Your Dog Could Be the Key To Well-Being During Difficult Times

When you find yourself in trying situations, a good relationship with your dog can make all the difference. Read my first article for Southern Living Magazine featuring Meg Daley Olmert author of  “Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond” here.

“It has grown increasingly common to wonder whether experiencing shortness of breath is a coronavirus symptom or a reaction to the ongoing news. Indeed, the resulting worry and stress is undisputedly taking a toll, negatively impacting our mental well-being. I’ve discovered my dog is a special source of calm. The steady hum of her predictable routine and loyal affection helps me balance the drumbeat of these hard times. ” 

 

Advertisement

How Worry Was Hurting Me And Those I Love Most

4F5A12B4-200D-41D1-94CD-547A2A5F0FACNote: This article was scheduled for today’s publication months ago, well before the world turned upside down with the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike ever before, it’s nearly impossible not to feel the weight of stress and worry bearing down. If you’re like me, there was always “enough” worry to contend with before the pandemic erupted. How much harder it is today to breathe deeply and stay calm while stuck indoors, digesting the daily news and facing the unknowns of coronavirus fallout. This personal story includes wise words from a friend and from a seasoned therapist, but if needed don’t hesitate to call the CDC stress-anxiety hotline for help.

IMAGE CRED: @KatieAbey

On social media I recently posted the meme, “Didn’t get much sleep last night but I did get a few solid hours of anxiety in,” followed by a trail of laugh-cry emojis. Many responded, piling on with a lot of LOLs and high-fives, much as I’d encouraged.

But truthfully, I wasn’t laughing on the inside. Worry wasn’t just waking me at night. Its presence was coloring my mood and clouding my judgment about what to say and how to say it. My worry was more than my problem — it was seeping into my family life and poisoning the air. It started innocently enough when my first child was born and intensified as my second appeared.

Read in full on AARP The Girlfriend.

 

 

What Happened When I Quit Helicopter Parenting

screen-shot-2016-09-28-at-7-21-14-pm

“When I coddle my kids, I hurt them. If I keep myself at the center of their universe, helicopter parenting and serving their every need, the goal of independence is undermined. It’s much harder to stay in the shadows and watch them successfully dodge one bad decision only to perform a dramatic faceplant when the next major obstacle reveals itself. But how else will they learn?”

Thank you, San Diego Family Magazine, for publishing my essay on the perils of helicopter parenting.

Read in full: https://www.sandiegofamily.com/resources/parenting/1981-helicopter-parenting

My Son Listened To A Book, Not Me. And That’s OK.

shelf-159852_1280

“I know I can’t take any credit for this victory and honestly, it doesn’t matter. I long ago accepted that it takes a village to raise a child. Today, I recognize that books are influential members of this community as well.”

Parents, sometimes the best thing to do is to step back and shut-up. Intervention can happen for your tween/teen, too…and often from places you didn’t expect. Parenting is not a solo job–it’s welcoming the ‘village’ around you! Thank you for reading  my essay on Today Parenting Team and sharing with others.

Read in full: http://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/my-son-listened-to-a-book-not-me-and-thats-ok_1475022188

 

Older hands reaching younger. Moms, this is how we make it.

thumb_IMG_3267_1024

In the beginning, it was lucky chance I ran into you, Older Mom. I didn’t pick you on purpose, I’m embarrassed to admit. I was expecting our first baby less than a year into expat life in Germany. You were the only friend I could find, an older Irish woman with two preschool-aged sons. Pregnant and in a foreign land, I obviously needed a mom-friend and you were it.

Read in full: http://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/adopt-an-older-mom-asyour-bestie-heres-why

The One Trip Guaranteed To Majorly Test Your Marriage

Screen Shot 2016-06-01 at 3.37.13 PM

If you can get through this, you can get through anything.

If you consider your family life healthy don’t test it by going to IKEA for the day, especially if you have recently moved overseas to an unfamiliar city such as London, with previous stops along the way in exotic-but-foreign places.

I’ve recently recovered from a family outing to a London IKEA after making just such a protracted international move. I’d prepared for our journey to IKEA well in advance, measuring every potential living and storage arrangement possible in our 900-square-foot flat.

Except for clothing and personal effects, we’d moved with nothing. Our flat was empty and a robust shopping trip was needed for items such as tomorrow morning’s cup for my American cup-of-coffee.

Read in full on YourTango.

Feisty After 45: The Best Blogs From Midlife Women

 

Feisty Front Cover FINAL 2-18Under the feisty leadership of Editor Elaine Ambrose, I’m happy to announce that Mill Park Publishing released the anthology Feisty After 45: The Best Blogs From Midlife Women. From the inspirational to the wacky, the tear-jerker to the side-splitting, you’ll want to grab a copy (print or Kindle via Amazon) and a box of tissues and get reading. The anthology has already found itself sitting squarely as best-seller!

I’m honored to be included in this publication alongside forty-four talented writers from across the nation.

http://www.amazon.com/Feisty-After-45-Blogs-Midlife/dp/098839801X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=