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Values Matter: Using Your Values to Raise Caring, Responsible, Resilient Children

by | Aug 6, 2019 | , , , , , ,

Values are very important in parenting since they deeply influence all behaviors and attitudes and effect our decisions and relationships. For a value to be truly your own, you must act on it and your behavior must reflect it – not just verbally accept it or think that you should follow it.

Explaining the News to Our Kids

by | Aug 5, 2019 | , , , , , , , ,

Dramatic, disturbing news events can leave parents speechless. These age-based tips on how to talk to kids about the news—and listen, too—can help.

If it bleeds, it leads. The old newsroom adage about milking stories for sensationalism seems truer than ever today. And with technology doing the heavy lifting—sending updates, tweets, posts, and breaking news alerts directly to our kids’ phones—we parents are often playing catch-up. Whether it’s wall-to-wall coverage of the latest natural disaster, a horrific mass shooting, a suicide broadcast on social media, or a violent political rally, it’s nearly impossible to keep the news at bay until you’re able to figure out what to say. The bottom line is that elementary school-aged kids and some middle schoolers have trouble fully understanding news events. And though older teens are better able to understand current events, even they face challenges when it comes to sifting fact from opinion—or misinformation.

How to Create a College-Going Mindset for your Middle School Student

by | Jul 22, 2019 | , ,

When you ask most 6th, 7th and 8th grade students about their college plans, you will quickly realize that college is the furthest thing from their minds. Middle school students are much more interested in their most recent social media post, the latest video game, their favorite sports team, and hanging out with their friends.  And parents, that’s truly okay. Adolescence is a time to explore, learn and have fun. So, don’t stress too much about their lack of interest in building a college list or starting that essay for the college application. With this in mind, parents can do a lot to help prepare their students for college, starting at a young age. The first thing to do?  Help them to create a college-going mindset. Here’s how. 

5 Things to Say When Talking to Your Kids About Guns

by | Jul 12, 2019 | , , ,

Regardless of whether or not you own guns, your child is eventually going to want to talk to you about firearms. Whether they grew up in a family of hunters and shooters or are introduced to guns by television or movies, kids have an innate desire to learn more about the world around them. This may seem like a basic developmental process, part of growing up and determining where we fit in in the world that surrounds us, but those early lessons can have a long-lasting impact. That’s why it’s important to talk to your kids about firearms early on, and the message must be clear.

Are You a Parent With Anxiety Disorder?

by | Jun 25, 2019 |

Anxiety is part of the human experience and at times the word “anxiety” is watered down. People worry about a wide variety of things. Finances, job stability, relationships, child-rearing, health, and safety come to mind as common worries on a day-to-day basis. Not all worrying, however, qualifies as anxiety.

Anxiety disorders include disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety that negatively impact functioning. For kids, this might mean that anxiety makes it difficult to get to school each day, make and maintain friends, sleep at night, or focus in the classroom. For adults, work, romantic relationships, friendships, finances, and physical health can suffer. Anxiety manifests in many ways (physical, emotional, and behavioral), and there are several disorders that fall under “anxiety disorders.”

A Word About Test Scores

by | Apr 26, 2019 |

Our culture is obsessed with numbers and data. In our jobs, many of us have a need to quantify and measure performance. Although standardized test scores like the SAT and ACT are important to some college admissions officers as indicators of a student's ability to do...

Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs

by | Jul 23, 2018 | , , ,

Children with disabilities—such as physical, developmental, intellectual, emotional, and sensory disabilities—are at an increased risk of being bullied. Any number of factors— physical vulnerability, social skill challenges, or intolerant environments—may increase the risk. Research suggests that some children with disabilities may bully others as well.

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