Parenting

Clear is Kind: Fostering Trust and Connection in Families

Creating strong family bonds through honesty and consistency “Clear is kind.” As a foster and adoptive parent, this simple saying became a game changer for my parenting journey, especially for our children with a history of trauma. We form stronger bonds as a family when we are communicating …

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School Assessments: Tools For a Child’s Success

Understanding how school assessments support your child’s learning, behavior, and growth. With increasing conversations around mandatory school assessments, many parents find themselves feeling anxious or even alarmed. Questions like “What does this evaluation mean for my child’s future?” or …

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When Young Children Show Aggressive Behavior

What Parents and Caregivers Can Do When a young child is displaying aggressive behavior, it can feel overwhelming and distressing for parents. Behaviors like hitting, biting ,and pushing aren’t just challenging, they can negatively impact a child’s ability to safely socialize with other children …

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Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Your Family’s Mental and Physical Health

Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health Before, During, and After a Crisis With earthquakes, tornadoes, and train derailments making headlines recently, it’s easy to feel secondary stress from watching the news. As a parent, it’s important to remember that your reactions to these disasters …

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How To Help My Child’s Anxiety

Practical tools to help your child feel safe and supported. Anxiety has always been a part of childhood. Today’s young people are navigating an increasingly complex world—one filled with fast‑moving information, unpredictable events, and pressures that can feel overwhelming even to adults. For …

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Honoring My Kids’ Roots in a Multicultural Family

A foster and adoptive mom’s reflections on love, culture, and belonging I am not sure it will ever feel like enough… but I will always try to honor my kids’ roots. When we became a foster family, the first children who came to live with us were siblings, a teen boy and a toddler girl, who were …

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Talking to Teens About Social Media

Helping Teens Build a Healthier Relationship with Social Media Starting July 2026, Minnesota will become the first state to require mental health warnings on social media apps. Before users can scroll through posts, they’ll see a pop-up message acknowledging that prolonged use may negatively …

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How to Have Genuine Conversations With Your Teen

Communicating effectively with your teen and being in touch with their emotional and mental health is important to foster and grow healthy relationships. So, how do you foster a genuine conversation based on truth, mutual respect, and understanding? Here are some ideas to create a safe space and …

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Suicide Prevention Parenting Tips

Suicide is and has been for the last decade, the second leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2007 and 2018, the national suicide rate for people ages 10-24 increased by 57%, with no indication of …

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How to Support Your Loved One in Their Gender Expression

Here at Nexus Family Healing, our staff serve all youth, including trans and non-binary youth. Supporting these youth in their gender expression is a critical part in the care we provide, and we hope we can offer some advice for anyone looking for ways to support their gender nonconforming loved …

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Keeping Your Oxygen Mask On

One of the most important things I’ve learned as a mom to three sons is the oxygen mask metaphor. Airline staff instruct you in case of an emergency to put on your own oxygen mask before helping your children. Which let’s be honest, in an emergency I’d probably react on instinct and do the opposite. …

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Helping Youth Navigate Election Stress

As the school year is now in full swing, the typical stressors that come up for kids – new teachers, new schools, new teams, new friends – are in full motion. But a unique challenge that can arise every 4 years, occurring in lunchrooms, hallways and even on the playgrounds in the fall, is the U.S. …

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