The New Parent: Raising Excellent Kids in an Insane World

Can a Jittery Child Learn?

2008-12-05T15:29:00Z

A little while back I was a parent helper in my daughter’s kindergarten class. W hile I was there, I was interested in observing how much our little ones move in place while doing their schoolwork. Now, in my point of view, schools spend too much time on some things (repetition) and too little time on other things (learning how to be calm). W hat I noticed was that our children spend a lot of time tapping feet, pencils and erasers. Bouncing legs up-and-down, shifting in their seats, chewing on pencils,...(read more)

When to Start teaching?

2008-11-26T15:22:00Z

Controversial? Maybe. The human brain is pretty amazing. Neurons are created and then as our little ones grow and experience their environment, neurons are pared down. The right kind of stimulation at the right age is definitely helpful. As brain areas develop for processing senses and movement, then spatial orientation and language and then the integrating of impressions, we can sort of follow that developing brain path. Recently, while chatting with a few parents on this topic, I realized that...(read more)

3 questions your child should be able to answer

2008-11-10T23:13:00Z

Well, it seems our little ones, when asked, can answer such goofy questions as: • what programs do you like to watch on TV? • what kind of candy is your favorite? • what costume did you wear on Halloween? • do you like school? and so on ... But it seems to me, that there are three very basic questions that our children should be able to answer from the age of 3 on. 1. Who's in charge? Of course, they should be able to answer that generally Mommy + Daddy are in charge, but when in school the teacher...(read more)

What Do I Wear Today?

2008-11-03T11:38:00Z

The other morning my daughter came out of her room to show me how she had dressed herself for school. For about the past year she has been choosing her own color combinations (with oversight from mom and dad) and now as a 5 year old, well, I smiled at how nicely she did. When my little one was a baby, I said to my wife that we’re not having any “battles” over choosing clothes with our daughter. We will give her the tools to choose appropriate clothing and then guide her and build on that information....(read more)

Back in the Saddle

2008-10-25T21:42:00Z

Sorry I’ve been away for a bit, but life got very busy (smile). My daughter started public school kindergarten—institutionalized schooling—and one of the things I’ve been doing is learning how to work with a bureaucracy. As I’ve gone through this process, I truly understand why parents choose to home school, unschool, etc. I’m trying to apprehend the ways my little ones peer group impacts her and if those impacts are permanent. The first week she came home speaking baby-talk—an infantile step back...(read more)

When to do?

2008-06-07T15:09:00Z

A couple of weeks ago, while at a picnic for my daughter’s school, the children were using the big slide. A group of about five little ones, crowded at the top, waiting for their turn to slide down. But, instead of waiting they all pushed their way onto the slide and slid down one behind the other. My daughter was one of them. A s the first child in the row slowed because her rubber shoes gripped the slide, each child in turn bumped the one in front of them. My daughter’s head hit the back of the...(read more)

What to do

2008-05-12T08:35:00Z

Whew ... feeling better now and I wanted to thank all those who dropped by to wish both my daughter and me well. That was really sweet of you all (smile). I truly appreciated it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ W hile I was recuperating, friends stopped by with their children. One of the kids was a bit noisy and was unaware how to be calm while walking through the house. As a matter of fact, this child was really overly energetic. The Mom would...(read more)

Sickness

2008-04-24T20:09:00Z

Well, I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much recently, but my little one came down with pneumonia. Poor thing, a 105.6 fever had us concerned. She was so listless and not too hungry (which is amazing for her). We were on the verge of taking her to the emergency room when her fever broke. The last couple of days have been better, except for the deep cough she has. Her appetite is slowly returning and so is her energy level. I'll be back shortly with a new post (wink)!...(read more)

We CAN Teach Children to have ...

2008-04-12T23:29:00Z

Recently one of my little one’s preschool teachers had a parent pass away. When the teacher wasn’t in class for a few days, she asked why. When told what had happened, she asked some questions and then let the topic go. Suddenly, a few days later, while riding with me in the car she asked, “Daddy, do we have any flowers in the house?” “I think so, what for, honey?” I inquired. “Well, I wanted to bring one to school for my teacher,” she answered. “Why is that, little girl?” I asked. “Because her father...(read more)

And So It Ends?

2008-03-15T04:59:00Z

A bout three months ago we bought a wonderful, sweet tempered parakeet, who became sick and after much medical care, recently died. M y little one had begun to develop a close relationship with this good natured bird and made sure she spent time with him everyday. U pon his death, she was confronted for the first time, with something close, passing away. F or us, it was a time to guide our little one through, what could have been a clumsy, awkward, sometimes uncomfortable situation. Instead, it turned...(read more)

The Politics of Parenting

2008-03-08T03:37:00Z

“ Y ou know ,” said a woman sitting next to me over dinner, “ if you don’t send your kid to a great elementary school, you might as well kiss a good college good-bye .” “ R eally ?” I responded, half listening. “ W ell, if you send your kid to an average school, whatta ya get ?” she said with that pop quiz kind of voice. “ An average kid ?” I answered. “ You got it !” she exclaimed. Now, I’m not sure about her equation: average elementary school = kiss good college good-bye, but there might be something...(read more)

A TV Moment

2008-02-29T22:47:00Z

“ S o, what does your daughter watch on TV?” I was asked by a parent one afternoon . “ W ell,” I began with hesitation , “she doesn’t watch much TV, but when we do, it’s mostly documentaries.” “ D ocumentaries?” was the surprised response . “ W hat do your little ones watch?” I countered, evasively . “ O h, American Idol, cartoons, some educational CD’s, mostly what we’re watching,” she answered . T hen surprisingly she asked , “Why documentaries?” “ O ccasionally she’ll watch a PBS kid’s show and...(read more)

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

2008-02-22T14:47:00Z

I just spent the last few days reading an interesting article on why children lie. The researchers concluded that parents teach them how to lie. From what I’ve observed, that’s just part of the story. Yes, I’ve seen that we do contribute to our kids learning how to lie, but their peers also play a very important role in that process. Some parents I’ve spoken with tell me that once their little ones are exposed to a peer group they pick up lying. I’ve watched my own daughter learn about lying from...(read more)

A High Cutitude Quotient!

2008-02-12T06:12:00Z

W hile putting my daughter to bed one night, in her dark room, she said, “Can you see, Daddy?” I said, “Not yet, honey.” She said, “You can’t see yet until your cuticles get adjusted in the dark!” Cuticles--I smiled at her words. -------------------------------------------- O ne evening, while watching the movie “The March of the Penguins,” one of the baby penguins wasn’t walking away from the parent as it should do, so my little one said, “Is that one of the hesitant ones?” “Yes, “ I responded....(read more)

Fact + Fiction?

2008-02-01T04:02:00Z

O nce upon a time, long ago, there was a child who loved to pretend. She could pretend that her dolls were real people and that when she jumped off her bed she was flying. She would make believe she was a Mommy and pretend she was in charge. She would imagine that she knew things that she didn’t know and play at making up answers to questions that she didn’t understand. She would pretend she knew the future and would speculate about upcoming events. Why, she would imagine monsters in the dark and...(read more)