Each year as Thanksgiving approaches, there is an mighty uptick in the gratitude discussions at school. Gratitude awareness fills the mommy blogsphere. And parents begin to think about the need for cultivating more gratitude in their spoiled kids…especially as the season of gimme is right around the corner. But shouldn’t gratitude be a year round attitude, part of our regular lives and our kids’ everyday school curricula? We know a whole lot more about the importance of gratitude, beyond … [Read more...] about Gratitude Beyond Thanksgiving
Environmental influences
Talking to Your Child About the Synagogue Shooting
How I wish I didn’t have to write about the mass murder of 11 human beings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. What a burden it is to have to explain to our children something so heinous, something that I cannot explain. I am sick to my stomach. As always, I am being asked, "Should I tell my children? How much should I tell my children? How can I make them feel safe in the world and especially when they go to religious school? How do I answer, 'But why?' How do I explain someone … [Read more...] about Talking to Your Child About the Synagogue Shooting
Tips for Dealing with Scary Current Events with Children
Whether it is the horror of a violent event, an act of terrorism, or a natural disaster, the news of such things can have powerful impact on children of all ages. It can cause tremendous fear and anxiety, or it can just raise some questions. Each child will react differently. But no one goes totally unaffected. In dealing with your child, here are some tips that will help you to help your child process what has happened. First of all, take care of your own feelings. Children take … [Read more...] about Tips for Dealing with Scary Current Events with Children
Good Medicine in Difficult Times
Each day I awaken wary of the new bad news that day will bring. I know I am not the only one who feels like we are living in apocalyptic times. Fires are ravaging California; Harvey, Irma and Maria made landfall and decimated parts of Texas, Florida and much of Puerto Rico; then came the earthquake in Mexico; the Las Vegas shooting was horrifying; the threat of a confrontation with North Korea is ever present; the unpredictability of the leadership of our nation unnerves (and disgusts) me to my … [Read more...] about Good Medicine in Difficult Times
Talking to Your Children about the Terror Attack in Manchester
The bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester is all the more horrible and deeply troubling because the target was an arena filled with adolescents and children of all ages. Parents all over the world are left tongue tied when needing to answer what happened, why it happened, and will it happen to me. I have written about how to talk to children about terror attacks too many times. With a heavy heart, I remind you of the following tips: Your children are watching you. You need … [Read more...] about Talking to Your Children about the Terror Attack in Manchester
It’s Not Bad for Parents to Disagree
It is no surprise to me how common it is for parents to have different beliefs, considering that marriage is a union of two people from different backgrounds. Each of us is the product of the environments in which we were raised and the life experiences we have had. I am often surprised when parents actually do agree on so many things. I am not talking about different parenting styles. I am referring to parents who have different topical opinions and beliefs, sometimes really big ones. … [Read more...] about It’s Not Bad for Parents to Disagree