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Here’s a hard lesson I had to learn when I first became a parent: “Vacation” is not synonymous with “relaxation.” If you’re looking for a low-stress, relaxing vacation, you’re not going to find it if you’re traveling with young kids. Vacations can actually be more anxiety-provoking than routine weeks at home. When we’re away from home, we don’t have control…
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I talk to moms—A LOT—about expectations. That’s because we moms expect so much of ourselves (and, let’s face it—society expects so much of us). We want to excel in all things Mom. But here’s the thing: none of us are perfect, which means none of us can Mom perfectly. Take me, for example: I am a complete arts and crafts…
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I have a distinct memory of an awful day when my older son was two months old. It was 90+ degrees and humid, and he refused to nap. I sat with him outside on the balcony of my apartment, cradling him in my arms as he wailed inconsolably. Exhausted and distracted, I found myself daydreaming about throwing him off the…
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My 4 year-old son is in a refusing-to-go-to-bed phase. Once we close his door for the night, he calls out for us, repeatedly and hysterically, to help him with everything from the vaguely believable (“I’m thirsty! Can I have some water?”) to the utterly ridiculous (“My pillow isn’t cold enough!”). Fed up, my husband and I decided to put my…
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As moms, we are often forced to have difficult conversations. With our partners, perhaps, if we feel that we are not getting what we need from them. With teachers or administrators, if our child is having problems in school. With extended family members, who we may perceive are not supporting us or our children in the way we’d hoped they…
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Are you the type of mom who thinks endlessly about all of the things you should be doing, but aren’t? Here are some examples of shoulds I hear from moms: I should be more careful about how much screen time my kids have I should volunteer for this PTO event I should be more on top of what my kids…
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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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