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, […]
Parenting is one of the hardest thing in the world to do. That’s why it never hurts to be reminded of a few basic truths. The fact is, children need six things in order to grow up healthy, happy, confident, resilient, and best able to succeed in life: love, guidance, limits, protection, validation and respect. […]
Helicopter parents are in the news a lot these days. These are the parents who can’t stop hovering around their kids. They practically wrap them in bubble wrap, creating a cohort of young adults who struggle to function in their jobs and in their lives. Helicopter parents think that they’re doing what’s best for their […]
In working with people for over twenty-five years, I’ve identified five styles of human interaction. Two of them work really well to create positive personal and professional relationships. Two are more problematic. One can go either way. If you want to be happy and successful in your relationships, you’re going to have to learn which […]
It seems that people have become more and more alienated lately. More often than not, our mode of interaction is transactional, as opposed to empathetic. “Empathetic” and “transactional” are two of the ways that people behave with one-another, and they’re quite opposite. The former is about enjoying and appreciating the other person’s company. The latter […]
Most parents want only good things for their children. Their actions are based on what they believe will best serve their kids. Unfortunately, there are some mistaken ideas going around that are much more harmful to children than helpful. When parents adopt these mistaken ideas they can take actions that will encourage children to be […]
It’s International Women’s Day and I’m celebrating being a woman. I’m also taking the opportunity to vent a bit about an issue that’s been bothering me for a while, now. It’s about the glaringly different ways that men and women are represented in the entertainment industry. First, let me say that I unequivocally support any […]
It’s very strange to me that the notion of feminism currently seems to be equated with man-hating or man-bashing. As a feminist myself, surrounded by many other feminists, it’s clear that none of us have the least bit of animosity, contempt or destructive wishes toward men. For feminists the world over, the term identifies […]
