Raising compassionate children is no small feat these days. Because of the egocentrism of children's early years combined with the increasingly prevalent messages of selfishness, narcissism, and indifference that popular culture communicates to them, children are not likely to readily learn compassion on their own. This means that you have to make an extra effort to [...]
A fascinating article about a study that examined so-called cool kids as they entered their teenage years lost their way by the time they reached early adulthood. 'Pseudomature' behavior that resulted in popularity and being labeled 'cool' at age 13 was predictive of all sorts of problems at age 23. My takeaway is that the rush [...]
Think of all of the qualities that you admire most in others and that you would most like to instill in your children. My guess is that compassion is high on your list. Why is that? Perhaps because, like diamonds, compassion is a rare gem in a society in which selfishness and disregard for others are as common as rhinestones. Consider what compassion is. Most fundamentally, it is “not about me.” Compassion involves being aware of and caring about the needs of others. It means wanting to help others who are less fortunate than you. Compassion has so many other wonderful attributes associated with it, for example, benevolence, good will, unselfishness, and empathy, just to name a few. If these qualities were ingredients to be mixed and baked, you would have the recipe for about as fine a person as you could imagine.
I was recently interviewed by Michael Stelzner on mykidsadventures.com, a web site devoted to helping families find healthy alternatives to digital entertainment. You can listen to the interview here.
This video should remind us all what's really important in our lives and how we should spend our time. Happy Father's Day!!
I was recently quoted in a newspaper article about the role of technology in children's lives. I was in the minority opinion based on those the writer interviewed. What do you think? Whose side are you on (hopefully, your children's)?
I have two daughters, ages 8 and 6. Overall, they’re pretty good kids, generally kind and mostly cooperative. But like most children their ages, they are often stubborn, frequently resistant, and occasionally disrespectful of my wife and me. I may ask them to put their shoes on so they can leave for school in the [...]
Last Friday, May 16th, the New York Times published my letter to the editor in response to a recent article about the introduction of computer programming into classrooms of students as young as second grade in Mill Valley California (my home town). Said one mother of a second grader when asked why she signed him [...]
A great article about the role of parents in youth sports these days. This article is an indictment on what I call 'the professionalization of youth sports.' It should compel every parent whose children play organized sports to pause, look in the mirror, and ask some tough questions about why their children play and how invested they [...]
This article is a worthwhile read for any parent who wants to raise a kind and caring child (which, I assume, is every parent). One point I really like is to praise your children's character, rather than their behavior, when they behave kindly (e.g., "You shared because you are a caring person"), and "punish" children's behavior, [...]