Summer is winding down and we’re soaking up the last little bit of it before we send the kids back to school and gear ourselves up for the new academic year. In the meantime, parents have the option to maximize the benefit of the last few weeks of summer by instilling into their kids some […]
Parents who over-protect their kids are obviously trying to do the best for them, but this prevents help these children from becoming resilient and bouncing back from disappointment, loss and adversity. Recently, I’ve come across a book that addresses resilience in children in a meaningful way. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy […]
Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about the epidemic of bubble-wrapped and over-protected children. What I’ve been saying is that when parents do too much for their children and deprive them of any consequences for their bad behaviour, these children grow up lacking the skills and attitudes necessary for success in all aspects of life. […]
It seems like a lot of young people today feel helpless and overwhelmed. They’re anxious and stressed and have little confidence in their ability to solve their own problems. In fact, they feel like victims in their lives. There are two types of childhood experiences that leave young people feeling this way: the experience of […]
The things that happen to us in childhood are responsible for many if not most of the attitudes, beliefs and expectations that we carry into our adult lives. If we received adequate nurturing, validation and protection from our parents (and the other important adults) in our childhood, we’re more likely to grow up feeling confident, […]
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the consequences of helicopter parenting on young people currently graduating from college and university. From everything I’ve observed, everyone I’ve spoken to and everything I’ve read, it’s clear that over-protecting and coddling our kids is not doing these young people any favours. In a 2015 interview in the […]
As I get older, time goes by so much faster. If I’m not making the most of my time, I figure I’m probably wasting it. Summer is a perfect example of this. The season here in Canada is so short that if we blink, it’s over. If I don’t take a moment to think about […]
For those of you in your last semester of college or university, it’s spring and you probably feel like celebrating. You’ve spent the past few years working hard (or maybe not that hard) and you’re looking forward to a break from classes, papers and exams. Perhaps you’re planning a summer vacation. Or maybe, you’re doing […]
Our emotions are important signals for us. They give us information about ourselves, other people and the world. When we shut ourselves off from these feelings it’s as though we’ve eliminated one of our senses; even worse, in fact. We avoid our feelings for only one reason: because they have painful or upsetting implications. Children […]
It’s spring, and kids are graduating from University and starting their careers.Those young people whose parents raised them to be hard-working, responsible and self-directed are going to be at a huge advantage, compared to those who have helicopter parents or those who’ve studied at schools that act like helicopter parents. Frighteningly, our schools, from elementary, […]
