Eat your peas.

A Canadian study revealed that families that eat together regularly have children who are more physically fit, drink less sodas and have better social skills. Oh, and they have less behavioral problems. Could it be the peas? Maybe… I mean we are seeing more articles on the effect of good nutrition on our children. The […]

And now this…

I guess I should have predicted this. Teens can self harm in a variety of ways. The latest is digital.  About 6% of teens have posted anonymously online something hurtful about themselves. This was discovered in a survey of over 5 thousand middle and high school students.  It was first noted in England when a […]

The best is yet to come

   I admire my girlfriend’s never ending optimistic attitude toward life. She signs all her letters with Frank Sinatra’s song lyrics, “The Best is Yet to Come.” Says the same thing when the girls get together and raise their glasses of wine. I don’t, however, believe it… I consider myself a realist. The new year […]

Searching for the perfect gift

Until that moment, I was on top of my Christmas game. I’d sent the packages to relatives in advance of the rush, draped lights on the shrubbery, hung a wreath on the door… and put a line through every item on my Christmas gift list. That year, I was ready. To celebrate the season, we bundled […]

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly: Holiday Gift Ideas by ages and developmental stages

Tweens: Your child now has a longer attention span (30-40 minutes) so building projects such as K’nex models will be of interest to her. She can now also understand directions for performing magic tricks or making animal balloons. This is a time when group identity becomes more important. Sleepovers and scouting trips are common at […]

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Does your child suffer from  ‘Big Feelings” like anger or anxiety? Perhaps they need Big Bird! Sesame Street is a nonprofit educational organization that’s been around almost 50 years. They have addressed emotional needs of children in the past with issues like divorce and incarceration and now they’ve come to help again. According to a […]

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly: Holiday Gift Ideas by ages and developmental stages

5-year-olds: Since 5-year-olds can hop on one foot, games like Twister® will be fun. Kids this age start to understand time. In our world of digital clocks, get your nephew an analog clock with numbers and a minute hand… they are hard to come by. Five-year-olds also begin to understand charts— a calendar will also […]