Experts

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Talking with Our Children About Suicide

The recent tragic deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain have made suicide a topic of conversation in the news and across our nation. How are you talking with your children about suicide? GCP has covered this topic over the years ("Are You OK? Focusing on Our Sons' Mental Health" and "

Figuring Out What’s Next for Ground Control Parenting–With Your Help

It's time to take stock of where Ground Control Parenting has been and where it is going--with your help. In 2011 I started writing GCP to support and inspire parents raising boys of color. Over the past 7 years I've been posting practical information on what works (and what doesn't) to encourage and inspire our boys to do their [...]

Beat Summer Slide with Summer Stride!

You may have heard about “ summer slide”, where over the summer students can lose two to three months of progress in math and reading and fall behind when they return to school in the fall.  But did you know that by the time a student gets to the 5th grade, the summer learning loss can add up to [...]

The Many Benefits of Reading Aloud to Very Young Children

Did you know that the many benefits of reading aloud to your child begin from birth? A recent study reported in the New York Times found here shows that reading and playing with young children (ages 0-3) can shape their social and emotional development, in addition to helping them learn language and early literacy skills. Children who were read [...]

Thoughts on the Recent Race/Income Gap Study

When I started this Ground Control Parenting blog years ago to talk about educating and encouraging our black and brown boys it was fueled by a concern about the underachievement of young men of color—a concern I saw evidence of all around me. While many of my black female friends were enjoying successful careers and lives, in many instances [...]

Is Your Child “Just Moody” or Depressed? Helping Our Children Cope

So you've noticed that your teenager has been more moody than usual. Do you dismiss it as normal teen behavior, or should you be more concerned? Read on for help with figuring this out. As noted in a recent Wall Street Journal article found here, depression in teens is on the rise. With all the pressures of increased academic [...]

Parent’s Guide to Social Networking 2.0

Greetings GCP Parents, We posted this originally in 2011, but having reviewed it recently (and finding out about a few new and useful sites) we are posting this updated version. While it may now read a bit alarmist in tone, the underlying message is still critically important: Pay attention to your children's social media activity! This is especially important [...]

Thoughtful Thursday: How Poetry Can Help Children Love Reading

Today's Thoughtful Thursday features a delightful video from PBS News Hour in which author Jason Reynolds explains how poetry can help reluctant readers learn to love literature. Reynolds notes, "The separate stanzas aid and perpetuate a kind of incremental reading one small chunk at a time" which makes it much more approachable and enjoyable. Definitely worth viewing--it will inspire [...]

Playground Danger

A recent New York Times article found here brings alarming news for parents: a parasite that is often found in stray dogs and cats has been found across the nation in places where children play, and children exposed to the parasite could develop problems with their breathing, liver function, eyesight and their cognitive skills. Don't want to be an [...]

How to Talk to Our Sons about Gender Equality

Although more and more of the recent GCP posts have been gender neutral, today's post takes us back to our roots with a focus on our boys. So here's a timely question: Are we doing all we can to raise our boys to respect girls and women, fight gender stereotypes, and understand the importance of gender equality? Probably not, [...]