Our Blog
Get plugged into the latest Be Strong Families news, initiatives, and blog articles — all central to creating transformative conversations that nurture the spirit of family, promote well-being and prevent violence.
More Blogs
Parenting a Child with Autism During the Pandemic
In our October 26 webinar for our series “Staying Strong and Positive for Ourselves and Our Children”, Literacy Programs Manager Deanne Surles and Mental Health Therapist Takara Montgomery discussed challenges and opportunities that COVID-19 has presented to Takara and her 13-year-old son, who has autism. By speaking from her own perspectives and her own unique experiences, Takara led webinar attendees in a learning experience of one individual’s journey through the pandemic with her family.
Family Storytelling
This week our blog is short. We want to encourage you all to be intentional now about the stories you’re telling and the stories you’re making with your family.
What to Do When You Have Negative Feelings Toward Your Emerging Adult
Feelings like frustration, resentment, and disappointment—and yes, even hatred—toward your emerging adult is to be expected and a natural occurrence during parenthood. Unfortunately, this is an issue that is under-addressed in parenting advice or discussions and precisely why parents are reluctant to express such negative feelings out loud.
So, what can you do about these feelings?
Parenting Emerging Adults
Back in the day, when we were coming up, our parents considered themselves pretty much done with their job as parents when we hit 18 (or 22) and graduated from school. Today? Not so much. Now, we know that adolescent brains aren’t fully developed until the mid-20s and, as parents, our experience is that our 20-somethings still need us…sometimes a lot. So, what’s going on and what can we do to prevent disaster and to successfully launch our kids into adulthood?
My Forever Home
No one ever talks about successful foster homes. We always do the contrary. Today I want to share how critical and influential my forever home has been to my life. This home gave me hope and wisdom.
What Does Family Mean to You?
Family is one of Be Strong Families core values, beginning with respect for and appreciation of others no matter how old, how young, where they come from, what they’ve experienced, where they are, how capable they are, how healthy they are, who they love.
Your Children Are Not Your Children.
No matter where I am on my (growth) journey as a parent, that first line of Gibran’s poem always gets me; a punch, right in my gut. It’s a natural, normal parental reaction to an obvious fact—I birthed them, raised them, loved and nurtured them, provided and protected them, encouraged and supported all of their hopes and dreams. So yes, they belong to me!
A Parent’s Perspective on Child Welfare and Family Engagement
As part of the federal Child and Family Service Review (CFSR) process, Child Welfare systems are graded on their ability to engage families. All of them fail and most are struggling to do better. Why is Family Engagement so difficult for child welfare systems and how can it get easier?
In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems, exacerbating loneliness and isolation.