Dealing with Your Child’s Feelings

How Children Express Themselves and What You Can Do

By Jaclyn Shlisky, Psy.D.

Mr. Rogers once said:

 

“Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.”

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Is It Just Picky Eating? Understanding ARFID

What Exactly is  Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

By Jestine Argueza, RDN, LDN

Maybe you’ve always known your child was a “picky eater”. But now the list of foods he will eat without a struggle will fit on a small post-it note. His “picky eating” is taking a toll and interfering with family meals, not to mention your concerns about his nutritional needs.

Turns out, it really is a thing and there’s a name for it.  Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder or ARFID, is an eating disorder diagnosis, newly and aptly named in 2013.  However, it’s quite different from other forms of eating disorders.

So, what IS it?

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Turning Mistakes Into Triumph: Tips for Parents & Caregivers

My most powerful “Aha! moments” have come from making gut wrenching mistakes and minor faux pas.  As a child, I recall my mom saying, “Do what you think is right.” Argh!  Of course, I knew it wasn’t right!  Even though it was painful at times to feel complete responsibility for my own mistakes, I am now thankful for them. When children get incorrect answers on tests or quizzes, their grades suffer commensurately.  Of course, no …

Snacking Sense

By Christie Caggiani, RDN, LDN, CEDRD If you’ve ever tried to have a clear and concise conversation with your child after school, you might find it a daunting and nearly impossible task.  Typically, you will find their attention, energy and desire to recount the day stretched thin, and much of that is simply because their bodies have run out of fuel. If it’s been at least 3 hours since their last meal or snack, or …

What is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist?

The Institute of Medicine identifies registered dietitians as qualified professionals for nutrition therapy. According to IOM, “the registered dietitian is currently the single identifiable group of health-care professionals with standardized education, clinical training, continuing education and national credentialing requirements necessary to be directly reimbursed as a provider of nutrition therapy.” A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD or RDN – these credentials can be used interchangeably) is a food and nutrition expert who has at least a …

Is Restricting Food Really OK?

“We don’t keep bread in the house.”     “One serving is enough – kids don’t need seconds.”      “We just have protein and veggies at dinner.”      “Why is my child sneaking food and snacking all the time?!” Hmmm – at first glance, these may seem like separate, unrelated statements.  There is, however, a common thread and a chain reaction that is in play throughout the scenarios…and it all starts with restriction.  Carb …

What is Child Coaching?

Child coaching is a therapeutic tool that can be used to supplement existing therapy or on it’s own to help children cope with minor struggles or behavioral problems.  It is an economical and effective support to help children deal with school stress, disorganization, behavioral concerns and issue specific support such as loss of a loved one or a parent in recovery.  Child coaching at Therapeutic Oasis is based on a therapeutic model making it an …

Emotional Eating

Emotional Eating. This term has become a bit of a buzz word in recent years, typically having negative connotations and leading to the assumption that we should completely learn to separate emotions from our entire eating process.  This couldn’t be further from the truth, however.   In fact, our feeding relationship is best healed and balanced when we allow ourselves to (1) feel our emotions without judgment, and (2) eat with joy and awareness. When …

Mindful Parenting

Stephanie Burstein, Care Specialist You ask your child to clean their room, or finish a chore and before you know it, the situation quickly escalates. Your child is now screaming and talking back. So what is your reaction?  How we react and problem solve when faced with a conflict is how our children learn to problem solve and react in a similar situations. Next time you see yourself in a struggle with your children take …

Modeling Nutrition: 8 Ways to Lead

Christie Caggiani, RD, LD/N Research has shown that the more parents push their kids to eat, the more kids resist; and the more they try to stop their kids from eating or restrict certain foods, the more the kids seek them out.  So does this mean we as parents just let our kids run their own food show? Absolutely not. Remember that kids are growing beings – our job is to set the stage so …