Tips and Tools To Keep The Holidays Joyful For The Kids.
As the holidays approach, it is important for parents (married or divorced) to be mindful of the multiple accompanying stressors, and the need to keep the holidays joyful and peaceful for the kids. This article provides tips and tools to help parents minimize conflicts in the hopes of allowing kids to be kids in a… Read more »
Golden Rules for Protecting Kids From Divorce Tug-Of-Wars
Tips for protecting children from divorce tug-of-wars. Approximately 40-50% of couples end up in divorce in the United States (CDC; Washington Post, 2014), and approximately 1.5 million children are affected by divorce each year (Scientific American, 2013). Research has demonstrated that divorce can contribute to significant consequences in children, including anger, depression, anxiety, school and… Read more »
How to Still Be a Great Parent When Coping With Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression is one of the most common mental health issues in the U.S. If you have struggled with depression, know that you are not alone. It is estimated that 1 in 10 Americans struggle with depression at some point in their lives. If you are a mother, it… Read more »
How to Explain to Our Kids What Happened in Orlando
How are we explaining to young kids what just happened in Orlando? Another senseless tragedy has occurred, this time in Orlando, and our deepest sympathies go out to all the families who have lost loved ones and the Orlando community. As I watch the news and read the papers, I keep asking myself, what about… Read more »
ADHD and Giftedness: Are Kids Being Misdiagnosed?
It is an unfortunate truth that gifted children often get inaccurately diagnosed with conditions such as ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and mood disorders. The most common misdiagnosis of gifted children tends to be attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder, owing to the fact that the two conditions share a number of overlapping characteristics. Some of these include:… Read more »
Family Changes: 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner
Family Changes: Explaining Divorce to Children is a winner in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. We are delighted to share that Family Changes: Explaining Divorce to Children has won two awards. Family Changes has been awarded the WINNER in the “Best Cover Design Fiction” category, and an AWARD WINNING FINALIST in the Children’s Picture Book Category of the… Read more »
Dr. Maker Reviews a Book About Separation-Anxiety & Divorce
Separation-anxiety and divorce in young children is not uncommon, as a stressful life changing event can trigger anxiety and worries in children. I have reviewed a helpful children’s book, The Kissing Hand, on Littlest Bookshelf that could serve as an effective tool for adults to use with children struggling with separation anxiety during and after a… Read more »
About Children’s Fears of Racism & Terrorism Interview
Chicago Tribune interviewed Dr. Maker about children’s fears of racism and terrorism in today’s world. Children are growing up in a very different environment today, as they are surrounded by incidents, news, and conversations related to racism and terrorism. It is difficult for parents and adults to have honest and reassuring conversations with children and teenagers… Read more »
A Helpful Book Review About Step-Kids by Dr. Maker
I recently reviewed a new and helpful book by Erin Mantz, titled Hey, Who’s In My House? Stepkids Speak Out. This book addresses the myriad of struggles and hopes step-children may experience during their parents’ journey through new marriages and blended families. Although divorce is a complicated process for both adults and children, creating a collaborative… Read more »
Parents Guide to Helping Kids Through Divorce
The first working Monday after the holidays has been tagged as ‘Divorce Day’ in the United States and the United Kingdom, given the unusually high volume of calls to family attorneys inquiring into divorce proceedings on this day. Interestingly, both the United States and the United Kingdom experience a surge in divorce inquiries after the… Read more »