We were all heartened to learn how 8 year old Tanitoluwa Adewumi became a state wide chess champion while living with his family in a homeless shelter. And now the news gets even better. Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist who broke Tani's story, reports in a recent update that thanks to the generosity of people who read [...]
Have you heard about the 8 year old Nigerian refugee living in a NYC homeless shelter who took first place in the NYS Scholastic Chess Championship for his age bracket? This is a story of hard work, perseverance, and kindness to share with your sons and daughters. Eight year old Tanitoluwa Adewumi, who is known as Tani, came with [...]
BIG NEWS! I've developed a series of parenting classes called The Inside Guide to NYC Parenting, and it is coming to Hunter College in April!! If you live in or around NYC, you can join us to discover answers to some of the pressing parenting questions I've been focusing on for years in this blog. I'll be offering resources, [...]
Looking for ways to help your children stay motivated and succeed in school? Check out these resources we've recently discovered: Code.org. It is no secret that knowing how to code will put children at a huge advantage when they reach the job market. Jobs that require coding make up 58% of all projected new jobs in STEM fields, and [...]
As you've probably heard, this year's Best Picture Oscar went to the film “Green Book” on Sunday. This is the story of a white limo driver who discovers the existence of racism when he drives a touring black classical pianist around the Jim Crow era South. (A collective groan went up around our TV when this award was announced, [...]
So here we are in February, Black History Month. As I have noted for many years in this space, parents should celebrate Black History every month. We should regularly talk with our children all year long about the the critical roles that Black people played in the shaping of America. Our bookshelves at home should provide easy access to information about [...]
Do you have a high schooler in the college hunt? Here's important news from a recent article in the Wall Street Journal: Some colleges are tracking students' online interaction with their websites and factoring this into their admissions decisions. Those of you familiar with the college admissions process may have heard that some colleges look at students' "demonstrated interest", [...]
Now that our children are back in school after the holidays and settling back into the routine, it is a great time to check in with their teachers to see how things are going. If your son is in elementary or lower school, why not send a simple email to his teacher to ask how he is adjusting to [...]
Happy New Year, GCP’ers!! Hope you had fun welcoming in 2019 and that it will be a healthy and fulfilling year for you all. 2019 will bring a fresh look for www.groundcontrolparenting.com (coming soon, I promise!), a more concerted effort to grow the blog, and a recommitment to staying focused on how to be the best parents we can [...]
News of mass shootings at concerts and bars are occurring with horrifying regularity. These are places where our teens and young adult children are likely to frequent. What should we tell them about how to prepare themselves for the worst case scenario? Here is some advice from security experts (via this Washington Post article): Prepare an Emergency Action Plan: [...]