Researchers at Harvard’s Making Caring Common project released a report this past fall that holds up an uncomfortable mirror for us parents about teaching empathy to kids. The team surveyed youth and asked them to rank by importance achieving at a high level, feeling good, or helping others. Nearly 80% of youth ranked achievement and… Read More →
Instead of just listing our worries, it helps to name what we know we do want kids and teens to plug into besides computers, tablets and smart phones. A couple of recent studies point to two major ingredients for digital wellness.
“I’m not going to basketball practice next week,” Troy announced to his dad just before leaving for school. “The coach is stupid and I don’t like the other guys that much anyway.” “But you’ve been excited to play on the high school team for years and you just made the team!” he replied. “Well I… Read More →
A growing body of research is piling up that begs us to question the firm line we’ve drawn between the playground and the classroom.
“Respectful. Caring. Intelligent. Courageous. Hard working. Empathetic. Confident. Humble. Kind.” One of my favorite ways to start a parenting workshop I facilitate on limits and consequences is to ask parents to close their eyes and envision their children-turned-adults. “What kind of people do you hope your kids become?” To be clear, when I ask this… Read More →
What is digital wellbeing? It is certainly an elusive term, as digital technologies keep changing the way we live and communicate at breathtaking speed. Children and youth today spend more time tethered to technology than any other activity in their waking hours. It is transforming the way that they learn, share, connect and grow. We’ve… Read More →
My son has very little tolerance for frustration and melts down or tantrums anytime I try to say no to him. It has always been this way but lately I feel like I am walking on eggshells. Help! Shondra, IL Shondra, It can be difficult to set limits and consequences with children who have difficulty… Read More →
“You have to finish what’s on your plate before you can have dessert.” It’s something that many of us likely heard as children, and have possibly even used with our own kids. Wanting our children to learn not to be wasteful (or ungrateful) with their food is understandable, but it turns out that ultimatums like… Read More →
“Moot!” my son exclaimed happily. “More moot!” In order to make sure that he got his message through to me he proudly showed me his empty milk glass. I reassured him that I would return to the dining room with more milk after I checked in on dinner simmering on the stove. For a thirsty… Read More →
We just wrote a post about executive function and how important these skills are for our kids success in school and in life. Here are some tips for giving your kids lots of practice: Help your child build a framework: Helping your child set attainable goals and breaking tasks into achievable steps helps build executive… Read More →
