“A lot of people think ‘I’m just not patient, and that’s the way it is,’” says Sarah A. Schnitker, Ph.D, a psychology professor at Baylor University who studies patience. But that’s not exactly the case. Patience is a skill that can be acquired — and one that is extremely useful for parents and everyone else. “You can accomplish your goal faster because you’re able to stay regulated, which allows you to exert more effort,” Schnitker says....

During the coronavirus pandemic, all that stress is bottled up entirely at home for the millions who have had to make the abrupt transition to working remotely — while also trying to manage the anxiety of quarantine, homeschool kids, and cope with financial uncertainty. Without the solidly familiar structure of the workday, we need to be especially mindful about drawing boundaries and fighting burnout. So what are the best ways to cope without it affecting your family?...

The behavior technology expert’s a-ha moment came during a day he spent with his his daughter. They pored over a question: “If you could have any superpower, what superpower would you want?” Eyal remembers the question. He doesn’t remember the answer. He was looking at his phone. From that moment forward, Eyal wanted to figure out how to gain back his time from the dependency he had on technology. His new book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life dissects why we get distracted and serves as a resource to find healthier tech routines and help people understand that we often turn to technology when we don’t want to confront our uncomfortable feelings of boredom or anxiety....

RELATED: The Complete Fatherly Guide to Divorce and Kids Get the Divorce Papers for Your State If you Google “family law” and the name of your state, you will find a link to a website for the judicial system in your area. Go there. Read everything they provide. Every state is slightly different, but most require minimal initial paperwork to set the wheels in motion, including a Family Law Petition (basically stating you want a divorce), Summons (acknowledging you understand the divorce process in your county), Property Declaration form, and documentation of any children under age 18....

“Resentments occur when there is a lack of communication and actions about things that are bothering one, if not both partners,” explains Chasity Chandler, a licensed mental health counselor and certified sex therapist. “They do not happen overnight and have oftentimes built up over many years as couples grow and that primary focus on the relationship dissipates or shifts to our careers and children.” Chandler says that one of the first signs that resentment might be creeping into your relationship is when you find that you don’t enjoy being around your partner as much as you once did and, in fact, will look for other things to do rather than go home and face them or your responsibilities at home....

But it doesn’t have to be, says Michelle MacRoy-Higgins, Ph.D. A speech-language pathologist and co-author of Time to Talk: What You Need to Know About Your Child’s Speech and Language Development, she says that although late talkers demand attention, a speech delay isn’t always cause for concern. “I don’t want parents to think that if their child is a late talker, that he or she is doomed. Because it’s very common,” MacRoy-Higgins says....

Being Strong Willed is a Childhood Strength Parents have plenty of influence on a child’s behavior. Less so on a child’s personality. But when parents focus on helping a strong-willed child’s behavior become productive, they can grow to become determined and loyal adults. But it requires self-awareness to understand their emotions and build the capacity to empathize with others. “Parents, teachers, and mentors can concurrently strengthen a child’s ability to remain strong-willed by encouraging him or her to speak openly about emotions and think of healthy strategies to cope when things do not go their way,” explains Dr....

What is mental load? Well, it’s a blanket term for the invisible work that parents must take on — the planning, organizing, remembering, and worrying that tasks require — much of which is usually shouldered by mothers. Let’s use a playdate as an example. The mental load of a playdate is all the little things that add up to a successful outing. The scheduling. The coordinating. The initial conversations with other parents....

Parenting expert and author Sarah Ockwell-Smith, who recently wrote How to be a Calm Parent, approaches this common struggle as one that requires time and introspection. She sees calm parenting as a practice that parents can grow into as they better understand themselves and how past experiences inform interactions with their kids. Sure, calm parents tend to exhibit specific traits, but they are characteristics that emphasize an emotional presence that extends far beyond crisis management....

That might cause a certain amount of anxiety for some parents, who may be silently screaming: Isn’t it bad for their health!? Well, no. Not actually. In fact there is very little evidence that nose picking is harmful unless it’s connected to profound and very rare psychological conditions like a desire to eat the inedible (pica) or pathological nose-picking (rhinotellexomania). Parents can rest assured that nasal non-interventionism doesn’t put kids at risk....

How to Know If You Should Cut Back on Drinking If you’re a regular drinker, it’s never a bad idea to take stock of your relationship with alcohol and make sure it’s working for you, says George Koob, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). If you’re not sure where to start, Koob suggests asking yourself two important questions. First, how does drinking make you feel?...

How to watch the 2022 Olympics on streaming The Olympics are being broadcast on NBC and for streamers, that means the coverage will be available on Peacock, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, primetime coverage, full replays of all competition once they conclude, medal ceremonies, and everything else you could want. You do have to have Peacock’s premium subscription, meaning you’ll need to pay $4.99 for a month of service. While Peacock is definitely your best bet if you want to the Olympics to take over your life for the next few weeks, there are other options....

When Can I Start Night Time Potty Training? Staying dry through the night typically takes longer for kids to master than having accident-free days because nighttime potty training is contingent mainly on physiological development. “Whether or not their body is physically able to hold the urine long enough to wait until the morning to eliminate is the biggest factor in nighttime potty training,” explains Jazmine McCoy, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and founder of The Mom Psychologist....

Here’s the deal, though: Not everybody can float naturally the first time they jump in the water. In fact, it’s actually harder for some people than others — taller people, for instance, may struggle just because they’re so long. Floating takes practice. But the more comfortable kids get doing it ⏤ both back and front floating ⏤ the more confident they’ll become in the water and the more ready they will be to start swimming....

Truth be told, your only real option is to text short replies. The key is to do this without seeming or, worse, being dismissive. Being home with a kid is really stressful so it’s critical that panic or urgency be accepted as legitimate. It’s important that you try to vibrate on your partner’s frequency even if, in reality, that’s not really happening. Just Be an Adult Often when a text buzzes in, it will sound like your partner has a problem she wants you to solve....

Be honest: You’ve seen couples working out together, and your reaction is generally either “Why don’t we do that?” or “Who in the ruddy blue hell has time for this GOOP new-age Pitbull-obsessed-$750-for-Athleta-pants-nonsense?” And both reactions are valid! Couples who work out together share a valid interest that carries the side benefit of helping to keep both parties alive, and Athleta is seriously expensive, guys. It’s black yoga pants, calm down....

“Writing out an apology, rather than voicing it, can be immensely helpful because it allows you the opportunity to slow down and reflect,” says Liza Gold, a licensed clinical social worker and the founder and director of Gold Therapy NYC. “When writing an apology, you have the chance to be deliberate with your words, and written language is deeply impactful.”Now, before we go further. This should be obvious, but just in case: do not text your apology....

No, I insisted. Writing it down, making a budget wouldn’t work. Or, rather, it’d require too much work. I wanted ease, a positive checking account at the end of the month. In my mind, if she’d make better decisions — maybe eschew the expensive sweater in favor of the thriftier version — we’d be in the black, instead of scuffling to pay the latest preschool tuition bill. I did not relay this calmly....

This is the reality of living a chemical-free lifestyle, which my wife and I had decided we wanted to do in order to protect our children. To be fair, the kids seem basically fine. The problem? I’m losing my mind. I launched into the chemical-free family project about a month ago after reading a book by Dr. Robert Brown, called Toxic Home / Conscious Home. Brown’s argument for removing the toxin from the home resonated with me....

My kid is supposed to go to Pre-K in the Fall and, well, I don’t see it happening. If it does, there’s like a 10 percent chance I’m going to be comfortable with it. I have a fairly flexible work schedule and with a little sacrifice — and, yeah, a lot of work — can maybe make it work with homeschooling. My question: Is my kid missing out on anything?...