Continuing the conversation about mental health in the Black community: I grew up hearing that our people didn't have time for mental health issues. If you had trouble coping, you had to snap out of it or push through, on your own or with God's help. Therapy was for other folks. I know some of you must heard this [...]
For years many of us have heard (and said) that Black people don't commit suicide. But the data on this reveal an alarmingly different truth, especially about our young people. Over the last 10 years, the suicide rate for Black teens 15-17 has increased drastically, from an overall rate of 3.9 suicides per 100,000 per year in 2007 to [...]
On this Thoughtful Thursday, as temperatures drop below freezing in the North East, our thoughts turn to poems about the chill of winter. And so it is time to revisit an old GCP favorite, "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden. While its title and some of its vibrant imagery evoke winter's chill, at the core of the poem is a [...]
Let's face it, unless you happen to be a gamer yourself it is easy to take a fairly hands-off approach to your son's gaming habits. You probably have set limits on screen time, maybe you've banned games that are too violent or otherwise disturbing. But here's why you should pay closer attention to his gaming activity: to keep him [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday features two award-winning African American female poets whose work is new to us, although these poets have been heralded for some time by (better read) poetry fans worldwide. Crystal Williams, a Detroit native, has written four award-winning poetry collections. A graduate of NYU (undergrad) and Cornell University (M.F.A.), Williams has taught at several universities and managed [...]
It's December, and as winter storms sweep across the nation, it's time...to plan summertime activities! Believe it or not, it is not too early to start planning what your kids will be doing in the summer of 2020. Camps start filling their spaces in January, and camp consultants are already planning events to introduce parents to a variety of [...]
With Thanksgiving a few days away, everyone is gearing up for family gatherings and good eating. Whether there are just a few of you or you are having a family reunion around the table, it is important to enjoy the time together for this holiday meal. Here are some Do's and Don'ts to help make sure the holiday is [...]
GCP's on IG! We want to expand the conversation about raising our boys of color–and our girls too– so we've just launched our Instagram account. We'll post pics and thoughts about our brand of parenting, and we want to know your thoughts as well. Please follow us at @groundcontrolparenting, and please post your comments (and likes!). Hope to see [...]
We are only a week away from Thanksgiving, so today's Thoughtful Thursday offers up a hodgepodge of poems celebrating the food, festivities and fun of this holiday. We start with Elizabeth Alexander's "Butter", a delightful ode to the spread which makes everything taste better. Bet you can't read this without getting hungry! Next is the moving and soulful "Perhaps [...]
GCP has been writing about how to talk with our children about mass shootings for too many years. Sadly, we are running an edited version of this post again below. Our children are learning to live in a world where schools and other familiar places we all visit can be targets, and we have to help them cope [...]