Parent Like It Matters

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Wilmington, NC
Parent Like It Matters

A Mental Health Therapy Group Practice for Children & Families in Wilmington, NC

12/19/2025

First day of Christmas break and the overstimulation hits FAST 😵‍💫

Kids are home. Routines are gone. The house is louder.
The messes multiply, and suddenly everyone’s nervous system is like… “AHHH.”

If you’re feeling more irritable, overwhelmed, or on edge right now—you’re not doing anything wrong. Big schedule changes + excitement + less structure = dysregulation for kids and adults.

A few gentle reminders for the next couple of weeks:

🎄Lower expectations (perfection is not required)
🎄Build in simple routines—same bedtime, same snack, same quiet time
🎄Regulate first, problem-solve later (talk less during meltdowns and open conversation when everyone feels more calm)
🎄Connection counts more than getting everything done

Christmas break doesn’t have to be calm to be meaningful.

The simple moments, the repair after the chaos, and the laughter in between are what actually stick.

You’re doing better than you think, and yes, that is toilet paper hanging from our ceiling fan.

12/12/2025

Therapy dog in training update: Client left… and someone is devastated.

Candy Land just isn’t the same without his buddy! ❤️

12/09/2025

✨ **December Team Update** ✨

So grateful to close out the year with a growing, evolving team and the sweetest community to serve. 🤍

A few important updates as we head into 2026:

📍 Olivia Horne is now seeing clients full-time at our Randall Parkway location!

📍 Christine Enderlin has joined us full time & will be transitioning from Oleander to Randall Parkway starting in January — we’re so excited for this new chapter for her.

💻 Emma-Lee Rush is now supporting families *fully virtual*, offering even more flexibility for busy schedules.

New photos, same heart. 💛 Thank you for trusting Parent Like It Matters with your children, your families, and your stories. We’re honored to walk alongside you.

📷: .castillo

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from Parent Like It Matters!

We’re extra thankful today for…

🧡 Kids who remind us how to play
💛 Parents who try again (even on the hard days)
🤎 Families who trust us with their hearts
🧡 Clinicians who create brave, safe spaces through play

We hope your day is filled with coziness, connection, and maybe even a little fun. 🦃

11/23/2025

At the time, this felt like a “major” life crisis… but looking back so many years later, this tiny human storming down the beach because her kite kept nose-diving into the sand is absolute GOLD. 😂🪁💨

We had adults sprinting, adjusting strings, offering pep talks, sacrificing ankles in hurricane-level wind — all while knowing from the very beginning what the outcome would be.

And honestly? Thanksgiving can feel the exact same way.
If we don’t set family boundaries before the holiday, emotions can crash fast, expectations get tangled, and suddenly you’re the one marching down the beach wondering why nothing is flying the way you hoped while someone’s getting hit with a kite.

So this year, let’s:
✨ Decide what we’re comfortable talking about & what to do when we need to draw the line
✨ Plan how long we’re staying
✨Communicate to our kids that it’s more than okay to say no to a hug, kiss, hand shake or any other contact with a family/friend that makes them feel uncomfortable
✨ Set limits on requests, tasks, and “just one more thing…”
✨ Choose who we are comfortable with our kids being around, for their peace & safety, not anyone else’s
✨ Protect our peace like it’s the last working kite on the beach

Because when everyone knows the wind conditions ahead of time, the whole day goes a lot smoother — and we avoid those dramatic walk-offs into the sunset. 😅🦃💛

Here’s to fewer crashes, more laughter, and Thanksgiving celebrations that actually lift you up.

11/14/2025

Introducing BEANS — therapy-dog-in-training, professional napper, part-time superhero. 🦸‍♂️🐶

We know it’s not always easy to spill the beans…
but something about his wagging tail and tiny paws makes sharing just a little less scary.

Get ready to see a whole lot more of this little bean around PLIM. 🫘💛

Thank you to for saving our sweet boy & Angela Keith with 456 Canine Coach for helping us get him ready!

11/12/2025

Once upon a time, we were the kids who cared deeply.
Who comforted friends on the playground.
Who dreamed of helping others feel understood.

Those kids grew up to become the therapists you see today — still believing in the power of kindness, play, and connection.

Somewhere inside, our younger selves are smiling — proud that we never stopped listening, never stopped caring, and never stopped believing that hearts can heal.

We are the therapists to others that we needed then — and we carry those little versions of ourselves into the work we do every single day.

Here’s to them… and to every child who’s still becoming who they’re meant to be.

We see you.
We were you.
We are honored to get to walk alongside of you. ❤️

11/09/2025

It started with a small idea — and one post.

Within days, shelves were built (thank you to my husband for turning date night into a building project), so many boxes of food appeared at my door, and the heart of this community showed up in the most beautiful way.

Our client food pantry is now open at our Oleander location — a space created from generosity, hope, and the belief that healing starts with meeting basic needs.

To our friends, family, and everyone who gave, shared, or cared — thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You helped create something truly special, and we are just getting started.

Food is also available at our Randall and Hampstead locations, with a larger pantry coming soon to Randall.

With so much gratitude,
Lauren

10/31/2025

👻 Happy Halloween from all of us at Parent Like It Matters! 🎃

While we love a good scare this time of year, one thing that truly is scary is the recent SNAP policy change and the real impact it’s having on children & families in our practice.

We know as therapists and parents that we can’t expect kids to focus, learn, or make progress in therapy when they’re hungry — or when they’re worried that their parents don’t have enough food either.

That’s why next week we will be converting our Oleander breakroom into a client food pantry as a small way to help bridge the gap and make sure our families have what they need. Emotional well-being and physical needs go hand in hand, and we want to make sure our clients know we see this new struggle in a world that already feels like it’s on fire most days.

If you or your children are PLIM clients in need of food, there are no questions asked. Just let your therapist know, and they will assist you. We are working to extend our reach to our Randall and Hampstead locations but in the short term, you will be welcome to set up a time to come by the Oleander office— just reach out to your therapist.

If you’d like to donate food we would be so grateful. We’ve created an Amazon wish list that is listed below and also in our bio. If you prefer to drop food off, please send us a message and we can coordinate a time!

Together, we can make sure no family goes without ❤️

https://a.co/8p0DTpI

10/29/2025

🎃 Haunted house?
Nope. Just another day as a child and family therapist.

It’s just last week’s unfinished notes.
It’s just a dysregulated kiddo throwing toys at you.
It’s just sand all over the floor (and somehow in your shoes).
It’s just glitter, literally everywhere.
It’s just a parent email that starts with “quick question”.
It’s just realizing the dollhouse family is missing the mom. Again.

Spooky? Maybe.
Worth it? Every single day. 🧡

10/27/2025

We can’t wait to spill the beans…

Exciting practice update coming soon! 🐶

10/21/2025

Because sometimes healing requires 12 versions of Uno, and lucky for you Emma-Lee is our resident Uno professional…

Address

4014 Oleander Drive, Suite 101
Wilmington, NC
28403

Telephone

+19107074160

Website

http://www.parentlikeitmatterspllc.com/, https://parentlikeitmatters.janeapp.com/

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