This blog has been a long time coming, and its contents have been swimming around in my head for quite a while. Over my years of practice I’ve developed some beliefs and ideas about children that, while being somewhat counter to popular ideas in the field of mental health, have been important in my work with parents and families. My goal is to share them in this blog in hopes that they can be helpful to others. I also hope to gain further insight and wisdom from your feedback. I welcome your input, your critique, and your own experience. This can only help all of us who are trying to help children.
I hope that the contents of this blog can eventually become a book. Although the book has no physical form as of yet, I have always known the title: Normal Kids. It’s based on the idea that children’s behavior does not need to be pathologized in order to be understood.
It’s worth pointing out that much of the wisdom that I carry into my work was stolen from my wife. She is a very loving and intuitive parent, especially when it comes to creating experiences for children that teach them well. I often hear her words come out of my mouth in the consult room. While lacking in credentials only, I have no doubt that she could do this work as well as I do, if not better.