I could say that all of our conversations
have been this easy, but they are not.
Unfortunately, we have had to talk about
the separation of families and death quite
a bit this year. My daughter has watched
me mourn the death of a very close family
member and offered words of comfort. My
gauge for knowing that she is mentally
prepared for the start of the school year is
that she expresses a variety of emotions.
She expresses being nervous, but yet feeling
happy. She also expresses that she will miss
her friends, but is excited to make new
friends. As long as she continues to show a
variety of emotions and verbally expresses
them to me, I feel confident in her ability to
adjust.
My advice to parents of children at any age
is to keep the lines of communication open.
Ask open ended questions and don’t accept
one word answers. For example, ask “What
was your favorite moment today?” versus
“Did you have a good day today?” Any
moment is a good time to talk.
Question: What do you think are some
of the characteristics of a strong Christian
family? (Attributes that help our children
develop emotional and spiritual maturity or
stability). Are they characteristics that all of
us can achieve if we are willing to work at it?
Dr. Dédé: When I think of a strong
Christian family, my mind naturally falls on
the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-
23).
• Love
• Joy
• Peace
•
•
•
•
•
•
Forbearance
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control
Although Galatians 5:22-23 is a high
standard, the most important thing is to
strive to exhibit these gifts individually
and within our family units. As we strive to
exhibit these characteristics, it is our hope
that our children will model these same
attributes to others within their environ-
ment.
Question: What led to your passion
about psychology in school settings? What
has been your most rewarding experience in
working with parents and their children?
Dr. Dédé: Simply put, I have a love for
empowering children and youth. Working
in a school setting seemed most natural
because this is where children and youth
spend most of their time outside of the
home. Also, I firmly believe that healthy
schools build healthy communities and
healthy communities build a healthy world.
The most rewarding experience has been
empowering parents to advocate for their
children’s social, emotional, behavioral,
and academic needs. Many families I
encounter have not had the healthiest inter-
actions with the school system. They have
lost faith in the school system and are frus-
trated. It’s rewarding to be able to bridge
the gap between families who feel disenfran-
chised and the schools in which they have
entrusted their children. What I have often
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