This past summer we had to say an unexpected goodbye to our beloved family dog, Tuney. There is often a predictable response to the loss of a pet: the feeling that this grief isn’t as important as other, bigger losses in the world…followed by relentless sobbing. After all, family is family. Grief is grief. The… Read More →
“But who is going to help her?” Jacob asked. Jacob was a seven-year-old we had just met on the playground. He, along with several other kids including one of my own, had been playing the tag game “Sandman” on the play structure. Suddenly one of the kids tried to take a shortcut off the side… Read More →
If you have ever spent any time with a preschooler, you know that their curious minds are always active. “Why is that bird sitting on that branch? What do birds think about? Can birds understand us? Where are the other birds? Why? Where? How come?” While charming, these endless questions can also get exasperating. At… Read More →
“Thank goodness I have a five-year-old, I don’t have to deal with TikTok yet!” a parent recently shared. “Agreed!” chimed in another. A third parent, however, observed, “Yeah… but who knows what social media platforms will be the rage when our kids get to high school…the metaverse?” The group quieted, clearly sobered by the prospect. … Read More →
Unlike this time last year, many of us are moving into this winter with our core routines modified but intact. Most kids are back in school, work expectations are back on full tilt, and we are more likely to be participating in activities and community events. In other words, we are back, in the words… Read More →
It turns out that far from being a nice afterthought, gratitude is central to our kids’ health and happiness. But you can’t just tell your child to be grateful. Gratitude practices are nurtured over time. Ten ways to nurture gratitude in kids: Model it. Noticing the good around us and practicing gratitude around our kids goes… Read More →
“How do you think you might respond if this happened at school?” I asked my youngest. We were reading the part of a picture book where a student’s classmates tease him about what he wears to school because it is too “girly.” To be honest, I was kind of excited to hear my child’s response. I… Read More →
I walked into my kids’ room last week looking for my youngest. My oldest was curled up in bed. “Are you alone in here?” I asked. “No,” he answered. “I’m reading.” It took me a second to realize his answer didn’t mean that both of my kids were snuggled under the blankets. Instead, his answer… Read More →
“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 →
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.
