How to Respond to Bad Behavior
Bad behavior from other people is an inevitable part of life. While we would love to protect our kids from every mean comment or action by another person, that is impossible. What we can – and must – do is help our kids learn how to respond appropriately to bad behavior. That’s a life skill…
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Giving Kids Our Full Attention
Rapport feels good, generating the harmonious glow of being simpatico, a sense of friendliness where each person feels the other’s warmth, understanding, and genuineness. These mutual feelings likely strengthen the bonds between them, no matter how temporary. -Daniel Goleman, Social Intelligence: The Revolutionary New Science of Human Relationships After conducting research on children’s social skills…
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The Best Gifts for Kids
The best thing you can give your children, next to good habits, are good memories. -Sydney Harris Most tangible, material gifts we give our children are outdated, broken, lost, or unused within months of the gifting. I (and my kids) can hardly remember what the gifts from past years were. Like most parents, I realize there…
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Growing Gratitude
There’s nothing that triggers me worse than one of my kids acting entitled and ungrateful. Some of my least favorite phrases: “Why do we have to eat (whatever’s for dinner)?” “Why can’t I have the latest (iPhone, shoes)? Everyone else has them!” “Our Wifi is so slow.” Ugh and double ugh. Lack of gratitude definitely flips my…
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A Grateful Family is a Happy Family: 5 Gratitude Practices
Creating a grateful family culture is a challenge in our entitled, indulgent age. Yet research has confirmed what we intuitively know – Practicing gratitude and being grateful are keys to a happier life. It’s well worth our consistent and continued effort as parents to model and teach our kids to practice gratitude. Although I’ve researched…
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Sticky Note Solution: Chore Reminder
In my book, Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults, each chapter ends with a “Bringing Camp Home” section with five different ideas ranging from simple to more indepth to address the character trait or practice covered in the chapter. In each “Bringing Camp Home” section, I offer a…
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Smile!
If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. -Maya Angelou One simple way to create happier and more connected families (and schools) is to remember to smile! In my book, Happy Campers, I share this “One Simple Thing” tip in Camp Secret #3: Positive Practices Produce Optimistic Kids:…
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You’re Doing Great!
Take a deep breath. You’re doing great! The last ten days have been full of some amazing opportunities to connect with parents, educators, and camp professionals who share the same goal — raising kids who become thriving adults. I often start my workshops with the two statements above because I want to make sure participants…
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Raise Thriving Kids Workshop – September 27 in Newport Beach, CA
Thank you for all the ways you prioritize and support your kids. I know you are working hard so that they will succeed in life. But parenting is hard, isn’t it? Come spend a day learning strategies to raise kids who become thriving adults! Sara Kuljis and I are excited to invite you to join…
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Family Photos 2004 & 2019
There was a time, not so long ago, where it was common for us to get together with my sister’s family and my parents for holidays and vacations. I have many fond memories of cousins playing together on the beach while we adults read, played cards, and caught up on life. With many of the…
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Boston Strong
I spent the past weekend in Boston. It was my husband and my fourth trip to the Boston Marathon in the past 11 years, and my memories of this epic event are a mix of highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies. Our first visit in 2008 was a joyful adventure. I had run my first…
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