Peaceful Parenting

How to raise happy and resilient children

Erin Leonard Ph.D.

Is Your Partner Telling You How He Really Feels?

If you are sensing a disconnect between what a partner says and how he or she acts, it may be a sign you need to look deeper. Understanding what this inconsistency means is vital.

Stop Shame in Its Tracks

Feelings are the essence of who a person is. Recognizing and accepting feeling states help a person understand himself or herself and the situation.

Why a Narcissist Does Not Seem Like a Narcissist at First

Being the hero is is not always an act of love. It may be a narcissistic tendency. Rescuing someone in order to gain control of him or her is manipulative.

What to Do When Your Partner Shuts You Out

Attempting to fix problems in a relationship is healthy. If a partner shuts down, it's difficult. Four tips to assist a person who wants to help a partner who withdraws.

Breakup, Separation, and Divorce During COVID-19

"I don't have a right to feel sad when people are dying" is a sentiment I hear from many grief-stricken clients impacted by an issue unrelated to COVID-19.

De-Escalate Family Conflict During Quarantine

Family fights can spiral out of control, causing emotional turmoil for everyone involved. Here are five ways to contain the conflict and heal the ruptures.

Why Teens May Struggle More During COVID-19

When developmental tasks are not met, kids feel depressed. The primary developmental task of a teen is independence, which is not possible currently. Here's how to help.

Intrusive Thoughts: Where They Come From and Why

Unconscious anxiety, the type that one is not aware of, frequently bubbles up to the surface and takes shape as a dark thought. Here is some help with intrusive thoughts.

He or She Reels You In to Pull the Rug

A partner who oscillates from nice to mean, caring to cold, and interested to dismissive keeps a person spinning. Here's how to stop the pain and confusion.

Keep a Child Thriving During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A parent's primary focus is to take care of a child's physical health, but taking care of a child's mental health is equally critical.

Shaming and Enabling, the Two Parenting “No-Nos”

Parenting is confusing. How does a parent attempt to understand and support a child without enabling? The answer is important and has ramifications for a child's character.

Nightmare Fights: What Causes Them and Why?

Do you swallow feelings and opinions because a partner refuses to hear information that challenges his or her self-perception? Understanding why and how to help is imperative.

How to Raise a Child With High EQ

A parent who is in tune with how a child feels and honors the feeling, yet upholds expectations and rules is a parent who empathizes instead of enables.

The Interplay Between a High EQ and Anxiety

A person with a high EQ may be more vulnerable to bouts of anxiety because her or she is in touch with uncomfortable emotions.

Help for the Conflict Avoidant

When nightmarish fights follow a minor confrontation, often a person resorts to stuffing feelings, which can take a toll.

The Difference Between Narcissism and Confidence

Confidence is not narcissism. You may have a higher EQ than you think.

Six Ways to Help a Child Who Has a Toxic Friend

It is critical that a parent possess the tools to identify a toxic friendship and assist the child in escaping an abusive union before irreparable damage is done.

Anxiety Is a Beast That Can Be Tamed

Five strategies to reduce anxiety can be seamlessly incorporated into a person's busy day.

The Best Christmas Gift to Give This Year

Don't wait too long and wish you knew what was eating at your child. Gain the tool to know today.

Is It a Love Language or an Excuse to Be Insensitive?

Some people do nice things in a close relationship to excuse future emotional inadequacies. However, without empathy and accountability, love is lost.

The One Way to Beat a Narcissist

The more a narcissist tries to incriminate you, the more he or she may incriminate himself or herself. Thinking deeply about the situation is the answer.

Relatives Who Make You Squirm

Give yourself permission to gracefully exit a toxic encounter this holiday season. Here are six ways to subtly and diplomatically inoculate drama and sustain the peace.

When Your Partner Accuses You of Being “Crazy"

Does it feel like you exist in a different reality than your partner? Are your feelings quickly rebuffed when they differ from your partner's? Extreme deflection may be at play.

Relationship PTSD

Your new girlfriend calls. She’s upset. You try and say the right thing. She grows quiet and ends the conversation. Panic ensues, and you are certain she's going to leave you now.

How to Help Your Child When a Co-Parent Is Narcissistic

A narcissistic parent often leaves emotional scars. Yet intervening may provide that parent with ammunition to distort and allege parental alienation.

Achievement Is Not Necessarily An Indicator of Character

Ensuring a child is successful is a full time job. But the ultimate goal is to raise a successful child who also has good character. Parent in a way that facilitates both.

You Can Talk to Me

Being a person who is able to help a loved one or friend in a crisis creates a lasting bond. 

Instantly Stop the Mind From Racing and Grab a Few More ZZs

The human brain is a magnificent tool but it needs a break every so often. Providing that break through a daydream may help a person slow the mind down before bedtime.

How to Help With Homework, Test, and Life Stress

Assisting a child manage anxiety is one of a parent’s most important jobs

Will There Be Anything Left of Me?

Emotional mistreatment is real, yet often remains undetected because the offender convinces the partner that he or she is at the root of the problem.

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