Moxie Family Counseling

09/23/2025

09/12/2025

We are heartbroken by the shocking acts of gun violence that occurred yesterday, which reverberate through our communities and are witnessed by children – in more ways than we often realize.

On September 11th, which happened 24 years ago today, we learned how repeated footage of tragedy affects children. On 9/11, children couldn’t escape the TV footage of planes crashing and buildings falling. Now, graphic videos of shootings circulate on social media, exposing kids to violence they aren’t ready to see. Children shouldn’t carry the weight of the world’s tragedies on their screens.

Parenting through these moments is scary and overwhelming, but parents can help support children by checking in, limiting exposure, and offering comfort and safety. And as pediatricians, AAP remains deeply committed to advocating for gun violence prevention and its lasting impact on young people.

For parent resources about how to speak to children about tragic news events, visit www.healthychildren.org: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/talking-to-children-about-tragedies-and-other-news-events.aspx

05/05/2025

Oh we love this!!!

04/28/2025

Happy new moon! May you rest in the darkness and wait for your heart to sing you open. 🌸

04/24/2025

🖍️✨ This World Book Day, introduce your little ones to a special friend who helps make sense of big feelings. Meet Little Monster — a fun, free coloring book that sparks creativity while exploring emotions and mental wellness. 💚

Perfect for little learners and their grown-ups to start meaningful conversations about mental health.

📖 Download Meet Little Monster and begin the journey here: https://bit.ly/3RvYpCk

04/22/2025

04/22/2025

This is neat

When Dr. Dan Siegel and I talk about "shark music" 🦈🎶, we’re referring to how our experience of any given moment can either lead to peace and serenity🙏, or fear and dread😪 (much like the theme song for the movie JAWS can turn an idyllic beach scene into something ominous).

🦈 Shark music takes us out of the present moment, causing us to practice fear-based parenting. ✨Our attention is on whatever we’re feeling reactive about—we worry about what’s coming in the future, or sometimes we respond to something from the past. And when we do so, we miss what’s actually happening in the moment—what our children really need, and what they’re actually communicating. 👈🏻

As a result, we don’t give them our best. Shark music, in other words, keeps us from parenting the individual child, in this individual moment.

And as we’ve mentioned before, the key to a Whole-Brain response is so often ✨✨AWARENESS✨✨. Once you recognize that shark music is blaring in your mind, you can shift your state of mind 🧠 and stop parenting based on fear, and on past experiences that don’t apply to the current scenario you face.

Instead, you can connect 🫶 with your child and what they’re feeling. You can give her what she needs in this moment: a parent who is fully present, parenting only her based only on the actual facts of this particular situation—not on past expectations or future fears. ❤️✨❤️

If you’d like to go deeper with this concept, Dan covers it extensively in PARENTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT, co-authored with Mary Hartzell. 📚👓🐛 (Folks can also check out the Circle of Security program for more on "shark music"!)