Reducing Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Every human … More

Raising Countercultural Kids in the United States of Addiction (Part 3 of 3)

The trends are not looking good for the mental and emotional health of young people, across all demographics. For instance, … More

Raising Countercultural Kids in the United States of Addiction (Part 2)

Raising Countercultural Kids in the United States of Addiction (Part 2) In the previous post, we looked at how young … More

Raising Countercultural Kids in the United States of Addiction (Part 1)

In the late 1990s, author J.K. Rowling invented the term “muggle” as a derogative term for the normal people of … More

Taking Control of Your Digital Life

Part 3 in the series on becoming “tech-wise” The first two posts in this series laid down a philosophical framework … More

Becoming Tech-Wise: Philosophy of Use

Becoming Tech-Wise: Philosophy of Use (Part 2 in series) Technology continues to improve, but is our use of technology improving? … More

Why Technology Worries Us So Much

Since 2010, human behavior has changed. In these last 7 years, we have experienced the complete integration of smartphones, the … More

3 Skills + 1 Passion

For young people to achieve success in their career, it is no longer enough to have a college degree. New … More

The Holidays Are a Magnifier

The Holidays — the six weeks of Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, and New Years — are a magnifier. In general, happy … More

The Social Combat of Being 13

A New World Order for Young Teens 7th and 8th grade is when the social life of a child amps … More

The Work Hards

There is a strange insult on youth athletic fields these days. “Don’t be such a Work Hard” is a slam … More

Why Are All the Kids Indoors?

In the middle-class family-oriented neighborhoods around me, I just don’t see kids outside much. It’s rare to see a kid on … More

Your Family. Your Culture.

The most common theme among parents of young teens lately is that they want to live differently than the culture. … More

Living on 1 Dollar Per Day

Young people in America need to know more about real poverty, and this video is possibly the best I have … More

Parenting is Regulating

Every parent should regulate their children’s behavior until they are ready to regulate their own. It will likely be a … More

The Power of Kindness

Josh was a normal teenager whose father died. His mother moved them from their home in the country to the … More

Advice for Middle School Kids

Recently, I asked my Facebook friends to give me advice for my 7th graders. Here’s what my friends have learned … More

Peace in the Parenting Journey

Being a parent is overwhelming in mid-December, when everybody’s activities and pressures are multiplying. During the holidays, our expectation of … More

Teach Your Kids Sportsmanship

If more parents focused on character over performance, then we would not need signs like this.

Musical Instruments Build the Brain

Consider the many benefits of playing a musical instrument. Every child should try to play some sort of instrument to … More

The Distance Run

I coach middle school cross country, which is not a glamorous job, but it is uniquely rewarding. For young distance … More

Tips for Motivating Young Teens

It takes more than a poster to motivate kids. Ask any schoolteacher. Early in their careers, young teachers will spend … More

Motivate. Don’t Manipulate Your Kids.

Once again, his room isn’t clean, not by any standard. Her backpack, jacket, and shoes are scattered about the floor … More

Perpetual Parenting

It’s likely that you are being a great parent even when you aren’t thinking about it. You may be doing … More

Kids in Cars Talking Life

The car is where the best stories have a chance to run and really stretch out their legs freely. It’s … More

Why Young Kids Should Learn to Use Dangerous Things

A friend recently posted on Facebook a picture of her three young children helping their dad build a deck. The … More

Connect + Guide + Enjoy = Good Parenting

You are never done parenting. There is never enough time, energy, money, or wisdom to do it all right. Parenting … More

Take Your Kids Outdoors

Kids spend well over 40 HOURS per week in front of electronic screens, but less than 40 MINUTES per week … More

Play Well This Summer!

Summer School. Summer Job. Summer Reading. Yes, parents need to keep kids mentally active and productive in the summer. Growing … More

Managing Social Media (Part 2)

Dealing With Annoying Social Media Posts (Part 2)After writing my last post on how to respond to all those annoying … More