The seasons change; there is a special occasion; your child’s feet are growing; he/she just started walking; there are many exciting and everyday reasons to purchase new shoes. However, the purpose of shoes is to cushion, support and protect feet.  When feet are not properly supported, they cannot withstand the load they bear.  This may cause gait

As I was about to leave the hospital after giving birth to my son, my doctor entered my room (and I have to tell you, this wonderful doctor who had delivered my son, had delivered me 22 years earlier and, in those days of “G.P.’s” had been my only doctor since), put his hands on my shoulders, looked at me closely, and said, “remember Nancy, you were here first;

If you are reading this right now, then the answer is probably yes, or you know someone who is having difficulty with their teenage son and maybe you can offer them some constructive advice after reading this article.

The word teenage presumes your son has become a bar mitzvah, regardless if the event was accompanied by a ceremony or celebration. To

Every early childhood graduation has one.  One crier.  One anxious, uncertain child.  One kid who finds it utterly impossible to get up on stage.  This is my child.

This year it was his Kindergarten graduation.  In the past two years’ of nursery celebrations, my son, “J” had been overwhelmed by emotion simply by walking down the aisle that

Many people incorrectly assume that Occupational Therapy is a field that focuses predominantly on fine motor skills. More specifically, the muscles of the hands. In our past articles, we have given you a taste of many of the areas included in the scope of Occupational Therapy (OT) including crawling and early gross motor development, participation in play,

This is a tricky subject. I believe that most of us try to be the best role models for our children, but sometimes that has a tendency to go a little awry.  Like the mother who likes to watch reruns on her DVR, while her family is upstairs “doing homework.” She remains downstairs until it is safe so that no one will have any questions for her about the homework

It’s the last week of June, the time of year when many parents across the country are getting their children ready for their imminent departure to sleep-away camp. For most of our children, camp is a fun and rewarding experience filled with new friendships and excitement. In addition to physical and athletic activities, kids learn the important, long-lasting

Dear Rabbi Sam,

I am a bit embarrassed to even have to present this question, but here goes. My wife and I were both raised in Orthodox homes. We each have many siblings (I have five and she has seven). We both recall our Shabbos tables as festive, enjoyable, respectful, full of excitement, words of Torah and Songs for Shabbos. Flash forward

Think back to your childhood. Likely most of your fond memories had you digging for worms, finger painting or eating pasta (we called them noodles…) with your hands. You probably had some textures that you loved and some that you hated—probably still do—but you learned about the world through your sense of touch. We refer to this as your tactile sense.

Watching your children develop can be the most rewarding experience a parent can have.  You develop expectations for your children and hope they will achieve them.  When children are young, these expectations are small.  You await their first smiles, the first time they sit, roll over, crawl or take their first steps.  These milestones are expected to occur during

These words, commonly quoted within the Jewish world, and, I hope, throughout the general population, carry great meaning. As a Self-Esteem Facilitator and psychotherapist, it is my goal to help people understand that caring for oneself is a mandate and that, like the instructions given by flight attendants on airplanes, you must care for yourself first if you are

Finals season has entered my home. There is lots of “studying” going on in between the Heat advancing to the finals and the Boston Bruins winning in double overtime (which for those of you who don’t know what exactly that means, it means that the individuals watching the entire game and both overtimes are going to sleep waaay past what is reasonable and