Check out some highlight clips from my recent conversation with Michaeleen Doucleff, author of the wonderful book, Hunt, Gather, Parent!

How can a parent respond helpfully when a four year old continually soils their pants? Read on for mindful suggestions and a developmentally appropriate context for this sticky situation.

How can a parent respond helpfully when a four year old seems to be “telling stories” to avoid disapproval? Read on for a developmentally appropriate take!

In the face of our young children's big feelings and difficulty navigating transitions, many parents find themselves relying more heavily on screen time than they feel comfortable with. How can we recalibrate when we feel at the mercy of our children's (developmentally normal) whims and whines? Don't worry - it's never too late to turn things around! Check out this presentation for answers to these and other questions!

With so many changes happening in a 3-year-old’s life, it’s hard for him to keep it together. Rebekka responds to a parent’s request for advice and perspective on how to help littles navigate transitions gracefully and mindfully.

When four year olds start to act controlling and unkind, how can concerned out parents understand this behavior and help their brains grow?

What is a tantrum? What causes them? How, as parents, can we help little ones navigate them? Check out this presentation for answers to these and other questions!

“Life is an improvisation. If we’re lucky, a long one.” -Patricia Madsen

The improvisational stance is not just a practice for creating art, but also a way of life. I’ve applied it in workshops for parents, educators, and therapists - check out this workshop I created for a group psychotherapy practice and play along!

Preschool is about more than snack time, singing Old MacDonald, and learning the ABCs. In fact, done properly, early childhood education can be the single best investment in a child’s future and society at large. The element that makes the biggest difference? Social-emotional learning, delivered by respectful, robust teachers. Find out more about how I coach teachers in this approach in this presentation!

When toddlers throw their bodies unpredictably, how can freaked out parents keep them safe?

Why is it so hard to go from one thing to another, to be in the murky middle? Why must we grieve as we transition? Join me as I tackle these and other questions with Oleg Lougheed of the Overcoming Odds Podcast.

When toddlers throw food from their high chairs, at least three different developmental shifts are afoot, for both toddler and parent!

A while back, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Oleg Lougheed of Overcoming Odds. Together, we explored the question, “Where does inspiration come from?” Take a listen or a gander as we navigate the depths of the human mind and spirit, with some delightful detours into improvisation and imagination!

Learned helplessness can be reversed simply by doing something.

Something is simply “anything that isn’t nothing.”

The foundations of STEAM learning are not about teaching content (like teaching preschool-level rocket science or quantum physics), but rather about developing ways of thinking and approaching problems more generally. Check out my thoughts on how to help your child cultivate a STEAM mindset!

The worst is definitely not over, people. Yes, let's take the needed sigh of relief that the calendrical end of this nightmarish year might offer, but remember that, in some ways, the nightmare is just getting started. Hold on for dear life to whatever joy you've got left, and please, please, please, if you're reading this: stay home as much as you can, if you can. Wear a mask. Avoid gatherings. Do it for all of us.

Nobody wants their children to recognize their own mortality, and that of everyone around them. But death is a part of life. Let us strive to speak the truth to our children and help them to face bravely the many goodbyes they must encounter during this life's journey.

The world has been saying "no" a lot lately. So I've made a conscious decision, and here it is: This holiday season, I'm going to say "YES" as much as I can.