by Ayden Heim | Feb 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
“What are skillful ways to respond to the wants of our children?” I’ve discussed previously how the motivated pursuit of goals, the territory of wanting, is a defining characteristic of human beings. The time that we learn the most about wanting is in childhood....
by Ayden Heim | Feb 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Dear Dr. Hanson,When the baby cries we pick her up, but our parents say she’s manipulating us and she’ll never learn to live without us if we keep getting her. We’re worried she will be traumatized — and our parents worry she’ll become a...
by Ayden Heim | Feb 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Dear Dr. Hanson,How can we figure out what our children want?A child’s — or grownup’s — wants usually follow a particular path through time that I call an ‘arc of desire.’ Figuring out what a child wants requires understanding that...
by Ayden Heim | Feb 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
“Our 14-month-old, Sam, really gets mad when he can’t do or have something he wants. He’ll hold on tight to an object, and if we take it away, he will try to get it back and fuss a lot. I’m worried about frustrating him too much, but my mother tells me that kids just...
by Ayden Heim | Feb 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
My three previous columns have discussed the key challenges of the teen years: isolation, mediocrity and risky behavior, and conflict. The best way to minimize these problems is to lay a foundation prior to (and during) adolescence of loving intimacy, positive...
