Be Nice to the New Kid Month!
Whether school started today or within the next month, my hope is that it starts off with joy and on the right foot. That is why I fondly call this Be Nice to the New Kid Month. There are many studies on the positive effects of kindness. It’s a teachable skill and one that does […]
Teaching Bravery
Seven year-old Lucy was on her virtual classroom “meet.” The substitute teacher was trying to get to know each first grader through an ice breaker by asking if they were afraid of anything. The majority of the class said shots. It’s unclear whether this was a “copy cat” answer or not, but one child after […]
Magic Moments
The minute I heard it, I thought “Why didn’t I think of that?” It was just the other day during an amazing discussion hosted by Luminary. The moderator, Dora Herrera, President of Yuca’s Restaurants and Ashley Brundage, author of Empowering Differences were kindly answering my question on how we can help children channel their strength […]
Yay! Back in School…But Is Bullying Back, Too?
After months of being home, some kids are slowly cycling back into “in-person” school. Happy day. For some. For others, the anxiety begins because being home full time felt safe. If your young children are having trouble socially, it can be a tough transition back. How can you help if you suspect your child is […]
3 Tips to Reduce Device Child Tantrums
Worried Screens are Taking Over? Some Expert Advice.
As parents, we have so many questions and frankly, worries, as we continue to raise kids during a pandemic. There are no textbooks on how to do this correctly. Guidelines and pre-Covid rules do not seem to apply. I recently had a conversation about this with family technology expert, Denise DeRosa, after we both […]
Is Your Child Ready For a Cell Phone? Are YOU Ready?
Kelly Nault, speaker, author and founder of Joyfully Parenting reached out to ask me about a question on the minds of so many parents. When should my child get their first cell phone and/or be allowed to have their own social media accounts? Since there’s no “one size fits all” answer, let’s start with a […]
Trusted Adults Rock
“Tell a Trusted Adult” This is the most repeated piece of expert advice for kids in bullying and/or cyberbullying prevention. Now to the tricky stuff. How to be trusted. There are many barriers. Sometimes we only need to look back on our own childhoods to remember how vulnerable we felt. Were you ever nervous about […]
A Highly Unusual Bullying Prevention Month
One of my favorite things is to enjoy a cup of coffee as I watch “drop off” time at the elementary school across the street from my house. Every day since this school year has begun has included at least one very poignant scene. On Friday, as I sipped my steaming cup of Joe outside […]
The Importance of Friendships
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Unlike everything else this year, bullying, unfortunately has not been cancelled. But neither have friendships and good buddies make all the difference Thanks to Child Mind Institute, here are a few tips on helping our kids make and keep friends. As humans we’re hard-wired to connect but for some […]
