
- Life before kids
- How doing therapy with kids before becoming a mother shaped how she parented
- What you can do to help your child when they are “perfect” at school and let it all out at home
- The importance of preparing your kids for the unknown so they know what to expect and how to behave at an event
- Life with teenagers – how to get them to communicate with you at that age, what discipline looks like
- A day in her family’s life
- Managing work/life balance as a busy mom and business owner
- What she struggles with most in the day to day
- A few of her favorite tips and tricks: consequences, do-overs, “right words, right voice”
- Rapid fire questions and her thoughts on “13 Reasons Why”
Show links:
- North Shore Family Services – Dori’s therapy practice with 4 locations around Chicago
- Dori was recently interviewed by the Chicago Tribune on “13 Reasons Why”, giving her thoughts on the show and offers tips for conversation starters with your kids about the topic of suicide, signs to look for relative to depression and suicide and much more.
Listen below or subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play!
Dori talks motherhood…
What would you tell an expecting mom about the experience of being a mother?
Every child is different. Every parent is different. Explore and enjoy the differences and try your best to understand what your children need, rather than asking yourself why the day was so hard and why they are being a pain in the you-know-what.
What is the hardest part about being a mom?
Perhaps the hardest part is watching your children suffer through something that you just can’t “fix” for them, but that they have to learn for themselves. It’s a gift to allow them to problem-solve and come out on the other end triumphant. The process is challenging, though. Oh, and not being able to pee alone or get dressed in private or listen to your own music when in the car with the little ones and then teenagers. Eh. I guess it’s all kind of hard, but amazingly joyous at the same time.

About Dori…
Dori Mages is a licensed clinical social worker who has been working with kids, teens, parents, and families since 1994 and is the founder of North Shore Family Services. She lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her husband of 23 years and three teenage children: 16 & 14 year old daughters and a 12 year old son.