The first time I heard the verb “launch” referring to child rearing, it seemed to me to be a very odd choice of words. My very fertile imagination saw parents firmly attaching their offspring to a rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The countdown begins, the great plumes of smoke leave the rocket’s base and obscure the view. Then, off goes … Read More
A Paradigm Shift in Parenting
Possibly the happiest and most terrifying moment in a person’s life is when they become a parent for the first time. All story book expectations are blown to bits. That is probably why parenting books have always been popular. People want to do well by their progeny and not fall apart in the process. First, it was mostly the physical … Read More
What all Children Wish Their Parents Knew
We humans have a need to feel that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We need to belong, to be with people who want us. We need to know that we are lovable even when we do not such lovable things, that nobody will ever be so upset with us that they will no longer love us … Read More
Teaching Your Child to just say “Please”, “Thank You” and “Sorry” is a mistake. Here’s why
As far back as most of us can remember, it was considered a part of good breeding and manners to teach children to say “please”, “thank you” and “sorry”. The problem is that most of the time, children just learned to recognize when it was time to say these things or were reminded by their parents, and then they just … Read More
The Four Sons Redux or Misguided Educational Assumptions We Still Make
At this time of year Pessach, Passover, has taken over our lives. This is especially true in Israel, where I live. Time was, when we women slaved away to prepare for the most stringent and labor intensive of all our holidays -the one that celebrates freedom. Most of us are now followers of the “dust is not chametz” philosophy and … Read More
The Anxious Brain
Ten year old Josh is having meltdowns every day now that his sister’s wedding is getting closer. He’s miserable, and his parents and sister don’t know what to do. The entire household seems to be falling apart. Josh has only been to one other wedding two years ago, his cousin’s, and that was enough. The thought of going through all … Read More
On Feeling Stupid
About a week ago, I received a post from the photography school where I studied a few years ago. They were offering new and different classes, was I interested? Many years ago I took photography courses, even learning how to develop pictures in a dark room. But that was in the dark ages, literally, before digital cameras and computers. So … Read More
When your Child says, “I HATE YOU!”
There are few statements from a child that can grip a parent’s heart more than this one- “I hate you!” Very seldom is there an immediate, helpful response. The reason is obvious. Parents want to think that they are doing well by their children. Besides instilling good traits, parents today usually also provide their children with after school activities … Read More
ASk a Therapist: ADD, Test Taking and Ritalin
Q: My 12 yr old child is mostly ok in class. His teacher just needs to remind him a few times to keep focused. But my child has a hard time getting thru tests – should he take a Ritalin just on test day? A: This is a very interesting question in that it goes to the heart … Read More