Whenever I read about a mindfulness-in-schools study that didn’t have the results researchers were hoping for, my heart sinks a little. I feel a mix of disappointment and confusion because I know mindfulness can be helpful, and we all want to support kids who are...
When kids build their worth on self-esteem, they ride the emotional yo-yo of social comparison. Self-compassion offers something steadier. Many well-meaning parents try to help their kids develop high self-esteem. But self-esteem can be a fickle friend. It's there for...
Hello friends, The other night I was driving out of town to pick up my daughter, and I was feeling upset. Events outside of my control were weighing heavily on my mind, so I turned on soothing music. But I knew I really needed to give myself compassion. I opened my...
Hello friends, I continue to feel grateful for the conversations unfolding around the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids series—conversations rooted in the real joys and struggles children face as they grow. My writing here will keep returning to those...
Sometimes it's fear. Hello friends! In a recent reflection, I explored motivation for kids. Here, I’d like to explore a common saboteur of motivation—fear—and how it can show up for kids (and us) in surprising ways. A story about Amy (Note: Details about Amy and her...
A reframe that can help parents support kids Hello friends, The other day I heard myself telling my 13-year-old that she “lacked motivation” to do something productive over break. And actually, this conversation didn’t begin over break. Uh-oh, I thought to myself,...
Habits that help when we're worried Hello friends, The other day my daughter, Maya, and I were waiting nervously in the waiting room of the oral surgeon’s office. We were frazzled from arriving late (more on that later), and Maya was fretting about the anesthesia that...
Hello friends, I just finished taking the six-week, self-paced Parent-Child Mindfulness and Self-Compassion class with my neighbor, Dee, and it feels both sweet and tender. I invited my nine-year-old neighbor to take the class with me for 2 reasons: She struggles with...
Hello friends! I teach playful mindfulness and self-compassion lessons in schools, and today I’m inviting you into a few K5-4th grade classrooms to see how I help kids open to goodness and take in good things. Do you ever have those days when you’re fixated on what is...
Hello friends, This week’s story is the final chapter in my child-centered, play-based creation series. While these stories might seem to be about how I co-created the Mindfulness & Self-Compassion Workbooks for Kids, they’re really about something deeper:...