A couple of weeks ago I read a very sad article about a shooting at a school outside of Cleveland, Ohio. What happened at that school and in other school shootings is inconceivable. When we send our kids off to school we want to know and believe that our children are safe. In the midst of the sadness of this article which included the deaths of 3 students as well as other injuries, came an incredibly uplifting aspect to this story. A story of a man – a reluctant hero – who saved countless lives that day by confronting the shooter and, literally, chasing him out of the school. The brave man’s name is Frank Hall. He’s the assistant football coach at the school, a husband and father of four adopted sons.
Continue reading →
Having good judgment comes mostly from experience… and many of the experiences that have taught us the most in our lives have often involved bad judgment to some degree. This trial and error is part of our life education, and even a natural part of evolution. We need to learn many lessons experientially (aka the hard way) so it breaks us through to a deeper awareness of what is wise and unwise. It may hurt, be embarrassing or even regretful, but that’s exactly why we learn - we don’t want to repeat that experience again.
Continue reading →
The beginning of spring is upon us! **Aaaaachooooo** (Excuse me)
The signs of new life appear everywhere. It’s actually a very exciting time to see the trees come back to life, the daffodils in bloom, the wisteria making its brief appearance on gates and walls… and there’s new hope in the air! Excuse me if I’m completely clueless about what spring is about considering that I live in Southern California, but there are some signs even in this typically warm climate that the beautiful season of spring is here. **Aaaachoooo** (Excuse me)
Continue reading →
My invitation to you this week is to look at some refinements that you can potentially make in how you address critical situations with your kids, in order to be more supportive and effective as a parent.
If your child was playing in the road and a car was coming, this would of course present a very serious and urgent act you must take as a parent – get your kid out of the road or get the car to stop – to ensure their safety. It is in every single way urgent, and this justifies acting with whatever intensity and urgency you must. This invitation is about looking at where you may react to other important and serious concerns for your child with that same intense sense of urgency - when in reality there is no immediate emergency; situations where you actually do have time to parent with more connection, understanding and tact – scary as it may be for you.
Continue reading →
Yesterday was International (Working) Women’s Day! Did you celebrate?
The majority of the current generation of children has a mom who works outside of the home unlike many of our mothers and certainly our grandmothers. The world has changed dramatically for women in the past couple of generations.
How we talk to our children about gender roles should be matter-of-fact and with conviction that a woman (and a man) can be, do and accomplish anything they want to! Don’t we live in an incredible country that we can say that?
Continue reading →
Kids judge for the same reasons adults do - it gives us a sense of feeling more in control and empowered in our world. While we may not always have the control we want, we can certainly learn to find stability and empowerment in more sincere and grounded ways.
Continue reading →
I was once asked by the leader at a workshop, “What’s your one word?” I was intrigued. What one word would I use to describe myself? Yikes! One word? That’s too limiting! That’s too scary! Just one word? It sparked a firestorm of anxiety for me!
Then, I got to thinking…maybe there was a word I could use to describe myself. Hmmm…I became curious. Here were my first thoughts:
Short (too obvious)
Me (not terribly descriptive)
Mom (that says a lot, but…)
Passionate (that could be misconstrued – I was thinking about my work)
Continue reading →
When your child shares things that they are excited, grateful, sad, or angry about, and when you find out things that your child did that frustrate you, do you focus first on getting to a certain outcome by fixing, changing, explaining or venting? Or, do you first create a connection to them in that moment?
Continue reading →
Raising kids is hard work. We put our hearts and souls into the job. Even moms who work outside the home full-time have brains that are occupied 24/7 with their kids. “What was bothering him this morning?” “Is she coming down with a cold?” “Has he eaten enough vegetables this week?” They are such a big part of us. Often, they even look like us. They remind us of ourselves, they occupy our every thought, and they are the people we love most in the world. How can we not have an agenda about who they are and who they will become?
Continue reading →
How long has it taken us adults to recognize the true gifts that we were born with – supposing we actually know what they are at this time? And, if we have recognized these beautiful gifts, how long has it taken to fully own them – and own them from a healthy, mature place? For most of us, owning our gifts still may be a work in progress, yet we can still support children incredibly well from exactly where we are at in our process. If we understand how painful it can be for a child who doesn’t feel very gifted, we’ll see what an impact we can make on them by helping them. When you can be a clear reflection for their innate gifts and strengths, you can help them identify some of their most unique and empowering qualities at a time when they are building the foundation for who they truly are.
Continue reading →
Whether you're in or transitioning to the world of work, college, high school, or middle school, LifeBound has the resources to help you succeed. Select your area of interest in the tabs above for books, online resources, tips, and more that are specific to your needs.We offer these resources to help you navigate decisions, options and choices to make the most out of your interests, your abilities, gifts and talents:
- Assessments and books for the transition to middle school
- Assessments and books for the transition to high school
- Assessments and books for the transition to college
- Assessments and books for enrichment
- Virtual Introduction to High School
- Downloadable Parent Sessions on a variety of topics
- Weekly and daily blogs for educators, parents and students
|
