I will start by admitting I'm an old parent with young-ish kids so when I was experiencing birthday parties as a kid it was the 1970s. I don't know about other parents but the parties we feel compelled to throw for our kids and the parties they attend are generally very different than those in the ...read more
Be an Upstander, not a Bystander: Third in Bullying Series
Bystander to bullying can be one of the most controversial or dismissed roles when it comes to the problem with bullying. The typical advice children, teens and even adults receive is to "mind your own business". "Don't get involved". However, there really is no such thing as an "innocent" ...read more
Understanding Bully Behavior: Second in Bully Series
Most people can recognize the most overt bully behavior although some will explain away physical bullying as "boys will be boys". In last month's blog I went over understanding what bullying is as a definition. I also identified how adults share some responsibility. In order to make it easier to ...read more
Bullying by any other name is still damaging: First in bullying series
Bullying. Social aggression. Physical aggression. "Mean". "Burn". "Diss". "Cut". Whatever the name or term, it's damaging. We have a problem in society and sometimes trying to pin down exactly what to call it only gets in the way of doing something about it. For the purposes of this ...read more
The Lost Art of Apology: How to Say I’m Sorry
Has giving an apology become a lost art? Often I hear about how our society is less civil and it seems that one part of that loss is the ability to apologize well. Linked closely with an ability to apologize is obviously the ability to take personal responsibility or to hold someone accountable. ...read more
Is it screen time? Parenting the digital child.
Facebook. Snapchat. Instagram. Kik. Yik Yak. Tumblr. Twitter. Vine. Google+. What's App?. Whew! How in the world to keep up with parenting the digital child today? Every day it seems that there are more and more social media sites parents need to be aware of and understand. A recent Pew ...read more
Free Play is Important to Success
How many times have you heard that the best way for kids to learn life skills is through involvement in a team sport? While it is true that playing organized sports does have benefit, the way in which society in the United States now approaches youth sports often means kids have very little, if ...read more
The Unique Stress of Infertility
You have found the person with whom you want to create a family. All your ducks are in a row and you are ready both emotionally and financially to be parents. The trying part is fun, right? Then so it goes, month after month being disappointed that there isn't going to be a baby. Infertility is ...read more
Parenting From Inside Out
By now, if you are a parent of small children, you have likely either seen or heard of the Pixar movie "Inside Out". This delightful movie gives children, and parents, a wonderful way to talk more about feelings and to understand how they all have a role to play. Each of the portrayed emotions ...read more
Dads Matter!
We just passed Father's Day last weekend and sadly, Dads often don't get their fair share of recognition for how important they are in family life. We spend more on Mother's Day than on Father's Day. When someone gets on T.V. it's usually "Hi Mom!" not even "Hi Mom and Dad". Even though a growing ...read more
