In Honor of Mother\’s Day: What\’s the Best Advice Your Mother Ever Gave You? By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Associate for Life in Transition Do you wonder what your kids would say to that question? It might be fun to ask them on Mother\’s Day. Here is a short list of what advice was given to women, by their mothers, from my circle: Help others even if you feel shy. Go for it because the clock is ticking. Hold your own hand. You don\’t have to see it. Pray anyhow. Open the door for others. Try again and again. Save money as soon as you make some. Nothing lasts forever,... Read More

Now They\’ve Done It! What to Do When Your Kids Want to Unfriend Grandma. (Wisdom From a Plugged In Parent) By Sharon Miller Cindrich, for GRAND Magazine NABBW’s Grandparenting Associate QUESTION: My child wants to remove his grandmother from his Facebook friend list because she makes embarrassing comments online. What should I do? According to a study last year by Microsoft and AARP, kids are connecting with grandparents in unprecedented — and sometimes slightly embarrassing  — ways thanks to social networks. Fifty perfect of seniors are online, and the benefits of cross-generational... Read More

Staying Inspired During Life\’s Challenges By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Associate for Life in Transition How do you keep going when you  feel like you are immersed in challenges? Here are some suggestions: Call someone you trust. Ask them if you can POUR your heart out. Consider what you think a dear friend would do if her or she were in your shoes? Exercise. Get outside and walk noticing what is in FRONT of you as you walk. Trust that, “This too shall pass.” Give yourself the gift of a few simple PLEASURES, like movie day, a day at home or ordering in food. DOODLE Read... Read More

Are You Guilty of Taking Your Excellence For Granted? By Judith Sherven, Ph.D. NABBW’s Associate for Healthy Relationships Perhaps… You did well in school with practically no effort. You’ve always been well-liked, even in grammar school. You’ve aced every employment interview you’ve ever had. Your people skills feel like second nature and people have always come to you for help. You receive praise from your manager but it doesn’t mean much because you’ve always been able to perform well. You enjoy your work because using your best skills is a real pleasure so you don’t... Read More

What Inspires Me: Understanding The Anxiety-Depression Swing By Judith Sherven, Ph.D. NABBW’s Healthy Relationships Associate When I was early on in my private practice as a clinical psychologist some 30 years ago, I kept noticing how so many of my clients suffered from a pattern of anxiety as they pursued a goal that they desired (their frustration with not achieving the goal was usually the reason they had come to me for help in the first place). Yet, after making some minor progress they would reel back from the anxiety and soon they would fall into a nagging depression. These weren’t... Read More

Daughter-in-Law Alert: Is Your Maternal Relationship Actually Hurting Your Marriage? By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-law Survival Associate Mothers and daughters have a rather unique relationship. Whether they are close or distant this relationship affects many of the other close relationships a young woman has in her life. As I explain to young women I counsel, “This relationship affects your relationship with your spouse, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and can even affect your relationships with your friends.” Having a distant or struggling maternal relationship is the... Read More

Celebrate Love This February. Specifically, Choose to Focus on What You Love About Yourself By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert Focus is important. I enjoy choosing a focus for each month. With February around the corner, it is natural to choose to focus on love. It\’s always a great focus. But for today, let\’s not focus on ludus, or eros, which are the Greek terms for romantic and sexual love. And let\’s not talk about agape, either. That\’s the Greek term for family love. Instead, let\’s focus on self-love. But before you start thinking I\’m... Read More

As It Does Every Year, The Year-End Holiday Season Offers Us An Opportunity to Recognize and Celebrate The Magic Of Our Cultural and Religious Differences. Why Not Relish It? By Judith Sherven, Ph.D. NABBW’s Healthy Relationships Expert The year\’s fourth quarter — the period from October through the first of the next year — is a wonderful time of the year. There are a number of major holidays of course. But more importantly, these events give us a huge opportunity to recognize and celebrate the magic of the global “melting pot” in which we live and work. For example,... Read More

The Holidays Are Upon Us: How Are You Doing At Projecting an Image of “Warmth and Welcome?” By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert Thanksgiving and holiday time brings out the shine, goodies and beauty, as well as my black stretch pants.   I love the holidays for its anticipation, creativity, memories of loved ones, sentiments, and new traditions. When we travel and gather, like a decorated room, we mix and match.  We move our lives around, like chairs, and hope for comfort and connection. I know holidays also bring expectations and disappointments from the mundane... Read More

Looking for Something to Do Together? How About Taking Ballroom Dance Lessons! (No Worries About “So You Think You Can Dance?” The Answer Is: “Yes, You Can!“) By Judith Sherven, Ph.D. NABBW’s Healthy Relationships Expert If hot and sandy activities like swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and surfboarding are not your thing, but you want the pleasure of moving your body—get out and learn to dance. Even if you already enjoy dancing, like my husband Jim Sniechowski, PhD and I do, that doesn’t mean there isn’t more fun to be had. We do a mean “get down and... Read More