March 14th, 2012
These uncertain economic times are giving a lot of parents the chance to re-examine their priorities as well as their budgets. When revising family budgets, many parents may wonder whether to classify the newest XBOX 360 purchase for their child as either a necessity or a luxury. This question may be quite challenging for many parents to answer. Here are some questions that parents might want to consider before making another purchase for their child. Do you feel like your child’s happiness is entirely your responsibility and solely depends upon how much you buy them? If your child is unhappy,… READ MORE ›
March 14th, 2012
Is it just me, or are some of us having difficulty telling a true emergency from a false alarm? Or a temporary inconvenience from a life-altering catastrophe? I can almost imagine scenes like these occurring in South Florida’s emergency rooms in the not too distant future: A 62-year-old male, clutching his chest from acute heartburn, shows up at a Boca Raton ER. He complains loudly to the intake nurse about his salad not having enough onions when he dined at a local restaurant. He states bitterly: “My entire meal was ruined.” An 18 year old female presents in academic crisis… READ MORE ›
January 15th, 2012
It is hard to deny that parenting is probably among the most challenging tasks we can face in our adult lives. Parents usually have the right intentions and we all want what is best for our kids, but how does this translate into actions? When it comes to our children, unfortunately our decision-making usually goes through our hearts not our heads, feelings often trumping reason. Even if we do think about what the right parenting decision is, at the end of the day we often still succumb to making emotion-driven judgments. Why? Because as parents, in a funny way, we… READ MORE ›
August 9th, 2011
Do you have trouble waiting? Why? If you were delayed a few minutes or even a few hours, what’s the worst that could happen? Would you or a loved one die? Would you miss your opportunity of a lifetime? If this is the case, it makes sense if you are in a hurry. But if not, studies have shown that feeling time pressured and getting angry is likely detrimental to your health. Instead, try a different approach. Think about waiting not as wasted time but as precious moments. If you are waiting without any companions, so much the better. Savor… READ MORE ›
July 12th, 2010
This is true. A boy I know who attends a private grade school was informed that he had been given end-of-the-school-year awards in both academic and character categories. However, the caveat was that he would forfeit these awards if any of his classmates found out. The reason- the administration did not want any of the other children to feel bad about not receiving recognition. Is this policy wise or misguided? My vote is for misguided. Misguided in the same way that unwarranted grade inflation and “everyone gets a trophy” policies are in academic settings and children’s sports leagues that send… READ MORE ›
March 12th, 2010
A young man is confronted by his father about not doing his work in World History, one of his subjects in High School. He explains; the course “isn’t interesting to me- it’s boring.” “I’ll never need to use any of that junk in my life,” he adds. His father retorts, “I take out the garbage, that’s not interesting to me.” What wisdom is the parent attempting to bestow on his son? From the father’s point of view, aside from realizing piled up garbage is unsanitary and smelly, his son’s old enough to understand that, in life, there will be many… READ MORE ›
