Dear Reader,

This site – the blog, organization and seeds for the book – were all born out of searching and not finding help for my own parenting that I could rely on. I wanted to discover practical strategies for my everyday life that were tied to the strong research base on how to support children and teenager’s social and emotional development at each age and stage. My son was four. And his self determination (as I see it now) and obstinance (as I saw it then), his rebellion, and moves toward independence had me stumped. How do I respond to him when he tells me “no” when there’s safety at stake? How do I handle it when he does the opposite of what I’m telling him (and I’m infuriated?)? How do I deal with this in ways that teach him to manage his emotions in healthy ways? And how do I manage my own emotions when I’m overwhelmed by them? In the wee small hours of the morning as I laid awake wondering where to find support, I decided I would learn for myself and share it with others. Surely others had the same questions that were keeping them up at night.

This single idea grew into a community of learners, experts, friends, partners and most of all, parents and caregivers (thank you, grandparent readers!) who put their role forward as one of the most valuable and meaningful in their lives. You have been on this parenting journey with us as we’ve grown and changed and asked new questions. We got our largest spike in viewers in those first months of the pandemic – parents in pain asking, what about our children’s social and emotional well-being? Thank you Pamela McVeagh-Lally for writing “My Kid’s School is Closed, Now What?” which attracted 50,000 readers and was reshared by the U.S. Department of Education! Below I share our top ten most popular articles below. Check them out and maybe there are ones you missed the first time around?!

I have such gratitude for my learning partners – Ethan, my son, Jason, my husband, my parents Linda and David and our contributing leadership team – Nikkya Hargrove, Dr. Jenny Woo, Mike Wilson, Dr. Lorea Martinez, Dr. Shannon Wanless and Jason Miller. Our recording of our dialogue and toast is our gift to you. Our hope is that you continue to read, share, ask good questions and contribute to our community of learners supporting one another in our journey to be confident parents who love confident kids.

Best,
Jennifer Miller

Founder

Top Ten Articles Over Ten Years!

1. “My Kid’s School is Closed, Now What?!” by Pamela McVeagh-Lally
2. “50 Constructive Alternatives to Detention and Punishment” by Jennifer Miller
3. “Family Emotional Safety Plan” by Jennifer Miller
4. “Kindergarten Exhaustion” by Jennifer Miller
5. “Stop, Think, Go! Problem-solving Practice for your Family” by Jennifer Miller in collaboration with Roger Weissberg
6. “Parent-Teacher Conversations” by Jennifer Miller
7. “Games” by Jennifer Miller
8. “Family Guidelines for Fighting Fair” by Jennifer Miller
9. “Parent Resources” by Jennifer Miller
10. “A Storied Childhood; The Impact of Stories on Children’s Social and Emotional Development” by Jennifer Miller