By: Ann Brown Doing the work I do and having grown children who no longer pick their noses in public or have screaming tantrums at Whole Foods, affords me a certain amount of, um, flexibility with the truth. I mean, my kids are 25 and 30 years old and they are great kids. They make […]
By: Ann Brown A parent dropped off a magazine article to me a few weeks ago, saying, “I thought you’d like this.” I am always curious to see what kinds of things you think I’d be interested in because I know I kinda have a reputation for being a bit….well, offbeat. I remember a while […]
By: Ann Brown The mistake I want to talk about this month is difficult to label in a few words. I guess I could call it thinking that I needed to entertain or engage my kids when I was home with them. I know that it’s nearly impossible to get anything done when you are […]
By: Joe Newman Sara, the mother of seven-year-old Aiden told me her son was complaining that his friend of several years, Noah, a boy a year or two older, had been bullying him. Apparently, Noah had pushed him into a closet where he and another boy hit him. This had happened a few times […]
By: Joe Newman A passive tantrum is when a child feigns inability or lack of understanding in order to avoid difficulty, frustration or effort. A few weeks ago a third grade teacher told me about her first experience using my method with a student named Jackson she suspected of engaging in passive tantrums. Jackson was […]
By: Joe Newman Our boys are in trouble. They are falling behind girls academically, socially, and psychologically. Consider the following: • Boys are 30% more likely to drop out of school before graduation. • Girls outperform boys at all levels of schooling, from elementary to graduate programs. • Boys are 11% less likely to get […]
By: Joe Newman Struggles, difficulties and deferred gratification are good for children. These things used to be a much bigger part of growing up and there wasn’t any other option. Today most parents have the option of giving their child almost everything they want (attention, toys, constant stimulation, choices about everything, lavish praise). One of […]
By: Joe Newman I recently saw a 20/20 program entitled Stupid in America with the tag line – “Kids failed to make the grade because their schools failed them” in which they looked critically at grade schools in America as compared to schools in other countries. The program showed how schools in America were producing […]
By: Joe Newman One afternoon, I was watching a first-grader named Jimmy playing Legos with two other boys when I heard him say to his friend Ryan, “That’s a stupid way to build it. The wings are gonna fall off. Give me the ship. You’re stupid!” Ryan looked hurt, put the half-built spaceship down, crossed […]
By: Joe Newman Imagine a young mother who tells her three-year-old son Nathan, “If you behave and listen to Mommy, then you can go to the movies with Daddy tonight.” But the boy keeps acting out, throwing things and not listening to his mother. Each time he misbehaves his mother tells him, “Nathan, unless you […]
