Categorized as: Parenting Children

Middle School Survival Kit: Which is harder, being a middle schooler or being the parent of one?

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Sometimes I don’t know what is harder—being a middle
schooler, or being the parent of one. I’ve always felt that the
wounds your child receives cut you more deeply than those
received personally. I often say that seventh grade was the
worst year of my life. Many of my friends echo that sentiment.
But when my daughter was in seventh grade, that was a
brand new exercise in vicarious misery; and while it would be
hyperbolic to say that my child’s seventh grade year was the
worst year of my life, it was certainly wounding to both of us. Read more…

When Parenting Your Adult Child Is Like Parenting Yourself: A Story

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When my daughter Charlotte went off to college, suddenly and abruptly petless, it did not take long before she determined the rule about pets in dorms: fish only. On impulse, and accompanied by a new friend who had a tank of goldfish in her room, Charlotte made her way to the nearest pet store and bought two Siamese fighting fish, also known as Bettas, and a small plastic divided tank to keep them from killing each other. Read more…

Middle School Survival Kit: Build Strong Supports To Help Your Child Survive Middle Grades Struggles

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While I could have written an article about the middle
school years based on my career as a school administrator,
educational psychologist, and teacher, as well as my
observations as a parent, I wanted to get out of my own
head a bit, so I interviewed 15 parents of current middle
schoolers around the country. Many of the parents expressed
much angst, for which I recommend creating the support
systems described below. Let’s consider a couple of typical
parent concerns. Read more…

How Parents Can Disengage from the Homework Wars

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Welcome to the new school year! In millions of households across the country, there is no greater drama than the nightly struggle to get kids to do their homework. How many parents would love to have a magic wand that could abolish the homework wars forever?  There actually is such a wand, figuratively speaking, yet it derives its power not from magic, but from the hand that holds it. Read more…

Four-Part Podcast Series on Raising and Educating Children in Today’s Culture

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Many thanks to Wendy Grinberg of URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) for contacting me after reading my article “10 Ways to Raise Resilient Kids in Turbulent Times” in The Huffington Post and inviting me to be interviewed for a series of podcasts on modern day parenting. We discussed all sorts of issues pertaining to boys and girls of all ages. It was a very interesting thing to do and a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy it! Listen…