Kids work through stress and unfamiliar situations through play. (This is why play therapy is very effective with littles.) The last play date we had (two weeks ago?), the kids were playing “corona zombies.” Since play dates have ended, The Kid was playing a robber/spy game by himself where he had to steal and avoid … Read more
Schools across the country are closing in an effort to help contain the pandemic. This post is intended as a living resource for parents and other caretakers for online learning resources for kids. They should all be free or temporarily free. I have not checked every one. If you find any of these to be … Read more
“Every time you learn something, your brain changes.” Whether you learn it correctly or not, whether you learn something big or small, something important or not important, something loving or hateful, it physically changes your brain. I heard this somewhere a couple of months ago, and it stuck with me. (Happy to cite if you … Read more
The Kid mentioned to me the other day: “Mom, did you know Tony the Tiger donates money to keep sports in schools?” We had a short conversation about it, and I told him I’d look up the details. Here are the details: you buy a box of Frosted Flakes. You upload your receipt, and Kellogg’s … Read more
I shared with you a snippet from a podcast regarding emotional contagions and the effect of negative people in your orbit. If you got to thinking and realized that might be you, this clip might help. Or if you move through the world feeling you’re less than other people, for any of a variety of … Read more
Three things that came together recently: 1- The Kid had a sleepover the other night. Big fun! They played with LEGO, jumped on the trampoline, drank hot chocolate, read about sharks, played in the yard, and might have even slept in there somewhere. At breakfast, I was making pancakes, and they had made up and … Read more
Variables confound. As a kid, I was interested in a lot of things. In the six years of junior high and high school, I did band, orchestra, jazz band, marching band, flute choir, show choir, flute lessons, art lessons, basketball, softball, school plays, school musicals, German club, student council, creative writing. Not all of them … Read more
There is no shortage of parenting advice out there. Its quality varies, and its application varies. I’ve also figured out that many of the pieces that are excellent are applicable to all humans, not just little ones. Avoid saying “be careful.” Why? It’s useless. Give specifics. What do you actually want them to watch out … Read more
When a sentence has two parts—the first part positive and the second part negative—the conjunction makes a big difference in how the complete sentence is received. “You played that song really well, but this note should be two beats.” “You played that song really well, and this note should be two beats.” “You played that … Read more
The Kid had big plans for his birthday party, including a large cardboard rocket that two kids could ride in at a time. (That was talked down from one rocket per child.) One of his other plans was a jet pack for each (to make up for not everyone having a rocket). I was going … Read more