School has begun (at last!) Every parent wants to help her child get off to a good start. Every parent wants her child to have a great school experience. Every parent wants to be the best parent of a student that she can be with her child’s successful year in mind. I am going to cut right to the chase. Here’s what you, the parent, can do in order to help your child have a good school year, get the most of his school experience this year, and cultivate in him the traits that will help him … [Read more...] about How to Parent a School Age Child
Learning
Talking to Kids about Racism, Law Enforcement, and Violence (in light of the Dallas Shootings)
How I wish I weren’t writing this particular blog…again. How I wish you didn’t need this blog…again. How I wish I actually had an explanation for this madness. I don’t. There is no explanation. So how in the world do we explain it to our children? Too many times in the past I have posted scripts and caveats for talking with kids about the tragic events that keep happening far away and too close to home. There are 23 blogs on the topic under the category SAFETY on my website. All of the … [Read more...] about Talking to Kids about Racism, Law Enforcement, and Violence (in light of the Dallas Shootings)
Politicians Behaving Badly: Talking to Kids About the Election
Kids of all ages are getting a whiff of election politics at its worst. It’s unavoidable. I'll bet you think I am going to say, “Shelter them! Turn off the radio, TV, computer.” Not this time. This 2016 presidential election (which seems interminable) is an opportunity. It is filled with important lessons for our children, elementary school age on up. Remember, children learn a great deal by making mistakes and by seeing the mistakes of others. It is what I call “ambient learning.” So, … [Read more...] about Politicians Behaving Badly: Talking to Kids About the Election
Talking to Your Child About the Paris Attacks
Sadly and not surprisingly, I have received a rash of emails from parents wondering how to explain to their children the heinous, violent terrorism that happened in Paris. These were parents of children of all ages. How I wish one could actually explain something that is so monstrous and actually unthinkable. None of us can comprehend what went on; we are stick to our stomachs. As little as we understand, how can we expect a child to get it? For all these years your child has been taught to … [Read more...] about Talking to Your Child About the Paris Attacks
Get Ready for the New School Year!
It's mid-August... that means summer vacation is creeping to an end, depending upon your child's first day of school. For some it even starts next week. Summer time and the livin' was easy! Just thinking about the start of school can be stressful for kids. New teachers, new classrooms, new friends, new expectations, new routines. On top of that, just getting back into the swing of things--the school day routines--is not only stress producing but it can be a real challenge after the lazy, … [Read more...] about Get Ready for the New School Year!
Beyond the Birds and the Bees
It is always with great relief that moms and dads report back that explaining the birds and the bees to their elementary school age child wasn’t that bad. And despite their six year old's exclamation of "Eewww, gross!" at the mention of the man putting his penis the woman's vagina, Mom could breathe again. That was the beginning. As kids' bodies grow, so do their feelings— physical and emotional—their cognition, and their exposure to a world that includes sex. And there is much more than the … [Read more...] about Beyond the Birds and the Bees