Koy Roberts, Ph.D.

A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation finally proves what many parents have been saying to their kids for years.  Children ages 8-18 are spending virtually every waking moment on electronic devices when they are not in school.  7.5 hours to be exact. Due to their ability to multitask they actually pack 10 hours and 45 minutes of media content into that 7.5 hours.  Compared to 5 years ago kids are spending an hour more per day on electronics such as smart phones, computers, tv, and video games.  And this does not count the 1.5 hours kids spent texting on their phones or the half hour they spent talking on it.  The researchers were shocked because five years ago they believed use could not get any higher and that youths had hit a ceiling.  Wrong!  Forty seven percent of the heaviest media users had grades that were “C” or lower, described themselves as bored and sad, got into trouble, had trouble getting along with their parents, and did not like school.

For some reason we have been experiencing serious technical issues with our email server as of late.  I am working to resolve the issue with our Internet Service Provider and Domain Hosting Site. If you have not been able to reach us via email or have not received a response from us we are sorry because we more than likely did not get it.  Again, we apologize and will post an update when it has been resolved.  In the meantime you can email me at [email protected] and Catherine at [email protected] to reach us until the other email issues are resolved.  Catherine can always be reached directly at 972-313-0505.  Thank you for your understanding and patience!

The latest research on antidepressants.   In a nutshell without counseling and lifestyle changes, most of the time medication won’t “cure” the problem alone.

Some of us start resolutions on January 1st but you can start a resolution any day of the year. Personally, I am starting mine on January 8th which is my Mom’s birthday.  She died this past September. If you need a few ideas consider some of these.

Although this time of year is busy for most families consider taking time out with your children to give back and teach them the real reason for the season.  You can volunteer your time or donate during the Holidays at Christian Community Action by helping to provide food or toys to deserving children and families.  Or donate to dozens of other worthy, local charities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  Merry Christmas!

Good piece by the New York Times on the toll it could be taking on your teen and your relationship with them.

D.J. Gregory walks.  Even if you’ve never played golf watch this video.  You will be better for it.

According to a survey by Columbia University 85% of American parents think it’s important to tell their kids that they’re smart.  However, child psychology research has in recent years discovered that this form of praise fails to improve a child’s self-esteem.  In fact, praising a child’s smarts too often will likely lower self-esteem and cause a child to perform more poorly on academic tests and give up more easily.  Po Bronson wrote a seminal article for New York Magazine in February 2007 about this inverse power of praise.  From 1970 to 2000 there have been approximately 15,000 scholarly articles written on self-esteem. The leading proponent of self-esteem was asked by the Association for Psychological Science to review these studies.  The conclusions were shocking and the researcher called it the biggest disappointment of his career.  Self-esteem did not improve grades,  career achievement, or much of anything.  What has been discovered is that praising a kid for his or her intelligence communicates the message to “look smart and don’t risk making mistakes”.  Kids who think innate intelligence is the key to success discount the importance of effort.  Expending effort becomes stigmatized – proof positive they can’t hack it based on their natural gifts.  However, those children praised for their effort were not discouraged by failure and kept working hard which led to improved test scores and greater self-esteem. The lead researcher, Carol Dweck discovered that “Empasizing effort gives a child a variable they can control.  They come to see themselves as in control of their success.”  In repeated experiments, Dweck found this effect on every socioeconomic class and with both boys and girls at all ages.  In fact, the brightest of girls seemed to collapse the most following failure.  For praise to be effective it needs to be specific and genuine. Children just as adults can sniff out phony compliments.  Overpraised kids’ primary concern becomes one of “image maintenance”.  They give up easily and don’t persevere. Children praised in genuine and specific ways for their efforts develop both persistence and perseverance.  These children rebound strongly from failure and react by working harder and maintaining motivation through long periods of delayed gratification.

Saturday, October 10th is World Mental Health Day.  This day was established in 1992 to raise awareness about mental health issues and the importance of seeking professional help.  The World Health Organization predicts that in 20 years more people will be affected by depression than any other health problem. That’s certainly a prediction I hope does not come to pass.

As many know my Mom died on September 21st after four months in the hospital. I would like to thank you for your kindness, compassion, cards, thoughts and prayers during this time.  I consider the folks I see in my practice part of my extended family and your patience with me during this time means a great deal.  I realize the phone calls, paperwork, scheduling, or administration of my office may have not been as expedient over the past few months. So I want to thank you for understanding.

God bless.