It’s my mission to help you find calm and joy in parenting.

I’m a developmental and behavioral pediatrician. This means I see kids whose parents worry they may have developmental delays, hyperactivity, tantrums, or learning difficulties.

I’ve also taught pediatrics to medical students and residents, and brain psychology to university students.

But more importantly…

Once upon a time, I was your child.

I remember having tantrums in public, my parents getting embarrassed, whispering, “What will people think?” – and feeling like I’d ruined the day for my family.

Fast forward to when I studied psychology in college, and then went on to specialize in pediatrics after medical school. I learned that tantrums were a normal part of child development.

It was like a big thorn was pulled from my chest. All those years ago, I wasn’t being a naughty child. I did not singlehandedly ruin many of our family’s happy times.

Then during my training in developmental pediatrics, I had another epiphany. Had my parents known about a few simple techniques, my tantrums didn’t have to destroy what could have been magical and meaningful family moments.

But in the clinic, I felt there just wasn’t enough time to give parents the support they need. This is why I decided to focus on parent coaching – and Discerning Parenting was born.

Science

CHILD DEVELOPMENT + POSITIVE PARENTING

Situation

YOU KNOW YOU AND YOUR CHILD BEST

Intuition

GUIDED BY INTUITIVE AND INTEGRATIVE METHODS

I’m here to support you with the tools and confidence to make parenting decisions that are backed by science and an understanding of your child.

As a parent, I know firsthand what it feels like to get a ton of advice, then feeling confused or feeling like we’ve failed if we can’t do it all.

I understand all the expectations around parenting that make us feel like we never get it right no matter how hard we try.

But every child is unique. Your child is unique. That’s why popular advice that worked for someone else may not work for you.

And if we look at what science actually says (real science and not just what’s popular on the internet!), it actually shows us what we can focus on so that parenting can be easier.

It’s time we give ourselves permission to stop chasing after everything that’s popular and doing everything that we’re told we “must” do as parents.

It’s time to move away from Parenting by Popularity™, and practice the Discerning Parenting Way™.