At Stanford University, a group of researchers studied the ability of four-year olds to wait for a treat. In the experiments, children were offered two marshmallows if they could hold out and overcome the oh-so-tempting one marshmallow that sat within reach. Guess how many children could delay gratification for the bigger, better outcome? Watch: The […]
“The irresistible temptation to ‘play’ with guns…” That description was the opening statement on a TV trailer for Diane Sawyer’s documentary on children and guns in the home. When my boys were small, I was adamant that we would not have toy guns in the house. I wanted my kids to know that guns were […]
Hearing a lot about summer safety? This time of year, the media is full of reminders for us, but don’t get distracted by the signal to noise ratio. This safety stuff we write about is important!
So how powerful are words? And trophies? As I was cleaning out the attic recently, I came across several boxes full of soccer and little league trophies. There were ribbons and medals from swim meets, too.
I often wish I could write a prescription for play that reads: “Go Outside and Play” Sig: as directed and undirected is even better. Disp: Quantity Sufficient If daily outdoor play were a medicine, it would taste like bubble gum and be so good the kids would take it without fussing. It would help […]
Are you old enough to remember the TV commercials where smiling mothers stirred pitchers of KoolAid on the front porch in summer? They were serving liquid happiness to the children running around in the front yard with a giant singing pitcher of KoolAid. Or so it seemed.