Moms and Dads... Don't See Eye To Eye on Raising Your Kids?
What do parents fight about more than sex or money? Ask any parent: It's how to raise their children. The dilemma is that while both parents love their children, while they may even have agreed beforehand how to raise their children, while they may have read every parenting book ever published si...
The Day After Christmas: Five Ways to Handle the Biggest Downer of the Year
The presents are all open. The living room is a wreck. The new trike is on its side in the hall. The tree is dropping pine needles on the wrapping that hasn't been picked up. Two toys are already broken. Dad's sweater is too scratchy. You've come to grips with the fact that your MasterCard bill t...
Is It Time To Bring Back College Curfews?
Wow, am I suggesting a return to the 1960s where freshmen girls were required to be in their dorm by 9 pm and boys by 11? Well, actually yes. And here's why: Since 1970 the rate of freshmen graduating from college has plummeted. Every study shows that there are more freshmen entering college than...
20 Things Teachers Don't Need to Know About Your Kids
Fall is when many moms are busy making a list of all the things every teacher should know about their child. And not only do moms spend days on this list, they honestly believe that a teacher who averages six classes a day with sometimes 30 kids each actually remembers every child's name, quirk, ...
Flashcards and Beethoven Do Not a Genius Make
1. Let's start with the flashcard and Beethoven. Lord knows where this idea originated, but every NPR listening, PBS watching, back-to-earth organic eating parent believes it. Yet there is not one shred of scientific data supporting the theory that flashcards and Beethoven do anything more than b...