• 12 tips for parenting teenager - wide title pic

    12 Tips for Parenting Your Teenager

    by Janet Kontz, MA, LPC Does this sound familiar? We often hear from parents of teenagers that they find it difficult to connect with their kids when they reach the adolescent stage of life. Many parents feel that this is the most daunting time to be a parent. Helping your teenager…

  • Empty nest ambivalent emotions

    Empty Nest: Ambivalent Emotions

    This summer I watched a mommy bird build a nest in our back yard. Never before had I witnessed such a cycle of nature. This mommy bird was very nurturing and protective. Every day she sat on her little eggs with a watchful eye. When her babies hatched, she was…

  • Unconditional Love and Boundaries

    Unconditional Love and Boundaries

    A reflection on Cloud & Townsend’s “Boundaries with Kids” In Christian terms, unconditional love is love that doesn’t depend on the attitudes or actions of the beloved. It is a self-sacrificing love, which finds its ultimate expression in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross: “But God shows his love for us in…

  • Parents New Years Resolutions

    New Year’s Resolutions for Parents

    by Carolyn Knarr, MSW, LCSW, Director of Children’s Therapeutic Services Every year around this time many of us make new year’s resolutions but very few of us keep them. Here are some resolutions for parents that are worth keeping: 1. Increase the amount of time you spend in casual conversation…