Author: Chien Liu

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Few parenting questions generate more opinions than whetherto have a second child — and few questions are more cloudedby myth, assumption, and well-meaning but unreliable anecdote.The “only child stereotype” — lonely, spoiled, sociallyawkward, overly dependent on adults — is one of the mostpersistent in popular psychology. The research tells a very different story. This article…

Stepparent and Stepchild Relationship: How to Build a Bond That Lasts

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in Blended Families

One of the most common mistakes stepparents make is also oneof the most understandable: they try too hard, too soon. Theyarrive with genuine warmth and good intentions, ready to lovea child who is not yet ready to be loved by them — and theresulting friction is interpreted as failure when it isactually something far more…

How to Help a Child with Separation Anxiety: What the Research Says

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Almost every child experiences some degree of separation anxietyat some point in their development. For many parents, watchinga child cling, cry, or beg them not to leave is one of the mostemotionally difficult experiences of early parenthood — madeharder by the fact that most parenting advice either dismissesthe anxiety as normal and not worth addressing,…

What Is Emotional Regulation in Children? A Parent’s Guide

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If you have ever watched a child completely fall apart over somethingthat seems trivial — a broken cracker, the wrong colored plate, asock that doesn’t feel right — and wondered why they cannot simplycalm down, you have encountered one of the most important conceptsin child development: emotional regulation. Understanding what emotional regulation actually is, why…

How to Talk to Your Child About Divorce: An Age by Age Guide

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in Separation and Divorce

One of the questions parents going through a separation ask most oftenis also one of the hardest: what do I actually say to my child? Theanswer depends significantly on how old your child is — because atwo-year-old and a ten-year-old are not just different in size. Theyare genuinely different in what they can understand, what…

How to Handle Toddler Tantrums: What’s Actually Happening in Their Brain

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If you have ever watched a toddler dissolve into a screaming,floor-prostrate meltdown over something that seems completelytrivial — the wrong color cup, a banana broken in half, a sockthat feels wrong — you have witnessed one of the mostmisunderstood events in early childhood. Toddler tantrums are not manipulation. They are not bad behavior.They are not…

Birth Order and Siblings: What the Research Actually Says

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in Sibling Relationship

Birth order is one of the most popular topics in popular psychologyand one of the most misrepresented. The idea that firstborns arenatural leaders, middle children are neglected peacemakers, andyoungest children are charming rebels has been repeated so oftenthat it feels like established fact. The actual research tells a more complicated and more interestingstory. This article…

What Is Co-Parenting? A Practical Guide for Separated Parents

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in Separation and Divorce

Co-parenting is one of those terms that gets used constantly inconversations about separation and divorce, and defined almost never.Most parents going through a separation have a general sense of whatit means — something about raising children together while livingapart — without a clear picture of what it actually requires, whatthe research says makes it work,…

What Is Serve and Return? The Simple Practice That Builds Your Baby’s Brain

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If you have spent any time reading about early childhood development,you may have come across the term “serve and return.” It sounds simple— and it is. It is also one of the most well-supported findings inall of developmental neuroscience, and understanding it changes howyou think about every ordinary interaction with your baby. This article explains…

Sibling Rivalry vs Sibling Conflict: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

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