Having children and raising a family create endless transitions and opportunities for growth. Parenting stages include; deciding whether or not to have children, dealing with pregnancy changes or infertility issues, adjusting to having a new child and the ongoing developmental stages as children mature. During all of these stages new challenges emerge, and change of any kind brings with it a period of instability and adjustment.

Along with great joy and pleasure, parents are frequently surprised by the intensity of difficult feelings which we they can experience - anger, frustration, sadness and self doubt are but a few. These feelings can tap into one's own personal history and parents find themselves acting in ways that belie their wishes for themselves and their families.

When I work with parents, I provide a space for self exploration, skills to examine how their own experiences as children impact their parenting, and support so as to gain tools for both change and self-acceptance. I often focus on responses parents have to their children's behaviors. This focus can provide information for self-exploration as well as act as a catalyst for developing new parenting skills. I believe that self understanding is the most valuable gift we can give our children.

The following books are great resources for parenting young children:
Becoming the Parent You Want to Be - A Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years, Laura Davis and Janis Keyser
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Wendy Mogel
Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline, Becky Bailey
Everyday Blessings - The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting, Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Parenting from the Inside Out (How a deeper self-understanding can help you raise children who thrive), Daniel J. Siegel
Spoiling Childhood, Diane Ehrensaft