Parenting Archives | Rice Psychology

The Empty Nest: How to Cope When Your Kids Fly the Coop

on September 12, 2019 at 3:48 pm /

Parenting

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Last month, our oldest, Brian, left for his first year of college. It was a day I knew would come but was never quite ready to face. Even though we still have two other kids at home, Brian’s absence feels heavy for me. There’s no more, “Hey Mom! I’m home!” or “Hey Mom and Dad, I’m going out with the guys, be back later!” It’s only been three weeks and I miss him like crazy already! My husband seems to be handling it well and tells me that I’ll get...

Dr. Nikel Rogers-Wood Vlog

By Dr. Nikel Rogers-Wood

on August 13, 2019 at 4:43 pm /

In this short vlog, Rice Psychology Group’s Dr. Nikel Rogers-Wood would like to discuss the back-to-school period for college students! We hear so much about kids going back to school, but what about those in higher education? Post-high school education can be a period of both academics and finding your identity, and Dr. Rogers-Wood would like to discuss this topic in length. Watch, learn, and enjoy! ...

Taking the Best Steps Towards Making Your Stepfamily into a Happy Family

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 9, 2019 at 12:31 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. I recently married a man with a wonderful family of his own. I have a 9-year old son from my first marriage, and he has 14-year old twin daughters. The one thing that concerned us both was how our children were going to adapt to living in the same home. Much to our relief, our kids hit it off. My stepdaughters have already warmed up to my son and love him like a biological brother. With me, though, it’s a different story. They’re both still distant and rarely make conversation...

Freddish: Mr. Rogers’ Guide for Talking to Kids

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 11, 2019 at 3:36 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Before Audrey was born, I was often told that being a parent would be tough, but it wasn’t the diapers, the sleepless nights, or the tantrums that proved to be difficult. Now that she’s older, I’m finding that answering her frequent questions about what certain things mean or explaining even the simplest of life’s moments can be difficult. She is so inquisitive, and I am having trouble finding the right way to explain things to her. How can I do a good job at communicating and explaining things to her...

Making the Transition: A Closer Look at Transgender Teens, Their Parents, and the Challenges They Face

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 19, 2019 at 12:00 pm /

Over the past several years, we’ve seen an increasing number of children and teens who believe that the gender they were assigned at birth is not their correct one. As a result, many go on to transition from female to male or vice versa. Truth be told, this has been a learning process for our therapists, alongside the families we treat. To help us become more knowledgeable about LGBTQ issues, we’ve pursued additional training and consultation with other professionals to best support parents and kids through this process. We know that acceptance by parents can be challenging, but it’s an extremely critical and...

Bringing Back Family Night: A Few Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Spend More Time with Those You Love

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 30, 2019 at 1:26 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Last week, my wife and I spent our entire Saturday at my mother-in-law’s home for her birthday. We loved every minute of it, and I even got to see some of the family’s old photos! There were a ton of pictures of birthdays, Christmases, and Thanksgivings, but even more of just regular nights of them together as a family. My mother-in-law said they really enjoyed having “family nights” as often as possible doing fun and quirky activities. She says she misses them and hopes that Jackie and I do the...

Parental Caution: What a History of Mental Illness in Your Family and Marijuana Could Mean for Your Kids

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 23, 2019 at 10:29 am /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. When I was a teen, smoking marijuana was a common pastime for my friends and I. It was fun, mostly harmless, and we all grew out of it fairly quickly. Our kids are still young and happily not old enough to be dabbling with illicit substances yet (seriously, they are five and eight!). I told my wife that I wouldn’t mind if our children dabbled in a little weed when they were a bit older as long as they kept their usage to a minimum, but she immediately opposed this...

Doing it Now: Your Child, Procrastination, and How to Manage it

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 6, 2019 at 4:16 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Over the past year, my husband and I have noticed that our kids are procrastinating more and more. They usually do their homework late in the evening, wait until the weekend to clean their rooms (even though they’re supposed to do it every Wednesday), and sometimes miss the bus because they’re taking too long picking out school clothes for the day. Neither of us know how to get our kids out of the procrastinating mindset. It seems like they’d much rather play video games or mess with their phones all...

Child Tech Talk: When Limiting and Teaching Screen Time Meet

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on March 22, 2019 at 12:42 pm /

Parenting

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember. Even after I got a full-time job, I still found time to get in front of the screen and play my favorite video games for at least an hour a day. Now, as Sandra and I await our first child, I’m wondering if I’ll have to completely eliminate gaming from my life. I wouldn’t want to open the gates for my child to a pastime that becomes an unhealthy obsession. I want to set a positive example, but...

Would You Cheat for Your Kids? How Far is Too Far When it Comes to Helping Them Get Ahead?

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on March 14, 2019 at 12:51 pm /

Parenting

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. My oldest son is in high school and has a big project due for history class. I’ve always loved history and really want to help him with it. The thing is, the last time he needed help with something this large in school, I practically did it all for him. And it wasn’t because he asked me to. I hate to admit that I did it because I felt his work wasn’t good enough to begin with. Rather than talk to him about it and offer pointers on improving...