5 Tips for Surviving Your Child’s First Stay at Overnight Camp
Your child’s at summer camp? That’s so exciting! And hard. For some of you, an internal “WA HOO!” went off as the bus filled with excited campers and their duffle bags pulled away. But for others, this whole experience of your child not being home is really hard and causes some emotional distress. In hundreds…
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Ep. 70: Parent on Purpose with Amy Carney
“It is not about creating some outcome for the kids. It’s just about us coming together to figure out what values are really important to us, what type of adult we would like to launch, and how we can help them to get to that place.” Amy Carney In Episode 70, I’m chatting with Amy…
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Ep. 29: Empowering Kids through Outdoor Adventures
Instead of telling kids what to do, we have the kids tell us what to do. It’s an empowering experience to let kids think that way from a young age. -Paul Dreyer In Episode 29, I’m chatting with Kyle Littman (COO) and Paul Dreyer (CEO) of Avid 4 Adventure. Kyle and Paul are both passionate about…
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One Simple Thing: Monthly Parenting Challenges for a Happier, More Connected Family
Each month this year, I’m sharing One Simple Thing to try to create a happier, more connected family! January: Daily Family Sharing February: Calm the Morning Chaos March: Discovering Your “Authentic” Self April: How to get Closer to your Kid in 5 Minutes a Day May: 3 Reasons to Give Your Kid a “WOW” Today:…
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Want an Independent, Self Confident, Resilient Kid? Summer Camp Can Help!
While it’s easy to think of ways to teach our kids to do laundry or solve math problems, finding a way to instill important character traits isn’t as simple. The way we model traits we want our children to exhibit has a powerful influence on them, and some traits (kindness, gratitude, and generosity) they learn…
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Learning To Put My Own Oxygen Mask On First
Last week I did something unheard of during my first 32 years as a camp director. I took a full day off during the very first week of camp. On my day off, I did several things that “refueled” me: I took a long hike by myself. I took some long, deep breaths. I finished…
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Five (MORE) Reasons Great Parents Send Their Kids to Camp
There are so many reasons great parents choose to send their kids to summer camp. Two years ago, I shared five of them on the most popular post I’ve ever published. But now I have more to share. Consider this the second installment in a series with others to follow, because the list of ways…
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5 Ways to Teach Kids to Live Life Well
As I started writing this, I realized that my title is inaccurate: “5 Ways to Live Life Well” would be more appropriate. As an adult, I still need these reminders to help me live my own life better. And, as with all things parenting-related, our kids do not learn from what we tell them or…
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10 Life-Changing Books
Are you looking for some inspirational reads to help you switch some things up? Over the past few years, I have been drawn more and more to books that make me stop, reassess my life and how I’m living it, and make small changes—or at least think about making them! While some of the “aha”…
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5 Mid-Life Lessons
“Every laugh line on your face made you who you are today.” This One’s for the Girls (Martina McBride) In April, I read a post on Anne Lamott’s Facebook page where she compiled a list of “every single thing” she knows after living on this planet for 61 years. Her 14 observations (#2 was my…
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One Simple Way to Increase Happiness
In two weeks, I’ll be graduating with my master’s degree in Psychology. Why at 46 did I decide to go back to school? Mid-life crisis reframing was definitely part of it, but I was also compelled to return to school because I was inspired by the new field of positive psychology. Positive psychology focuses on…
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Focusing on our Kids’ Strengths
Every Monday morning I get an email with my kids’ current grades. Typically, I scan over them for any assignments or subjects with lower grades. I scroll past the A’s, because those don’t grab my attention. Like most people, I’ve been conditioned to look for weaknesses in myself and in my kids, and it’s not…
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