What is it about having small children that prompts strangers to offer unsolicited words of wisdom? No, kind lady at Target, I’m not sure I want to hear your birthing story—though I’m sure it’s got the entertainment value of an action film—I’d prefer my curious seven-year-old not have nightmares tonight. So I’ve been keeping my…
A Facebook post I spotted this morning got me thinking. A youth worker was asking his ministry peers for ideas on what he could address during this week’s annual meeting with parents. What caught my attention was his use of the word annual. That word, when combined with parent meeting, once got me in big trouble. The……
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on PsychCentral. New research finds that college students report the psychological impact of childhood bullying is on the same level as severe physical or sexual abuse. The study of 480 college freshmen through seniors, indicated that the detrimental effects of bullying may linger for years….
Words That Build Not long ago, my husband and I were asked to share with a group of parents what we would do again in regards to raising our kids. We began asking ourselves if we had to go all the way back to the beginning (20 years ago) and start over, what would we choose…
Splink 1: HELP! Ask your kids to complete a job that is too hard for them. (Give them a hard puzzle to complete. Ask them to stack ten blocks without them falling down. Give them a hard math problem to complete. The activity will depend on the age and skill of each child.) As they…
Trending Today on Twitter – 9/2/16 1. #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner 2. Galaxy Note 7 3. #ILoveYouButJustCant 4. #PrayForSelena 5. #KapSoBlack 6. #LARRYISOVERPARTY 7. Eazy E 8. Black Lead Matters 9. 33rd Ave 10. Maya Nelson Source: Twitter Trending Searches Today on Google – 9/2/16 1. Raiders 2. Patriots 3. SpaceX 4. Tennessee football 5. 49ers 6….
As a culture-watcher, I sometimes like to “rewind” as a way to gain perspective on just how much and how fast youth culture has changed. The practice serves to wake me up at times when familiarity with what was once relatively unknown lulls us to sleep because it’s become all-too-common and widespread. That creates huge…read…
Dr. Chinwe Williams, a licensed professional counselor, talks with Carlos Whittaker (author and speaker), and Kristen Ivy, about how to help kids cope with anxiety. Anxiety and stress is a normal and unavoidable part of life, especially when experiencing something new or transitioning to a new phase. The way you acknowledge and respond to a…
I’d like to think that tee-ball started off as a good idea. In reality, tee-ball is a one-hour exercise in paying attention. I’ll get to that in a moment. But let’s first put ourselves into the conversation of the people who invented it. “So, we apparently have a bunch of kids who can’t sit still when their older…
When our kids are little, talking about faith is relatively easy. We read Bible stories. We ask Jesus into our hearts. We pray together for him to watch over our family and friends, and to help us when we’re afraid. And then the hard part starts. Sometime around eleven-years-old they begin to ask questions….