Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

February 17th, 2017

 Dear Dr T.,   I was a very successful junior high Morah/mechaneches in a prestigious in town school. And, every year, mothers would come and complain about the mean girls who were bothering their daughters – excluding them, mocking and/or teasing, and generally making their lives miserable. The thing is – that the girls they accused were often the products of the finest homes, models of derech eretz, or just all-around …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

February 23rd, 2017

Dear Dr T,  My wife and I come from a very similar background: one where children should  be ‘seen and not heard.’ Because of the negative effect  that this  child rearing method had on us, we are committed to bring up our children differently. We are grateful that we have BH been able to establish a home where our children have a voice and are eager to share with us.  So, what’s the problem, you might a …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

March 2nd, 2017

                                                    Purim Stress   Dear T., With Purim upon us, I feel sheer panic! Mishloach manos, seuda, Megilla [two times!], costumes, and ‘collect …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

March 9th, 2017

Dear Dr T, There is an issue that I struggle with – and I’m hoping you can help me achieve some clarity. My husband is very ‘correct’ – maybe even midas hadin- and this is the source of much tension and stress in the home. He was raised by very strict parents, and he wants to bring up his children the way he was raised, particularly in the area of kibud av v’am. At times, though, it seems to me that he borders …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

March 16th, 2017

Tantrums, especially when they are thrown in public, are no fun. Even in private, they frustrate us and make us wonder what has happened to our typically lovable child. No wonder that tantrums are often cited as the most challenging issue that parents face. Common wisdom holds that if you ignore tantrums, they will go away. This is based on the behavioral principle of reinforcement and extinction, which claims that, that which is not reinforced w …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

March 23rd, 2017

Dear Dr T., We are worried about our seventeen-year-old son, a good boy who lives in the dorm of his yeshiva. He is very frum, and particularly scrupulous and meticulous in shmiras mitzos. He is well known in his yeshiva for davening the longest shmona esrei and for being honest - to a fault. So, what’s the catch? Well, with Pesach approaching, his frumkeit has become more intense. He keeps calling home with questions. ‘Do you know ho …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

March 30th, 2017

                                                         Dear Dr. T, To be totally honest,  Pesach is not my finest hour. The cooking, cleaning, and so many days off from scho …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

April 5th, 2017

 Dear Dr. T.,  I have always loved Pesach- as a young girl and as a Mom of little ones and teens. But, the last few yom tovim have been trying, to say the least, and I wonder if you could help.  You see- most of my children are ‘young-marrieds’ with a few children each. Because they live in out of town kollelim, they all want to come home for the seder and be with family.  So, what’s the problem? Well, though …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

April 25th, 2017

Dear Dr T, Like many women of her generation, my mother was a ‘screamer.’ Though she was a very good person who had no intent to harm, it was like she was on automatic pilot. Whatever the issue – small or big – my Mom used yelling as the first line of defense. Though I survived very nicely – thank you very much- I resolved to leave yelling out of my arsenal. I have been BH by and large successful, yet I still do yell …
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Author: Sara Teichman, PsyD

May 8th, 2017

Dear Dr T., You often talk about proactive parenting but I am not exactly sure what you mean. I am familiar with the word proactive from Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, but I don’t know how it applies here. All I know is that I have a hard time managing my children and would like any help I can get.   Dr. T., Proactive means having a plan in place, knowing what you are going to do even before somethin …
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