June 23rd, 2011 by admin

Children and Mistakesby Alina Tugend,

Author of Better By Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong

It’s crucial that we, as parents, allow our children to make mistakes and fail and figure out how to recover from them. We can’t rush in and fix every problem, whether it be forgotten homework, an awkward social encounter or not getting a part in the school play.

We know from research that building children’s self-esteem and self-worth is much less about praise and gold stars and trophies for everyone and much more about creating resilience. Children who know how to screw up and fail and try again.

“While we do not want our children to face ongoing failure, to attempt to overprotect them and rush in whenever we fear they might fail at a task robs them of an important lesson, namely that mistakes are experiences from which to learn,” writes Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein in their book Nurturing Resilience in Our Children. “It also communicates another subtle or perhaps not-so-subtle message to a child: We don’t think you are strong enough to deal with obstacles and mistakes.” Read the rest of this entry »

October 12th, 2010 by admin

By Jilliane Hoffman,
Author of Pretty Little Things
Last December, New York’s Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that more than 3500 registered sex offenders had been purged from the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace in the state’s first database sweep for sexual predators.

That’s 3500 caught, convicted and registered sex offenders who’d actually used their real names when they signed up for a Facebook or MySpace page. That’s not counting all the deviants that haven’t yet been busted, pled to a lesser charge, had charges dropped, never registered their emails with their probation or parole officers, socially communicate using an alias, or live outside the Empire State. With that in mind, consider this sobering statistic: According to the Center for Sex Offender Management (CSOM), the average sex offender offends for 16 years before he’s finally caught. In that time span, he has committed an average of 318 offenses and violated 110 victims.

Wow. Now just imagine who your kids may be chatting with online.  Read the rest of this entry »

June 10th, 2010 by admin

Are you aware that forty years ago this month, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (NCCPT) and the National Congress of Mothers united to form the National PTA, adapting the same mission they had operated under separately: to improve the education and well being of every child?  Today, while many great accomplishments have been made there are still obstacles that we must conquer, both inside and outside of the classroom and across ethnic backgrounds.  So at this year’s national convention there will be much to tackle:

 The nation’s K-12 public education system is in crisis. 

• Our students lag behind compared to children in other countries in math and science – which is not a plus for their futures in a global economy and job market. 
• And our schools also face widespread funding shortages, a childhood obesity epidemic and unbalanced academic standards all across the country.

 In this LIVE webcast event from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, National PTA President Chuck Saylors will be joined by actress, mother and National PTA Advisory Board member Tichina Arnold, National PTA representatives and Ambassadors; Tomeka Hart, Executive director of Memphis Urban League, University of Memphis student representative; as well as Barbara Andrews, director of Education and Interpretation for National Civil Rights Museum.  They will be discussing the challenges of educating the 21st century child in today’s classroom, and what needs to be done to close the achievement gap in education. 

 Want to learn ways in which you can take a more hands on approach in your child’s education?  You’re in luck, as during this webcast event you’ll have the opportunity to email your questions and have them potentially answered live during the event.  

To secure your spot visit www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=69462

January 8th, 2010 by admin

By Wednesday Martin, Ph.D.,
Author of Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do

The media is in love with the term “blended family.” From USA Today to Star magazine to the New York Times, from 20/20 to Oprah, there’s no escaping the articles about repartnering with children that don’t just label such families “blended,” but further suggest that “blending = success.” That is, not blended = failed stepfamily. Read the rest of this entry »

August 31st, 2009 by admin

By Kirsten Olson,
Author of Wounded by School: Recapturing the Joy in Learning and Standing Up to Old School Culture

Schools can be frustrating and difficult places to learn, as many parents of children and young adults know. From a kid’s point of view, feedback on schoolwork is often negative, red-pencilly and snarly. Learning tasks are flattening, and opportunities to choose what will be learned are few and far between. “I’m one taco short of a combination plate,” a middle schooler recently told his mom. Fostering a kid’s potential, especially if that kid is unusual or offbeat, can be daunting. Read the rest of this entry »