is BEFORE they hit adolescence but the second best time is as soon as you realize it's an issue.

10/12/2026

10/10/2026

Perfectionist kids look like they're doing pretty well -- great grades, high achieving, extracurriculars -- but often they're struggling emotionally. Perfectionism IS a form of anxiety. How do you know if your child is an anxious perfectionist? If they are too hard on themselves, if they're hard on other people for not living up to standards, if they over prepare, if they punish themselves for transgressions (real or imaginary), if they have somatic symptoms like headaches or stomachaches, and if they tend to catastrophize ("If I don't get this in on time my teacher will HATE me!").

10/09/2026

This is such a HUGE realization. So often we parents are working hard to be there in the way that we wish our parents would have been there. And sometimes, unfortunately that means that we mistake encouragement for callousness. Because our concerns were ignored we over-compensate and hold our kids back when they need our help to stretch a little further.