The Best Gift Idea
Short and simple--the best gifts are often experiences, rather than things.Most of the kids I know & work with don't need any more THINGS. They have too many already. But what they do need, and want, are more connected, loving, fun, adventurous, memorable experiences--especially experiences with their parents.Next time you have a gift-giving opportunity, consider giving an experience. You can [...]
Oracles
On his travel blog, Rick Steves once explained the 'secret' of the Oracles at Delphi, saying this: Two thousand five hundred years ago, movers and shakers from throughout the ancient world went to Delphi to get advice from the Delphi priests. The priests weren't in cahoots with the gods. They just interviewed everyone who came to them, thinking that [...]
Behavior 201, for Parents
The best way to shape a child's behavior doesn't happen after they've done something WRONG--it happens before & after they do something RIGHT.
3 Parenting Tips Worth Repeating
Who has time to read an entire parenting book these days? It's amazing how much time & energy it takes to chew through a 350 page epic on how you "should" parent.
Book Review: 2 books about divorce for parents
Parents ask about books on divorce a lot. I love to recommend books, too, because there is SO much good information available. I encourage every parent I work with to purchase books on divorce for their kids, and to read one for themselves, too.
Book Review: Books about divorce for kids
No matter what the topic, reading a relevant book can help parents navigate through tough times. They are helpful partly because books give us guidance on important concepts to cover, and a script to follow, but also because the pictures give our kids a concrete visual image to go along with our words. Today's post is a list and brief summary of some of my favorite books on divorce for younger kids.
Book Review: Always and Forever
Always and Forever by Alan Durant is a child's picture book about death, grief, and moving on. It's very much the sort of book that I like to review here. But this review came about completely accidentally, and the surprise ultimately made me like it even more.
Kids + Sugar = ?
Ask 10 moms what you get when you mix their kids with a big dose of sugar, and I bet you'll get 10 responses on the same theme: hyperactivity. It's a parenting theory on par with gravity! So imagine my surprise when I read this article in the British Medical Journal, which says that sugar does NOT cause hyperactivity in [...]
Talking with kids about Money
I've recently been invited to contribute tips on talking with your kids about money(particularly around the holidays during this down economy) at a workshop called "How to spend, save and invest in a tight economy". The workshop is hosted by Megan Poore, a financial advisor in central Austin. The workshop primarily focuses on adult issues, but one of her passions [...]
Shyness and Your Child–Part 3
Do you worry about your child's shyness? Do other people label your child shy? Do you wonder if shyness is a problem? In part one of this series about shyness, I talked about times/situations where shyness is normal and not a problem at all. In part two, I listed 5 ways to help growth happen. ) Today's post is [...]
