• Finding a “mom squad”

    This piece from Scary Mommy stresses the importance of becoming part of a “mom squad,” a group of moms who support each other. I agree! This piece also claims that “other moms don’t judge.” Wish I could agree!  Sadly, patients often tell me stories about being judged by other moms (interesting side note: Scary Mommy is also running a piece…

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  • All Joy and No Fun

    I love Jennifer Senior’s All Joy and No Fun. It points out that parenthood is far from the “sunshine and flowers” experience that American parents somehow come to expect. I often recommend it to patients; it validates their experiences and helps them feel more compassionate towards themselves (which is a major mission of cognitive-behavioral therapy!) Senior recently sat down with Motherwell to discuss…

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  • Over-scheduling kids: Not good for them (and not good for us!)

    This piece about over-scheduling kids reminds us that the best way to encourage our children’s creativity is to provide them with free play time. I’d add that over-scheduling kids also impacts parents’ creativity and well-being. Constantly shuttling children from one activity to the next leaves us with little time/energy to engage in creative thinking (or any type of thinking that doesn’t involve…

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  • What We Miss When We’re Always Waiting

    Six months ago, while I was innocently opening the fridge to grab a yogurt for my two-year-old son, he snuck up behind me and bit me on my butt. My scream heard ‘round the world (or at least ‘round my kitchen) ushered in The Terrible Twos, an era that my older son seemed to bypass entirely but my younger son…

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  • There is no room for mom guilt in the resistance

    Here’s a mantra I’ve adopted for myself about rising up against this new administration. There is no room for guilt in the resistance. As a psychologist, I’m also sharing it with my patients, a lot of whom are mothers. Today’s moms are in a unique position. We haven’t had to live through the political upheaval faced by past generations and…

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  • When motherhood is nothing like what you expected

    Here is a piece I wrote for Scary Mommy, about managing expectations for motherhood: My children, Jenny, Jamie and Tracy, are currently lying face up in a box in my closet. Perhaps I should clarify. These three children are part of my vast and beloved doll collection, which I started when I was 4 years old and got my first…

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Mom Brain Book
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Proven Strategies to Fight the Anxiety, Guilt, and Overwhelming Emotions of Motherhood—and Relax into Your New Self

About Me

I’m Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco, Ph.D., aka DrCBTMom. DrCBTMom.com combines the expert advice of a self-help book with the warmth and readability of a mommy blog.
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