happiness is opening oneself to discovery – of our true selves amongst the hustle of our overtasked world and to healing so we can be present and have effortless fun with those we love.

in the importance of truly “seeing” kids as they are and supporting their unique exploration of themselves and what they want in life. Parents provide love, fun, strength, and honesty. Protection is not shielding and scaring, but gently informing and inviting empowerment. As a child psychologist, I support authoritative vigilance, yes, but not stifling shame.

that failure is necessary to learn and anxiety signals opportunity. Parental instinct with an awareness of child psychology give us the road map to gently guide kids into resilience.

that screen time is an essential part of childhood now. Kids have embraced the virtual world, so parents need to get braver and accept tech with agreeable curiosity rather than frightened resistance.

ADULTS by helping you build insight, learn emotion-management tools, and rediscover spontaneous play in between the necessary and mundane. Healing happens in informed, reflective, creative spaces.

PARENTS by helping you achieve meaningful parent-child connection and screen sanity. You will find no parent shaming here. Fun family connection is achieved with learning, laughter, compassion, and joy!  ❤︎ 

KIDS by encouraging empowerment, resilience, and smart problem solving in real life and in virtual neighborhoods. Kids must recognize that we “see” who they really are. To do that we really have to listen and join them in their fantastical world of play.

STUDENTS who thirst for understanding and knowledge. Psychology requires students to learn about themselves and others in all facets of what’s important. Teaching addiction studies, parenting, and psychology courses has helped me heal as I tell stories, like my mom’s devastating descent into alcoholism. Each lecture requires me to convey my deep understanding and compassion for those suffering.

I worry often that my kids are going to be discovered acting terribly online, and I’ll lose all credibility. The truth is they probably will act terribly online, and that’s them being teens. Parenting is a never-ending process. I’m not the perfect mother, and they’re not perfect kids.

I was raised by a mom who fiercely loved me but did not love herself. Because I truly “saw” her in the every day, I believe she grew to resent me. I felt invisible. I felt “seen” by my dad but he lived 1000 miles away. I longed for more time with him. Now he is gone, and I’m trying to love and protect my mom in ways she didn’t for me. I try hard to ensure my kids feel seen and will grow up loving themselves. 

I’m a single mom. My 21-year marriage ended, because we could not speak each other’s love language despite giving it everything we had. The marriage was 16 years of happiness and 5 years of, once again, feeling invisible. Before my divorce, I was devastated when my dad and stepmother died and my mom succumbed to dementia in one year. It became crystal clear that life is short; invisible is not how I want to live it.

My love laughs at me all of the time because I am always claiming everything and everyone “is my FAVORITE.” I can’t stop doing that, and secretly don’t want to.

I’m an expert at choosing incredible friends. I’m sensitive and have a dark and inappropriate sense of humor. I require safety, love, and devotion from those I choose to reveal myself to, so I choose my besties wisely.

Being vulnerable online, on stage, and in front of the camera takes a lot of courage for me. At 50+, it feels great to be courageous. I’m not quite where I want to be … and I hope I never am. The journey of discovery is exquisite.

If you’re looking for a screen-free parenting guide, this isn’t it.

As a mom of teens and an educator, I believe that when our digital natives are on-screen, they have the opportunity to learn genius skills necessary to thrive in today’s world. In our house, we love each other, and we enjoy using our screens. Screen time deprivation isn’t usually necessary for healthy family living … but balance is. Get your copy today to learn all about Internet safety for your kids!

I’m the mom psychologist who helps you GetKids InternetSafe.

Onward to more awesome parenting,

Dr. B