At one of my son’s soccer games this fall, a mom on our team offered her son $50 for each goal he scored. He had the highest scoring game of his life, and his mom had to fork over enough cash for a new iPhone. This anecdote illustrates something I have long felt to be…
READ MOREBeing at camp gives me this sense of belonging that I’ve never felt anywhere else. I know that I can be myself and that my cabin mates will love me for who I am, and I’ve brought that to my life outside of camp. -Hannah #1 Improve Interpersonal Skills & Form Close Friendships “In a…
READ MOREDear Sunshine Parenting Reader, Thank you for reading my posts this year! In 2007, I read a book called Writing to the Change the World. I decided that if something I share helps one person, then writing is a worthwhile way to spend my time. I started this blog in January, 2012, and I have tried to…
READ MOREAs a fun, year-end activity (at least for a book nerd like me), I’ve pulled some of my favorite books from the shelf and reflected on how they’ve inspired my parenting – and my life. Enjoy! The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children, Wendy Mogel, Ph.D Like us, our…
READ MOREgrate•ful: feeling or showing appreciation; thankful. en•ti•tiled: believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. An interesting juxtaposition occurs in November and December. Immediately following a month where we focus on being thankful, we launch into the biggest consumer month of the year. The shopping carnage now begins on the very same day we…
READ MORELike most families, we are constantly on the go between school, sports, and other activities. But as I inventory where we’re spending our time, I find (embarrassingly) that most of our activities benefit only ourselves. Our athletic pursuits are fun and keep us in shape. Our shopping keeps us fed and in current clothing styles.…
READ MOREBefore I had kids, there were several things I said I would never let my kids do. Once I was actually a parent, however, many of the “nevers” evaporated in the reality of my day-to-day parenting challenges. My kids did occasionally end up sleeping in my bed, eating fast food, and watching too many cartoons instead of…
READ MOREI have a love-hate relationship with my screens. I know how important it is to get unplugged, and I enjoy many outdoor, non-tech activities, yet I love texting with my kids who are away at college, reading news and seeing pictures on social media, perusing Pinterest, and writing, all of which happen on screens. My husband is…
READ MOREMy dream is for my kids to attend a school they love as much as they love camp. Two years ago, when my son started at a new school and was having a difficult time, I wrote Why Can’t School be More Like Camp?, and that quote was how my post started. I went on to share some…
READ MOREThe recreational sports we teach at camp include sailing, water skiing, rock climbing, and many more fun outdoor sports. But these are not the most important skills campers learn. We view the recreational skills we instruct as a means to a much loftier goal – teaching campers important life lessons like overcoming failure, keeping a…
READ MOREA few summers ago, a ten-year-old camper wrote a letter home telling his parents he was being bullied at camp. His irate mother called to let us know. I was very concerned, so I went to talk with the camper right away. I expected to find a sullen boy sitting in the corner of…
READ MOREI overestimate what I can do. Every day. You would think after nearly five decades of living with me, I would know that there is no way I am going to accomplish the 11 items on my “to do” list with the “W” circled for Wednesday. You would think I would assess the situation and…
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