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Back-to-school this year comes with a milestone for my family: my 12-year-old is heading to middle school. He’ll be taking a city bus to and from his new school, which is across town from where we live. It’s a simultaneously thrilling and terrifying prospect that has raised a nagging question: Is it time for a smartphone?

Daily challenges that children face range from navigating illness, trying to make friends at a new school, struggling to understand a new concept at skill, or experiencing deep grief from the loss of a loved one. As a parent, it can be tempting to solve our children’s problems and remove the stressors from their lives. These three tips can help you support your child in developing resilience and confidence amidst adversity.

It’s summer! A time for relaxation, exploration, and a well-deserved break from the school routine. But just like children’s academic skills can regress during this period (the dreaded "summer slide"), social-emotional skills and mental health can also take a dip. Here are 5 tips for preventing the summer SEL slide and promoting family wellbeing.

Caring for ourselves and our children is a stressful job. From the number of decisions we make each day, to navigating work, health, and schooling, a parent’s to-do-list is neverending. Even though experiencing stress isn’t enjoyable, it’s important to remember that everyone experiences stress. Exploring ways to better understand and manage your stress can strengthen your connection and relationship with your child. 

Every year, Mother's Day prompts a flurry of Hallmark card purchases, brunch reservations, and frantic (maybe even last-minute?) searches for the perfect bouquet. Don't get me wrong—these gestures are lovely and appreciated. But for many moms, the gift they really want isn’t something that can be wrapped. It’s recognition of—and help with—the mostly unseen work that keeps the family ship afloat.

The emotions we experience influence the way we interact with the people we love. As adults, many of us haven’t had the time (or support) to explore our emotions or build healthy coping strategies. Due to busy schedules, dealing with grief, trying to support our family’s financial needs, and so many other challenges that we experience as parents, understanding and navigating our emotions can fall to the bottom of the to-do list.

As part of our relationship mapping and mental health initiatives, we’ve been focusing much more of our time on creating resources for educators and caregivers to help them support student mental health. We aim to Increase awareness around mental health for both teens and adult in addition to providing adults with actionable tips and strategies to support their teens, and themselves.