When I was pondering the Introduction to my new book, You’re Not the Boss of Me, it occurred to me that all I really needed to write was one sentence: Be the person you want your child to be. Four pages later, that didn’t happen. But I still believe it. Children need to be surrounded by adults who live by and model the character traits and values that matter most if you want them to absorb those values. Last week a news story rocked the world of major league baseball. Armondo Galarraga … [Read more...] about Doing the Right Thing
Feelings
Whose Dreams Are They, Anyway?
I guess my book, You’re Not the Boss of Me, came out too late for the mom who wrote in the Two Cents Worth column of my local newspaper: I think the [delete name] Pony Baseball Association should consider eliminating playoffs for the younger players (Pintos). My Pinto player’s team has already lost and it was devastating for him and me. Age 7, 8, and 9 is too early for that kind of serious competition. There are so many parts to this letter on which I could and should comment. However, … [Read more...] about Whose Dreams Are They, Anyway?
Don’t Take it Personally
“You’re the meanest mommy in the whole world!” the seven year old screams at her mother, as she stomps down the hall to her room, punctuating the scene with a crashing door slam. There’s not much that’s good about that scene, except that it is well within the range of normal behavior. You may not like it, but it is what most kids do at some times. Kids get angry at their parents for all kinds of reasons. Mainly they get angry when they are in some way thwarted—when they don’t get what they … [Read more...] about Don’t Take it Personally
Teaching Children About Death
A mom called me from New York today. In a panic she explained that her mother was in the last stages of her life and what on earth would she tell her child. She said she needed a crash course in death. So sad for her, but good for her. There are parents of young children who will read the title of this blog, shake their heads, and walk--no run-- away from the computer. Don't do it! Children need to learn about death, and they should learn about it from you. Death is the one great … [Read more...] about Teaching Children About Death
Talking about Tiger
For the great majority of young children, the headlines about Tiger Woods will pass right over their heads. But for the child whose parents or older siblings are hyper tuned into sports, who overhears the news or casual conversation, for the child who is focused on sports and sports news or who is a budding golfer, he just may hear that another hero has fallen. What the heck does a parent say? We have been through this kind of revelation too many times before. With sports stars and … [Read more...] about Talking about Tiger
BEWARE OF HALLOWEEN!
One of the joys of being a parent is getting to do the fun kid stuff all over again. Stuff like sharing Easter baskets, making Valentines, and dressing up for Halloween. You can hardly wait to dress up your nine month old in that lion costume and parade her around the neighborhood, right? But you aren’t remembering Halloween from the perspective of a two or three or four year old. You remember it from when you were nine or ten years old, when it really was all fun and there wasn’t much that … [Read more...] about BEWARE OF HALLOWEEN!