I just returned from a cruise where I heard parents talking about how many of today’s high school graduates are not emotionally prepared ready for college. A discussion ensued about Stanford’s freshman counselor who found students unprepared and wrote the book, How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Over-parenting Trap and Prepare Your…
As a college professor, I chose what committees I happily wanted to serve on. If the college dictated which committees I must be on, I wouldn’t have been happy. What about you? Do you serve well if you have choices or have choices made for you? Our preschoolers are no different. They too like to…
All of us have situations in which there aren’t any choices, like work requirements. Children need to learn that they don’t always have a choice. Sometimes decisions are made by parents or other adults. Safety Reasons For example, parents are responsible for their children’s safety. Dr. Sue Grossman, Assistant Professor at Eastern Michigan reminds parents…
Do you wonder if your child is a quitter? Does it seem like your son or daughter begin something gung ho and then loses interest? Parents can help prevent children from quitting by teaching their children decision making skills and follow through. When our six-year-old daughter wanted to play soccer, we discussed with her what…
While reading the latest magazine and waiting for an x-ray at the busy clinic, an eight-year-old girl with dark eyes and a curly brown ponytail catches my attention. Anything is more interesting than a magazine a few years old that no one has bothered to steal yet. The girl whispers a secret in her friend’s…
At what age will you allow your children to DECIDE… the condition of their bedroom? the clothes they wear? their hairstyle? what television shows they view? the music they listen to? the movies they see? the friends they choose? pack their clothes for a trip? how often they use their phone & texting? what…
“Why do we always have to use a coupon to buy clothes?” laments my eleven-year-old daughter. “I want them today.” “You know we have a clothing budget. We can get more for our money if we wait until the item is on sale and we have a coupon,” I try explaining once again. “Everyone else’s…
College expenses are rising every year and both students and parents alike wonder how they’ll afford a college education. If you have the finances to pay for your child’s entire college expenses, please reconsider. When Parents Pay As a college professor I’ve witnessed the results of parents paying for their kid’s entire expenses. These students…