One could argue that December is the most festive month of the year. Religious holidays are observed, vacations are taken and students have a respite from their school and course work. December 21st is the longest night of the year and marks the beginning of longer daylight hours. It is a month that marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next – a time for resolutions and a promise of new experiences. Celebrations abound, it is easy to forget that December also marks the end of the grace period and the beginning of student loan payments for those (like myself) who graduated 6 months earlier.
Worrying About Worrying About Autism
Awareness of Autism is growing, which is good in that the earlier the diagnosis, the earlier and more intensive the intervention which often results in better outcomes. However, with awareness has also come anxiety about prevalence, false positives in diagnosing, and misinformation about cause and the desire for an easy explanation (i.e. the whole vaccines cause Autism debacle).
All I Want for Christmas (Holidays) is my Zen
As we are in the throes of holiday preparation, the majority of us are short fused and forgetful. This is definitely due to the amount of holiday shopping, stressed out shoppers & sales reps. Of course, not forgetting the upcoming family drama that you will be involved in or thrown into. As much as we feel cheered by the holiday carols, it definitely is not easy to enjoy it with a peaceful heart. We always wonder if is there a way around this. Maybe there is and maybe there is not. Let’s read on to see if there is a way we can make it feel slightly easier.
Kids, passion and rigor
Six months ago, my 8 years old niece announced that she wanted to learn how to sew. Every one of us became so excited about it because rarely does she declare an interest or passion for something that is new to her. Her dad went out and bought her a sewing machine, luckily he has some basic skills with sewing and he taught her the basics. For the next three months after that, she watched YouTube videos of sewing and will tell me who her favorite seamstress is. She will even tell me what thread colors she had bought, and so on. However, I had never seen her attempt to make anything.
Where are you, quality family time?
Looking around it is plain to see that so many of us out there lead hectic, over-scheduled lives. Twenty-four hours just does not seem sufficient to do everything we need to do in a day. Many of my clients express a desire for an additional hour, or two, or twelve–particularly parents. Having heard about the importance of early childhood experiences and their impact on development and attachments, parents/caregivers worry that the amount of time they spend with their child(ren) won’t be enough.
First aid for those that are stressed
This week, I’ve been listening to a series of NPR pieces about stress in the lives ofAmericans. I heard about a single mom with diabetes who is struggling to maintain her health; and about a single dad who is struggling to work full time and provide a normal life to his three children; and about a mother of two who had gone back to school to become a teacher and has been unable to find a job now that she has finally finished her degree.