When my friend Kristin was married in a quaint Falls Church ceremony a few years ago, the four-year-old flower girl, Emma, walked up to the newlyweds before the reception began, and attempting to clarify the familial relationship that had just formed, pointed to Kristin's new husband and frankly asked, “So, is he your dad now?”

“One of my students runs into my English class, drenched in sweat in a karate uniform with a trumpet in his hand, because he's just come from karate class to English school and has trumpet lessons right afterward.”

That was my friend's description of one of his students when he was teaching in Asia while I was teaching in a small island country in Micronesia. On a visit to Micronesia on their vacation, he and his two other friends and I traded stories about our first year teaching overseas, mostly the ways we'd blindly navigated our first teaching experience with little or no experience in an entirely new culture.

The school where my friends taught was an English school that existed apart from the regular school day, one where students' parents specially enrolled them. One of the most significant challenges of teaching at this school, my friends explained, was exhausted, overstrained students as a result of their parents enrolling them in activities that began after the regular school day ended and continued until nine or ten o'clock at night.

“Remember when you came out to the family during a Christmas gathering that year the folks lived in Fort Worth?” I recently asked my sister.

“No, not really,” she said, ever so nonchalantly.
“Of course not,” said I, ever so loudly. “That’s because I did it for you!”

Well, that’s not entirely true. My sister’s coming out episode began like a scene from a soap opera and ended in a rather anti-climactic fashion. It was Christmas day, 1982. I stood in front of the fireplace in my parents’ suburban ranch house in the strange state of Texas with my father, mother, brother, and sister-in-law patiently waiting for me to read the very important letter from my sister that was folded into a little square and shoved into my pocket while I sipped my second tumbler of scotch, and my sister paced the floor of her flat 1,700 miles away in San Francisco. (So cliché. Where else would she be?)

Parenting is tough enough with all the different stages of children. You think if I just get past the terrible twos, the horrible threes, etc.−well, now you have a brand new stage to consider. That is when your child becomes a Tween. The word tween is a relatively recent term that is associated with children ages 9−12, not old enough to be a teenager, but just growing out of being a little kid.

I wanted to introduce party ideas by toy brand Melissa & Doug for your next child’s Birthday. Still pondering fun, creative ideas to keep guests entertained? In need of party favors that leave a lasting impression? Can’t decide what to get your child who has everything? I have included below the latest from Melissa & Doug that will guarantee not only the most talked about party but will leave them feeling as if they learned something.

Decorate-your-own Party Favors - Pick a theme, any theme and select the perfect party favors to add fun and fancy to your next special event. For princesses and pirates, sports and horse enthusiasts, these kits provide a great party activity or take-home favor at an exceptionally high value and low price. $4.99 - $7.99

 

 

 

The holidays can be a very confusing time of the year for families that do not celebrate Christmas. Th ere are many families that do not celebrate for religious or non-religious reasons. But it isn’t easy for some to ignore the signs of Christmas, which are all around during the holiday season, whether it's the constant loop of traditional holiday movies, or the Santa Clause at the mall, or the festivities centered on Christmas at work and at school.

There are probably families that make the holidays look flawless. They enjoy each other’s company and want to be together. They have traditions that everyone looks forward to each year. Everyone lives close together so no one worries about how expensive it is to travel, and if they do have to travel, the family pitches in to help them get home. Sound too good to be true? In most families, it is!

Would it surprise you to find out that your child’s interest and attraction to music can, in fact, sharpen their academic success? Perhaps it is a surprise. Would it surprise you even more that the same focus that your child uses when studying musical notes and symphonic melodies, are similar skill sets necessary for excelling in math, writing and science? Shocking, isn’t it? However shocking it may be, it is also very true.

As a devoted parent, your desire is to protect, encourage, love, enhance your child’s life experiences… deliver the necessary bail-out on occasion… in whatever way possible. This task, as daunting as it can be at times, can use a little encouragement and reinforcement from outside sources; sources that, of course, share the same belief in your child’s potential and their incredible gifts as you.

Q: My daughter has been the victim of cyber bullying at her middle school. I would like to confront the bully's family, but I don't want to make the situation worse for my daughter. What is the best way to address this issue?

A: Last year the Oxford Dictionary added the term, "cyber bully" to its 350,000 word vernacular. Their definition is, "the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature." The anti-bullying advocacy group stopcyberbullying.org gives a more detailed definition: "When a child or preteen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones." Studies indicate that nearly 50% of preteens are cyber bullied at some point. We've all heard news reports about young children who have suffered from anxiety, depression and even who have committed suicide because they were cyber bullied. Here are some options to consider:

When it comes to encouraging your child to work harder and do better, it can sometimes be difficult to find the right words and the right approach. The praise part is generally easy enough; most parents have little difficulty finding the words to tell a child when they are doing well. When there is an area that could use some improvement, it becomes a little more difficult. How do you point out what your child needs to work on without sounding critical? There is a simple method, and it’s known as PCP: Praise, Challenge, Praise.