MISTAKES

 How we learn from mistakes makes a huge difference in our learning curve!









by Eduardo Briceño

"We can deepen our own and our students’ understanding of mistakes, which are not all created equal, and are not always desirable. After all, our ability to manage and learn from mistakes is not fixed. We can improve it.
Here are two quotes about mistakes that I like and use, but that can also lead to confusion if we don’t further clarify what we mean:
“A life spent making mistakes is not only most honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing” – George Bernard Shaw
“It is well to cultivate a friendly feeling towards error, to treat it as a companion inseparable from our lives, as something having a purpose which it truly has.” – Maria Montessori"

 To read on   Click Here

MATURITY, EMOTIONS, and the TEENAGE BRAIN

Understanding the teen aged brain is crucial - it' s not an excuse for behavior, but if we can begin to understand the process we will be much more effective life teachers!


"As teens grow and develop, it can be tempting to assume that they can think and behave just like adults. A little bit of time with a teen, however, can starkly demonstrate just how differently they think and act, and it is all due to brain development.

The Teenaged Brain
A brain is like a complicated entertainment system that includes the cable box, television, blu-ray player, and surround sound that are all connected through wires. For adults, the parts of the brain work together using a similar system of wires called synapses.
The teenaged brain, however, has all of the parts, just not all of the wires are hooked up. There may be too many input and output jacks in some places and not enough in others. Plus, teens have the distinct disadvantage of experiencing brain development from the back of the brain to the front.
The very back of the brain that is connected to the spine controls our involuntary functions. Moving up from there, we encounter the hormonal and emotional centers of the brain. Last to develop is the frontal lobe, which controls rational thought, judgment, and self-control.
Teen develop mirrors the development of a baby during his or her first year, soaking up everything the world has to offer. Like young children, teens need guidance, understanding, and patience from adults so that they can learn how to safely navigate the world.

Read the full article - click here

CURFEW ALTERNATIVE

 Try a good night hug!

Read the full article here

Click Here

AWESOME RESOURCE!

I want share a wonderful resource website Understood.org

While the primary focus is learning and attention issues, there are great strategies for social skills as well.

Their mission is to " help the millions of parents whose children, ages 3–20, are struggling with learning and attention issues. We want to empower them to understand their children’s issues and relate to their experiences. With this knowledge, parents can make effective choices that propel their children from simply coping to truly thriving". 

Head to the website and browse around.  You can create a profile for your child(ren) and check out the huge span of resources.

HELPING TEENS RELY ON THEMSELVES

Fern Weis offers great direction-

It takes so much time to explain and guide and teach. You may feel it’s faster and more efficient to take care of it yourself. In the short-term, being pressed for time and patience, you want to step in and do it yourself; however, if you do, you'll be raising a child who:

* doesn’t know how to problem-solve.
* runs to you to fix everything.
* cannot function independently.
* cannot be depended upon to accomplish tasks.
* has low self-esteem.


 Read on:  
Click Here

MONEY

There is so much written about how to talk with your kids about sex and drugs - but so little about money. Like sex, each family has their own guidelines and expectations, what ever they are, create the time to teach them to your children.

Read the full article   Click Here

30 MINUTES

30 minutes a day. This seemed to be a fitting (no pun) way to kick off 2015!  The physical activity part of raising and supporting our kids is so important.



click here to watch Dr Evans' white board message

PRAISE & ENCOURAGEMENT

To be meaningful praise needs to be real, we are striving to have our teens be independent, self aware and achieving people who understand what it takes to accomplish a task or project.


Kids and teens are often dismissive of praise from their parents. I am sure that parents out there can relate to this, as we have been all been told at one time or another by one or several of our kids, "stop it mom" or even, "you're just saying that because you are my parent and you have to say that." I can assure you, though, that they are listening. They will probably not thank you for this praise until they are in their twenties, but don't let that stop you from praising them during their childhood and teen years. Just be careful how you praise them. A little praise may go a long way -- especially if it is the right kind of praise.  
Barbara Greenberg 


For the full article click here

PROTECT vs PERMIT

Finding the balance.  We need to allow our children to begin to figure things out for themselves so that they grow their self reliance and build their self esteem. As parents, we should strive to be warm, firm and supportive to give our kids the most benefit. 



 Great article by Jessica Lahey  in the New York Times

 Raising Teenagers: Protect When You Must, Permit When You Can

Read the article   Click Here

RAISING KIND CHILDREN

We want to raise kind children. We want them to be a good friend and have good friends. Our children learn so much from our interactions with others (see previous post about Accidental Teaching). This article speaks specifically about girls, but the message applies to boys as as well. 

 
To Read the full article    Click Here

DARK SIDE OF ANONYMOUS APPS

I was recently interviewed for this article in Ad Week.  Interesting discussion on the connection between cyber bullying and anonymous apps

Critics maintain that anonymity is a double-edged sword. While it lets the public frankly discuss issues they might not otherwise in an open forum, cloaking one’s identity leads some to believe they can tease and troll others at will.     
For the full article written by David Gianatasio

Click Here

THINK YOU'RE RAISING KIDS RIGHT?

Continuing the conversation about teaching the importance of empathy and true caring. Amy Joyce does it again..
 

Only 20 percent of kids interviewed say caring for others is their top priority. Greater than 50 percent of girls ages 7 to 12 reported at least one incident of sexual harassment in 2010-2011. And 96 percent of parents say moral character is “very important” yet 81 percent of children say happiness or achievement is their parents’ top priority.

Read the full article  Click Here

DRAMA FREE PARENTING

Tips to make parenting your tweens (girls and boys!)  less dramatic, and more delightful





“Parents often ask me how to get along with their suddenly volatile preteen daughter,” writes psychologist Laura Markham. “It’s a shock when your previously sweet little girl starts throwing tantrums again. Twelve year old girls can be moody, overdramatic, self-centered, focused almost solely on friends, close-mouthed, surly, back-talking and condescending to parents. They can, of course, also be mature, affectionate and delightful, but at their worst they’re a cross between the most challenging aspects of toddlers and teens.”

To read full article click here

TEACHING EMPATHY

Crucial life skill for our kids - kindness, understanding and the impact of 'accidental teaching'.

Weissbourd and his cohorts have come up with recommendations about how to raise children to become caring, respectful and responsible adults. Why is this important? Because if we want our children to be moral people, we have to, well, raise them that way.

“Children are not born simply good or bad and we should never give up on them. They need adults who will help them become caring, respectful, and responsible for their communities at every stage of their childhood,” the researchers write.

To read full article     Click Here

Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day
We have an opportunity to change the conversation.
We have the power to teach boys to be men of character.
Please watch, share and act.

Click here

Resiliency, Competency & Self Esteem!

Life coping skills are essential for our teens. It is so important for us to help our kids become more self resilient.  The resiliency creates competency which grows self esteem!

This is a good list to aim for. Many of the tools in The Tool Box can help us help our kids Chap 3: Nuts & Bolts, Communication; Chap 4: The Level, Emotional literacy, Chap 6: 3-in-1 Oil, The Art of Compromise and Chap 9: The Glue, Self Esteem and confidence.

Even during the best of times, parents wonder whether their teens are developing all the skills they need to be successful in life. A problem in this “appraisal” process is that parents see their teens in some of their most regressed and infantile states—when they are at home with their families! Furthermore, new neuroscience research indicates that the human brain does not reach maturity until a person reaches their early twenties. So, how do parents of teens know what to look for in the development of life skills?


 For full article click here

ARE PUNISHMENTS AND CONSEQUENCES DIFFERENT?

Are Punishments and Consequences Different?  YES!


"Cause and effect are fundamentally different from a child doing something, and the parent (or school) giving them a "consequence." That's not a consequence at all, but a punishment. The result of this is that our children don't learn a valuable lesson. Instead, the result is that they resent us. And resentment leads to further acting out on the child's part."

To Read full article  click here

CREATVITY AND FAILURE

Creativity and Failure... Why they go hand in hand!


"Sometimes, the ideas fail and they move on. They have to learn to adapt and I love that...How can you not love something that makes your kid enjoy going to school?"
Sara Born

 Check out the full article
click here

HOW LONG TO NAP FOR THE BIGGIEST BENEFIT

Back in the saddle- workshops were great with wonderful feedback! 

Here is an article that is pertinent for all - sleep (and napping) are important and it is good to understand how to get the most benefit.  

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when.
The sleep experts in the article say a 10-to-20-minute power nap gives you the best “bang for your buck,” but depending on what you want the nap to do for you, other durations might be ideal.  For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch. 

For the full article click here (and take 2 minutes to watch the embedded video)

 

How Long To Nap For The Biggest Brain Benefits

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when.
The sleep experts in the article say a 10-to-20-minute power nap gives you the best “bang for your buck,” but depending on what you want the nap to do for you, other durations might be ideal.  For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch.

- See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

How Long To Nap For The Biggest Brain Benefits

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when.
The sleep experts in the article say a 10-to-20-minute power nap gives you the best “bang for your buck,” but depending on what you want the nap to do for you, other durations might be ideal.  For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch.

- See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when. - See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when. - See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when. - See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

SIX WORDS....

So often we focus on the end result and miss the pure pleasure of the process.  Finding the joy and appreciation of the moment is a gift to ourselves and our kids!


Very rarely does one sentence have immediate impact on me.
Very rarely does one sentence change the way I interact with my family.
But this one did. It was not from Henry Thoreau or some renowned child psychologist. It was a comment from kids themselves. And if I’ve learned anything on this “Hands Free” journey, it is that children are the true experts when it comes to “grasping what really matters.”
Here are the words that changed it all:
“… College athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame. Their overwhelming response: ‘I love to watch you play.’”
To read the full article, 
click here