Posts by Susie Garlick

In 2006, Gayle King began hosting The Gayle King Show on Oprah’s XM Channel 156. Like many during that time, I was a huge Oprah fan. I watched her shows, I listened to her radio programs, I even went to two of her conferences; one in Los Angeles and one in Miami. Listening to The…

Such a fun day talking with the girls at Just Try It about everything parenting. Their subscribers asked the questions, and we sat down and answered all of them. Enjoy!

Anger is not uncommon in parenting. For some, it is a daily occurrence, but if left unchecked, it can become problematic for a number of reasons. Below I share with you the story of Jane. Whenever I share a story from counseling, I always change the names and some of the circumstances to protect the…

You know the old saying: Give them roots and give them wings? Well, times have changed. We seem to have lost track of giving our children wings, and instead, we are holding them by a kite string. Let’s look at the difference… I live in Arizona. Flying a kite in the desert is usually not…

It is not unusual for humans to search for happiness outside of themselves. If I get the car, I will be happy. If my child gets into the school he wants, I will be happy. When I lose fifteen pounds, I will be happy. But trying to find happiness outside of yourself is like chasing…

Consequences: The word “consequences” comes up almost every day in my work. It comes in some form of the question: What consequence should I give my child? This is usually followed up with a frustrating explanation: We have taken everything away and nothing works! NOTHING! The reason that NOTHING works is because parents sometimes focus…

A few years back,  I had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Dr. Katey McPherson. She is an Internet safety expert, and she shared what our children need to fight the effects of technology. Our conversation was filled with all sorts of useful information, but more than anything I realized the importance of what…

My youngest daughter rarely has on matching socks. In the laundry room, I have a jar of socks. It is filled with solo socks that have no match. When it’s time to put on her shoes, she walks to this jar, grabs two socks, and puts them on, matching or not. One day she said…

Sibling Rivalry: To Help or Not to Help—That is The Question. Sibling rivalry is a topic that has plagued parents for years, and the research behind it is enough to make any parent crazy. If you do nothing, your children might think you don’t care; if you get involved, they often blame you for favoring…

Recently, I was reading an article for moms and after I finished reading it I felt like I was raising (almost) responsible children. In it, the author was discussing the importance of teaching our children responsibility. While I could not agree more, I also found myself feeling a little unworthy in the “teaching responsibility” department…