By Winnie Sun
What mom doesn’t want her child to grow up to be smart about money? It’s never too late for a kid to learn, but the sooner you start teaching–and modeling–wise financial behavior, the better.

Research shows that money habits often are set by age 7, so introduce your children to money as soon as they can count.

Here are some methods I use with my own youngsters:
*Introduce your child to the concept of using a shopping list and have him help you find items on your list. Tell her why you shop at discount stores. As she gets older, have her calculate the unit price to figure out what item is the best deal. Make a game of finding items on sale and show him how to compare prices on national brands with those of store brands. (more…)

BY Crystal Lee
The transition to college comes with lots excitement… and, more often than not, also a hefty dose of anxiety. College is often the first time your child will live away from home and be entirely responsible for his or her life. Not only will he or she be handling more rigorous academics, but he or she will be navigating a new social scene, juggling more competing responsibilities than ever, and managing higher levels of stress. Without proper planning and support, your child may struggle or flounder.

For the smoothest transition possible, take a team approach to planning. Gather your child and all the important adults who have contributed to your child’s success in high school (e.g., parents, school personnel, psychologist) to discuss your child’s strengths and needs in all aspects of life. Remember, college is more than just academics. It takes academic aptitude, social skills, emotional resilience, and basic life skills to thrive in a college environment. (more…)

BY Danielle Matthew, LMFT
“Mean girls” is seen as a rite of passage for teens. However, bullying can cause damage to the self-esteem of each generation of girls who face it. Girls gossip, talking behind each other’s back. Supposed friends shun them and leave them out. With the advances in technology, bullying can also move into social media and texting. People can now shun you electronically – blocking you from their Instagram or Snap Chat – and then say mean things about you to a very public audience that you can’t access. Cyber-bullying is a whole new world of hurt for today’s victims. (more…)

By Paola Gancman

“When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are about our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others.” Eda Le Shan

Being a mom is the most precious, rewarding and challenging job that we will ever have in the world. Our time and energy is completely invested in nurturing, protecting and encouraging our children to grow and shine. We all balance many different roles as moms, professionals, wives, partners, daughters, friends and much more. That is why the words of Eda Le Shan speak to me so clearly. If we can truly take care of ourselves, inside and out, we can be more alert and sensitive towards others. We can be the mom, wife, partner, friend and professional that we want to be. (more…)

By Alexis White
We’ve spent the summer enjoying long days and late bedtimes, but as we move into the school year, we have to face a dreaded routine change. Getting our kids down earlier and making sure they’re up and at ‘em, fed, dressed and ready to conquer the day is plenty. On top of that, we have to fit in afterschool activities and of course…ugh…homework. While there are myriad views on the effectiveness and necessity of homework (particularly for young students), a stress-free nightly routine can help our kids understand how they learn best, which is a tool that they will use for the rest of their lives.

In fifteen years of working privately with students, I’ve realized that every child (like every adult) works differently. Some kids come home, sit right down, and finish their work—before they’ve had a snack or even “vegged” out. Others have to eat dinner before they can even look at a worksheet. The best way to avoid the homework “fight” is to: (more…)

LA MOM MAGAZINE interviews Sam Pemberton on keeping our kids safe online

By Sam Pemberton
Q: What are some of the best ways for parents to keep their kids safe online at home?
A: Talking to young people often and openly is the best way to help keep them safe online. Engage with them about what they do online and how they use digital resources – are they active on online forums, social media, or gaming sites? Take an interest in what sites and applications they enjoy using, and explore these sites and apps together. It’s important to be positive about this process and try not to overreact about any concerns you have so that you can open up a dialog with them. (more…)

By Jamie Tworkowski
Right now, thousands of people are talking about the show 13 Reasons Why. We’ve heard stories of people asking for help for the first time, and stories of people who had to stop watching because the show was too triggering for them. We’ve heard from parents asking if we think the show is appropriate for their son or daughter. We’ve heard from people who loved the show, and we’ve heard from people who hated it.

13 Reasons Why is causing a significant number of individuals to think and talk about mental health, and many of them are thinking and talking about it for the first time. That’s a good thing. (more…)

By Nathalie Kunin
Although schools consider various factors when reviewing applications, none seem to cause parents more undue stress than the ISEE. Parents always want to deflect attention away from ISEE scores and ask me: Don’t the child’s grades and extracurricular activities count? What about the interview? How about legacy and sibling status? Schools do look at each applicant as a whole, but ISEE scores are the best indictor if a student will be able to succeed academically at their school and they are often the first measure considered when evaluating candidates. This doesn’t mean that students with lower scores will not be accepted to an academically rigorous school, it just means that they will have more hurdles to overcome. ISEE scores cause parents anxiety because they are hard, cold numbers and the rest of the application is subjective. (more…)

By Larry Hohl
“You can be anything you want when you grow up!”

This familiar phrase has been passed down through the years to children as a way to empower them to dream BIG.

Are you ready for a reality check?

Take a moment to ask yourself, “Do I really mean it when I tell my child they can be anything?”

If you answered “YES,” kudos! Given today’s evolving workforce, more parents need to be open-minded to a multitude of careers for their kids. (more…)

By Marissa Hutter
Today’s Kindergarten curriculum has advanced. Whether you attend public or private school, children are expected to be reading and writing stories by the end of Kindergarten. They have a certain number of sight words to be memorized. They take written tests and get graded. The transition from a play-based preschool, to an entirely academic day has challenged our children in new ways. The curriculum has changed, however, children’s developmental needs have not. Children today still require the same social, emotional, and cognitive foundational skills that were once offered over the course of Preschool and Kindergarten.

Yes, the transition into kindergarten can be difficult. But ultimately, building a foundation of confidence and resiliency will equip children with the mindset, motivation, and capability to succeed in school. (more…)