Deborah MacNamara

Deborah MacNamara, PhD, is a developmental counsellor and is on faculty at the Neufeld Institute. She makes sense of kids for the adults who are responsibile for them. Deborah is the author of Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (or anyone who acts like one), and Nourished: Connection, Food, and Caring for our Kids (and everyone else we love).

Toddler Milestones

How to ease your toddler’s separation anxiety: 5 tips to better attachment

Toddlers are highly dependent on others for caretaking, and staying close to you is one of their biggest jobs.

Back To School

This is how to make your morning routines for school easier—and less hectic

2. Solicit good intentions.

Parenting

How to be your child’s safe space

Rest matters because it frees our attention. When we don’t have to look for love, we can start to figure out who we are.

Children's Health

How to help your worried child express their feelings

Come alongside them.

Health & Wellness

Boys do cry—and parents must let them feel all their emotions

The more our children can feel, the more caring they will be.

Back To School

The one thing every child needs to bring with them to school

Think of it as their shield.

Child Learn & Play

Want to raise resilient kids? Teach them to embrace their feelings

It is the emotional mending of what has been broken that paves the way to being able to thrive and bounce back.

Life

What every parent needs to know about human emotional development

1. We often use the word emotion and feeling interchangeably, but they refer to different things.

Toddler Learn & Play

Kids not listening? They might be craving a deeper connection—to you

You cannot truly care for a child who has not given their heart to you.

Child

Your independent child is evidence of a healthy parental attachment

When children can take us for granted, they can leap into new surroundings of their own making.

Parenting

Help your kids solve sibling fights—without affecting your own relationship

Play matchmaker!

Parenting

Why timeouts don’t work for toddlers

When we get a young child on our side, it can prevent dealing with big reactions and upset in the moment.