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Katie

Katie is a Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist/Parenting Expert in Los Angeles, CA. She has a five year old daughter, three year old son, and a rock and roll husband who makes her life complete. Katie has a parenting advice blog, Practical Parenting and can be found on Twitter. Author of The Happy Kid Handbook: How to Raise Joyful Children in a Stressful World.

Childhood Pressure

Childhood is full of pressure these days. It seems to start almost the instant they become toddlers.  The very moment that they show signs of “independence”, people feel compelled to define the expectations. Put on your own shoes. Clean up your own mess. Pick up all of your toys. Make your bed. Pour your cereal. …

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More Than Good Enough

  A few months ago it seemed like there was a heavy focus on competition among moms.  The media loves a good conflict, and jumped at the chance to get moms talking/fighting about who works harder and various other things. It worked, for a few weeks. But then we all went back to our lives. …

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The Gift of Self-Esteem

The more parenting articles I read each week, the more I begin see yet another shift in the way people view parenting.  There’s a bit of a negative spin out there right now, and has me concerned. Twice in the last week I’ve read articles (in popular magazines) stating that we, as parents, spend too …

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The Snowball Effect

Things can really snowball when you start bending the rules just a little.  In fact, sometimes it’s more like an avalanche. My three year old is what we might call a picky eater.  A very, very, very picky eater. He lives on fruit, yogurt, whole grain bagels, carrots, and sugar snap peas.  He will eat …

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