If you are on the East Coast as we are, you are are experiencing the aftermath a snowstorm of epic proportions, which has been called a "bomb cyclone", "bombogenesis" and a winter hurricane. Whatever you want to call it, it has dumped a lot of snow on us, and the winds are whipping around at high speeds and at [...]
Anxiety is a normal and developmentally appropriate emotion in children which can even be helpful, e.g., motivating them to study for an upcoming test. But anxiety is truly problematic and becomes a disorder when it impairs basic functioning or causes serious, often physical distress. What should we do to help our children with this? A recent Wall Street Journal [...]
Baby, it's cold outside! As the first day of winter approaches, here in the Northeast the temperature has been dropping and the wind has been whipping up. We've gone from light breezes to gusty gales, and we have had our few first snowfalls. Just in time for the holidays! Today's Thoughtful Thursday celebrates the chilly days of almost-winter, with [...]
As we hope everyone knows, last night the state of Alabama elected Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate. Jones, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama who prosecuted the Klan, beat Judge Roy Moore, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, who was twice elected to and then ousted from that position for refusing to [...]
Summer camp planning in December? Yes! It is not too early to start thinking about what your children will be doing in the summer of 2018. Camps start filling their spaces in earnest in January, but camp consultants are already hosting events this month to introduce parents to a variety of summer opportunities for children. What kind of activities [...]
As a seemingly endless stream of public figures are being fired for sexual harassment these days, the time is NOW to talk with our children about this topic. But how? There are two conversations to be had here: we need to have the "What is sexual harassment and why is it all over the news now?" conversation with all [...]
Since we will be taking a break from posting on Thanksgiving day itself, today's Thoughtful Thursday offers up some Thanksgiving poetry for you and your family to enjoy. We begin with two poems from Paul Lawrence Dunbar (1872-1906), who was one of the first African American poets to gain national recognition. You will note the distinctively different voices in [...]
We know it is important to teach our children to be polite, to say "thank you". But are we teaching them to be grateful? A recent Wall Street Journal article found here suggests that the act of being grateful is more than just knowing when to say thank you. As noted in the article, “The word ‘thanksgiving’ means giving [...]
Saturday is Veteran's Day. Today's Thoughtful Thursday offers three poems by Yusef Komunyakaa (b. 1947), a celebrated poet who is a veteran and writes about his experiences in and after his service in the Vietnam War. Komunyakaa served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1970 as a correspondent and as managing editor of the Southern Cross during [...]
The school year is in full swing now. Children have settled into the work, and there are still a few solid weeks left before the holidays hit. In case you've been on autopilot, it is time to check in and see how things are going at school. Here are some tips and advice on how to check in: Connect [...]