One of the many horrific things about the Charleston massacre is that it happened in a house of worship. As has been widely reported, the shooter targeted a historic church and sat in a bible study class for an hour before opening fire. We have always thought of a church as a safe and peaceful haven, and have encouraged [...]
Happy Father's Day from GCP to all of the fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and all of the wonderful men who give fatherly love and direction to children who may not be theirs by birth but are theirs by choice. Here are some poems and thoughts about fatherhood. Those Winter Sundays Sundays too my father got up early and put his [...]
With great sorrow we turn yet again to the topic of how we talk to our sons about a senseless tragedy. This time it is the horrific massacre of nine Black parishioners in a historic black church in Charleston by a 21-year-old white young man. Images of the victims smiling with their families in the days prior and of [...]
Did you know that June is African-American Music Appreciation Month? In a proclamation signed on May 29th, President Obama declared the month of June as the time that we should "recognize the artists who have enriched our lives and the ways their beats and harmonies have advanced our unending journey toward a more perfect union." He further explained, "By [...]
As summer vacations begin, so does the "summer slide", where our sons (and daughters) lose academic ground during the months they are not in school. Summer slide can result in our children forgetting what they have learned and slowing the pace of their future learning. As a report from the National Summer Learning Association explains, "It's common for teachers [...]
Do you have an Instagram account? Is it filled with selfies, pictures of you partying with friends, inspirational messages, and clever hashtags? Do you have loads of followers and regularly get tons of "likes" and supportive messages? Or do you have no clue as to what an Instagram account is or what you do with it? When your sons' [...]
Summer is almost here! But along with summer fun comes summer slide, the learning loss that occurs when children do no educational activity during the summer months of no school. That loss is real: studies show that most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Experts also agree that [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday features poems from two iconic African-American poets, Paul Lawrence Dunbar and Alice Walker. Dunbar's "By The Stream" cautions us to remember to look beyond the sparkle and glow of personality to determine the depth of character. Walker's "Before You Knew You Owned It" offers words of wisdom about managing expectations and guarding vulnerability. On the lighter [...]
It is graduation season, and speakers everywhere are polishing up their speeches and getting ready to share their wisdom and advice with the Class of 2015 and their families. Today's Thoughtful Thursday features quotes from past graduation speeches. Some are funny, some thought provoking, some inspirational. Enjoy, and Congrats to the graduates! "Think hard, always think hard, but don't [...]
Now is the time to focus on your sons' summer reading plans. If you have an avid reader, make time to stop at the library or the book store and pick up some fun books for the summer. If your son would rather do almost anything other than read, then you will need to give him some incentive to [...]