First it was red jello. Then it was sugary juice. Now summer is the enemy! And it’s getting a bad rap. Summer Slide. Brain Drain. Whatever you call it, what was once the most carefree and welcome season of the year is being vilified as a threat to our kids’ learning. Even a recent Rand Corporation study points to the ways in which children fall behind in their learning during the beloved months of summer. Wait a second! Time out! This doesn’t have to be the case. The problem is the … [Read more...] about The Lazy Days of Summer? No way!
Public Behavior
Your Child is “Shy” Around Strangers
An Interview with Betsy by Heidi Stevens of the Chicago Tribune Q: Your kindergartener is extremely shy around strangers. How do you get her to warm up to relatives she only sees at the holidays? Few topics are more complicated than family at the holidays, which is why Betsy Brown BraunÖ, author of “You're Not the Boss of Me: Brat-proofing Your Four- to Twelve-Year-Old Child” (Harper Paperbacks)Ö, suggests a four-pronged approach. No. 1. Change your language. “I never use the ‘s’ word,” … [Read more...] about Your Child is “Shy” Around Strangers
Join the Family
The “perfect” family—mom, dad, and two girls probably ages 6 and 9—sat across from my husband and me as we dined at a local restaurant to launch our weekend As hard as I try, when I am out in the world I cannot help but notice families. It is my passion and my life’s work, and I am just selectively perceptive to parents and kids wherever I go. Knowing them doesn’t matter, (but it is the icing on the cake.) The girls were adorable. The older one, on the quiet side, seemed calm, centered, … [Read more...] about Join the Family
To Bring or Not To Bring…Part 2
It had been a work week filled with families who had lots of heavy issues, and I was drained. A relaxed, peaceful dinner out with my husband was just a parking spot away. Our destination— a lovely, local restaurant, upscale but informal, delicious martinis, and no kids’ menu. At last. But the characteristic low lights and calm of the Oak Room were punctured by the incessant whining of a four year old boy. “I haaaaate that salad.” Groan…there went my respite. I am not sure when it became … [Read more...] about To Bring or Not To Bring…Part 2
To Bring or Not to Bring
A friend who is an event planner and I recently shared the dilemma of what to do when guests, often family, want to bring their (young) children to formal events. Having planned three weddings in the last 22 months, it is a question that is not unfamiliar to me. For one of our weddings a family member flat out refused to come if she could not bring her infant child. And many years ago at my children’s B’Nai mitzvah the spiritual atmosphere of the sanctuary was shattered by the wailings of my … [Read more...] about To Bring or Not to Bring
A Trip Isn’t Always a Vacation
The approach of summer is laced with so many expectations—relaxed schedules, lazy days, warm evening bar-b-ques, no homework, lighter responsibilities, and vacations! So many parents have memories from their youth of family vacations that were fabulous. And for the kids, vacations are usually just that… fabulous! But that’s not always the case for parents. It is for this reason that I challenge you with this question: Do you know the difference between a vacation and a trip? A trip is … [Read more...] about A Trip Isn’t Always a Vacation