“I’m grateful for Goldy Gopher!” My then three-year-old nephew Ellis exclaimed proudly. “Me too!” His cousin Lucila followed. “Ack!” Shrieked Fiona with an enormous grin, not even one year old. My son Miles responded by dropping some peas on the floor. Welcome to the family tradition we call “Big Circle.” Circling Up My parents have… Read More →
I had a summer screen time post all written and ready to post on the website. Then our family dog got very sick and eventually passed away earlier this week. In an instant work, emails, newsletters, and to-do lists flew off the priority list and grief took its place. Jasper, our thirteen year old husky… Read More →
We can’t just hand kids a book or download a podcast titled, “Get Empathy.” Nope. But well crafted stories do allow kids to get lost in characters whose lives both mirror and diverge from their own.
Perhaps in your house, your teen is eager to talk to you about all the things. Perhaps your teen turns to you bright eyed and engaged with a simple and clear request “Mom, I cannot wait to talk to you about ______!” (insert emotionally vulnerable topic here). But for those of you who are lobbing… Read More →
No matter your child’s racial or cultural identity, you can take a look at your bookshelf, tablet, or library loans to see where you can diversify your child’s story world and start important conversations about commonalities and differences.
My oldest son and his friends have been watching a lot of The Who Was? Show on Netflix. The series explores the lives of famous people from history. Before dinner recently he excitedly listed all the people he had learned about. After reciting the names he made this obvious but important observation: “That was a… Read More →
Growth mindset isn’t just about praise “My daughter is working hard and I am proud of her perseverance, but at the end of the day her performance isn’t necessarily improving. Do I just keep praising her? This growth mindset stuff doesn’t seem to be working.” These are the words of a parent who attended a… Read More →
Students start the school year with all sorts of supplies. They also bring something intangible but very important for their success: a set of beliefs about their ability to learn.
“My 3-year-old doesn’t seem very empathetic – does this mean something is wrong?” or “Someone told me that kids can’t “do” empathy until age 9. Is that true?” These are examples of the types of questions parents often send us. There is a good reason for confusion around the topic of empathy. While it is… Read More →
My mom had a consistent and clear response to me and my two older brothers when we complained of being bored. Her response was always simply, “If you’re bored, I’ll give you something better to do.” Keep in mind that her assigned activities didn’t include playing, Pinterest activities, or popsicles. We quickly figured out that… Read More →
