Search Results for: topic tag esteem

Facing the Lower Income=Lower Self-Esteem Issue

One of the topics that come up again and again when I talk with other single parents is the way we all seem to wrestle with the one income/lower income issue and how it affects our own self-esteem, AND how we worry that it will affect our children’s. We tend to be concerned that if we aren’t able to give our children everything that “other kids” or “other families” have; or that if we aren’t able to live in the right neighborhood, go on vacations, etc.—our children will be at a disadvantage. This can be some heavy stuff and make … Continue reading →

Stages of Grief-Bargaining

Over the past few days I have presented two other stages of grief; Denial and Anger. At some point both children and adults will come to the realization that their anger over the death of a person or pending divorce is just not netting any positive results. When the pain of reality becomes too much to bear, often people will attempt to bargain their way through a situation. Children are especially vulnerable during this stage as they plead with mommy or daddy to not get divorced. They make promises such as, “I will take out the garbage every day, and … Continue reading →

Why are We Jealous?

My last article gave some of my thoughts on jealousy. The topic of jealousy came about from an article that I wrote discussing running into an ex boyfriend or an ex girlfriend. One of my readers commented that she is still very close to her ex boyfriend and that her current boyfriend has no problem with the friendship. In my last article, I commented that I do not believe that jealousy is always tied to mistrust. I feel that a small amount of jealousy is in our human nature. Jealousy begins well before any intimate relationships. There is much more … Continue reading →

Book Review: Real Parents, Real Children

My favorite adoption book of all time is probably Real Parents, Real Children: Parenting the Adopted Child, by counselor (and parent and sibling of adopted children) Holly Van Gulden and writer Lisa Bartels-Rabb. I read it first before we adopted our first daughter and have returned to it many times since. The book begins and ends with discussion of adoption topics such as grief and loss, identity development, self-esteem, preparing for placement, postplacement adjustment, school issues and the adopted child. There is also a discussion which presents clinical information about bonding and attachment in everyday language. The unique part of … Continue reading →

Junior Fiction for Solving Problems: A Home Visit From a Virtual Child Therapist.

Have you ever bought a self-help book for yourself? There are thousands of excellent books around, all dealing with different topics: self esteem, relationships, death, communication, the list goes on. While we may be quick to purchase self-help books for ourselves, many parents overlook the therapeutic value of junior fiction for children. Children learn through play and reading is a favorite play activity of children. As children engage with the books characters, the reader enters a dramatic mind space of problem solving and integration. With the help of the struggles and achievements of the characters, the children also learn the … Continue reading →

An Interview With Organize Yourself Online

A reader asked for tips on how to become more organized, so I went to work to find more information about this topic. I discovered a unique online service that seems like a great tool to help the busy single parent family with their organizational needs. Organize Yourself Online was created to help busy people step back and really focus on making improvements in their lives, which requires a new way of looking at situations. The company helps people to reach their goals through simple, and highly accessible tools that add value to the consumers life. I recently interviewed Janet … Continue reading →