Parenting

I would like information about how to discipline my children. I was spanked as a child and I have mixed feelings about it. I find that I am starting to spank my children and while it sometimes stops their behavior, they just do the same bad thing next time. My friends tell me that spanking doesn’t work, and they don’t think I should be doing it. My parents think it is important to be strict so that my children learn the right behavior. Is it okay to spank your child?

As the new school year begins some kids are very excited and others might start to get anxious. Luke Spiegelhoff, Nexus-FACTS Clinical Director, provides tips on how you can help your child cope with anxiety.

As families prepare for the new school year, tune in with Head Principal Brad Franklin at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School for tips on how to help kids adjust!

Summer vacation will soon be over and the new school year will begin. There are many ways to help get your family off to a great start in the new school year by scheduling doctor appointments early, creating a routine, getting organized, and building a partnership with your child's teacher.

My ten-year-old daughter hangs out with a group of girls whose parents I actually don’t care for. I think we just have different values in our family. With this parent group, there is a lot of gossiping, worrying about what others think or getting into their business, or talking down about other families. I am hearing the girls have the same kind of conversations and it is starting to worry me. What do I do as a parent? These are her friends.

These handy little helpers can remind your child they are not alone. Worry Buddies can go with your child anywhere they go, always there to help them cope and take on your child's worries so they can move forward.

Power struggles are not enjoyable – when two people or parties are competing for control or influence, it makes for a very uncomfortable and frustrating experience. The more we can self-regulate the better we will be at dealing with difficult situations. Check out four strategies that will help guide you to avoid power struggles.

As summer ends the reality (whether parents, students, or school systems like it or not), is that most students are headed toward a mostly or entirely virtual fall.

Sport fishing is the lifeblood of the Mille Lacs Lake area in Minnesota where one of our youth residential treatment facilities, Nexus-Mille Lacs calls home. The simple joys of fishing are apparent – fresh air, the simple beauty of nature, the thrill of “fish on,” and a little peace and quiet to name a few.  But what about some of the deeper benefits that the sport of fishing has to offer?  Things like relationship building, the importance of self-care – allowing one’s mind and body the opportunity to relax and develop positive coping techniques.  Spending time in nature can reduce stress and anxiety and elevate your mood.

Our first instinct as adults is to protect children from information that contains violence, depicts the suffering of others or is deemed as “too difficult to understand.” While this is true when the information serves no purpose, when the information is fake (like TV shows and movies) or when it doesn’t have applicable meaning, you do not want to shield children from difficult conversations when they are already being exposed to real-life situations. Under these circumstances, children need to discuss life events so they can appropriately make sense out of what is happening.