"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." Every kid knows that insipid song.  It scrolls through a palette of feelings, "If you're sad...If you're angry..." always pointing to the refrain "but if you're happy and you know it, shout hooray!" as if that's the... Read more...

The horror at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles has my blood boiling, to say nothing of my stomach turning in disgust. The story is still unfolding, layers added every day.  (A 30 year veteran third grade teacher, uncovered by a photo lab technician who alerted police... Read more...

I don’t like New Year’s resolutions. They scream failure. It doesn’t start that way. But inevitably the best laid plans… Two weeks into that new diet, that exercise routine, that tidy bedroom, and it’s back to square one and self-flagellation. Oh well, maybe next year. That doesn’t mean... Read more...

Let’s face it, Christmas is everywhere. Even in cities heavily populated by Chanukah celebrants, Christmas rules, as the streets are dressed in sparkles and twinkle lights and red and green and fa la la.   It’s no wonder that cries of “I want to have a Christmas tree!”... Read more...

One of the signs (sometimes laced with a bit of sadness) that your child is growing up is when the inevitable question comes, Is Santa real? While it seems so simple, it is one that puts many a parent into a tail spin.  What should I say?... Read more...

How amazing is it that all kids seem to whine at some time or other? Seriously, how is it that they all use the same tone? Is that capacity just part of the factory-equipped model of child?  Truth be told, it kind of is…the capacity, that is. Children... Read more...

As kids grow up, their opinions, best friends, and personalities change tremendously.Parents needs to check in with their kids using questions that not only get the kids thinking, but also help you, the parents, keep up with the quickly growing, mini-adult living in your home. One day—maybe sooner than you think, your kids... Read more...

As the ten year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the media is heating up with programs and references to that tragedy. Ten years ago already. Wow!  As was the case when Kennedy was shot, many can easily answer the question, “What were you doing when you heard the... Read more...

Every time I offer my seminar, Keeping Your Child Safe, I am reminded that this is the number one job of every parent on this planet. I know that all parents try to do so, but what a daunting task this really is.  Look around and you... Read more...

Following the news of Bin Laden’s death, I received a rash of calls from parents wondering how to explain 9/11 to their elementary school age children.  Most of these children were a mere twinkle in their parents’ eyes on September 11, 2001.  Referencing that horrible event was... Read more...