Summer Camp

Whatever happened to summer camp being a time for children to develop and cultivate independence and resilience?  This piece by Tina Kelley is astounding because of its absurdity.  It’s come to this?  Camps are now forced to hire parent liaisons to act like a hotel concierge service in order to keep parents happy.

Professor Pausch

We can learn an awful lot about how to be a great parent or better yet a better human being from Randy Pausch. He died July 25 at age 47 leaving behind his wife and 3 young children.  Listening to his lecture or reading his book has changed the priorities and the lives of many parents.

The Secret to Your Child’s Academic and Life Success

Why is it that some kids grow up to be successful, fulfilled adults in challenging careers and healthy relationships while other kids from similar backgrounds and academic performance struggle mightily as adults?  A family or a school that focuses solely upon an academic education produces children who are ill-equipped for the future.  We must do …

Good News

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that “risky” teen behaviors have reached record lows.  The CDC surveyed 14,000 Ninth to 12th-graders which it does every two years since 1991.  In 2007 smoking tobacco or marijuana, not wearing seat belts, and being sexually active neared or reached record lows.  The numbers were especially encouraging when it …

Cinderella

I plan to do a lot more dancing before the clock strikes midnight!  Great song from my favorite singer/songwriter.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLYxtuC0oRk

Social Bullying

One of the most damaging experiences of adolescence is what psychologists term relational victimization or simply ‘social bullying’.  While most schools profess to have a zero tolerance policy toward physical bullying many are failing to address social bullying.  Granted this type of bullying is considerably more difficult to pinpoint and detect.  With the explosion of technology, …

Something to Cheer You Up

Rumored to be more widely prescribed in Europe than Prozac, SAMe is a dietary supplement marketed for improving mood, relieving arthritis and even helping some types of liver disease.  S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine occurs naturally in the body.  It is made from the amino acid, methionine, and is believed to be involved in many important biochemical processes in the body.  Scientists …

Asperger’s

Wonderful, interesting, fascinating kids yet they struggle mightily to connect successfully with others (especially peers).  Usually perceived as odd or peculiar yet brilliant!  It’s at the mild end of what we call the Autistic Spectrum.  I love to work with these children.  Great story in the Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/jfloyd/stories/122507dnmetfloyd.4a44278a.htmlThese children do not possess strong social skills but …