Betsy Brown Braun

Child Development and Behavior Specialist. Parent Educator. Best Selling Author

Modeling

Bffs Rock!

by on , under Adolescents, Child development, Parent modeling, Peers, Relationships, School

I just hung up the phone from my very own bff who was rushing to her mother’s hospital bedside in San Diego. Her world is falling apart. Loaded with her own issues of life and work and now her very ill mother, she needed to complain and unload…and unload and unload. She ended the conversation with, “I just don’t know what I would do without you. You are my bestest friend in the whole world.” Last week in her article in the New York Times, A Best Friend, You Must Be Kidding, author Hilary … [Read more...] about Bffs Rock!

A Father-Son Team

by on , under Holidays, Parent modeling, Parenting

I watched Derek and his son washing my car, as I stood at the sink, molding patties for our bar-b-que that night. They were having an animated discussion about something, lots of back and forth over the top of my car. The son is really tall at 15, just like his dad. Derek does all kinds of work on cars, and on the weekends he and his son keep my car and those of lots of my neighbors in tip-top shape. He’s a really interesting guy. We talk basketball, healthcare reform, the state of LA city … [Read more...] about A Father-Son Team

Doing the Right Thing

by on , under Character traits, Child development, Parent modeling, Parenting

 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

Whose Dreams Are They, Anyway?

by on , under Expectations, Parent modeling, Parenting, Transitions

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?

Leave the Babies Alone?

by on , under Attachment, Environmental influences, Parent modeling, Parenting

It’s hard not to love the movie Babies. That’s what I chose to do for my Mothers’ Day observance.  It was kind of like eating chocolate… all good! There were none of the not-so-fun parts of babies, like colic and diarrhea and sleepless nights. Just one oooo and ahhhhh after another. But the cute is not what stuck with me. Several days later, I am thinking about the stark contrast in the way the Japanese and the American babies were parented compared to the African and Mongolian babies.  The … [Read more...] about Leave the Babies Alone?

Follow YOUR Passion

by on , under Communication, Environmental influences, Holidays, Parent modeling, Parenting

A Mother’s Day blog should be  meaningful, perhaps profound,  poignant, maybe a little sappy, and really chock full of platitudes about the importance of mothers.  It should be, but I am on a different journey. I was sitting in Disney Hall, watching the dynamic Gustavo Dudamel and listening to the brilliant Los Angeles Philharmonic with my dear friend, Freida Mock. I sat there thinking how angry I am that music education has been cut from public schools and how important it is that children be … [Read more...] about Follow YOUR Passion

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