There’s one key difference between schooling in the spring and this fall: We should rely on teachers and counselors more. That’s not to say parents won’t have a major role to play as translators and messengers to teachers, who will not be able to develop as deep a relationship with our child through a screen as they would in a classroom setting.

Although it's not as well documented as postpartum depression, post-adoption depression syndrome (PADS) is not uncommon: In a 2012 study from Purdue University, between 18 and 26 percent of adoptive mothers (depending on the screening scale) reported depressive symptoms within the first year of bringing home a new baby or child. (Rates for the small number of adoptive fathers also surveyed were similar.)

Nothing can fully prepare you for the day you receive a medical diagnosis for your child. I still remember ours as if it were yesterday. I was sitting in a room, excited to see my baby on the ultrasound screen, when the sonographer left the room to get the Medical Director of the SSM Health St. Louis Fetal Care Institute to come in and look at our scan, I felt a pang of fear.

Parenting can be challenging and stressful, especially when faced with a child, teen or young adult with emotional difficulties. In these instances, many parents will feel uncertain about how to most effectively handle their child’s behavior. Understandably, parents will often find themselves experiencing a range of emotions including, anxiety, stress, frustration, guilt, and sadness. A consultation can help parents feel emotionally supported while they learn new strategies for better communication, cooperation, and connection with their children.

When one child in a family unit has special needs (emotional, behavioral, developmental, physical, or illness related) it affects the entire family, particularly siblings. It is very easy and understandable for parents to become consumed with getting the child that displays the more critical difficulties the help that they need, unfortunately, this sometimes comes at the cost of the health and well-being of other children in the family. Disaster management and pure survival tactics dictate that the individual who is causing the most disruption, the high level of disturbance in the family unit, and needs the highest degree of care would consume the most mental and emotional energy from the parents. However, this can unintentionally leave other children in the family vulnerable to significant stress, anxiety, and pressure within the family system. When one child is experiencing a crisis, the other children MUST be supported and monitored too.