Blog etc.
CLICK HERE to listen to an excerpt from an interview about my book on “Strategies for Living”
CLICK HERE to listen to an interview about my book on Texas Public Radio.
CLICK HERE to read my article published in Parents Press May 2012,
“Debunking Three Commonly Abused Parenting Strategies”
CLICK HERE to read my article published in Parents Press February 2013,
“The ABC’s of the RULER Approach”
CLICK HERE to read my article published in Parents Press June 2012,
“Confidence is Contagious”
CLICK HERE to read my article published in Parents Press September 2012,
“Braving it” (What Parents Can Learn from Pixar’s Brave)
CLICK HERE to read my latest published post on mamapedia.com,
“The French (Parenting) Revolution of 2012″
CLICK HERE to read my article on Parenting.com,
“What to Say to Kids”
CLICK HERE to read my Mamapedia article,
“What You Can Do to Help Prepare Your Preschooler for Kindergarten”
Applying Vygotsky’s ZPD to Parenting
•Scaffolding Your Child’s Whole Development• If you ever wake up and think, “Gosh, I just love how as a parent, society gives me no respect, gratitude or support.” And you wonder, “How can I get more of the same?” Well, you might decide to go into early childhood education! Should you decide to get an advanced degree – since, as we know, you are in it for the money, you will undoubtedly come across the name of Lev Vygotsky. He was an educational psychologist primarily interested in how children learn and develop and how...
read moreA Witching Hour Guide
Getting Safely – and Happily – from Kansas to Oz Do you dread the time between when your kids get home from school and dinnertime? Are fights, yelling and crying more inevitable than death and taxes? Then you, my friend, have fallen victim to the deep, dark and mysterious black magic of the witching hour. Before you call your tax adviser, I’ve got some concrete advice to help break the nasty spell. No longer will you be the Wicked Witch of the West. Just keep these tips in mind, tap your glitteriest red shoes together and say it...
read moreThe Do’s and Don’ts of Toddler Discipline
So you’ve got yourself a little toddler there – good times. Dana Carvey once quipped “They’re not so bad, just keep M&M’s in your pocket and feed ‘em here and there.” If only it were so easy. What makes them so terrible sometimes? That answer is not as mysterious as it sometimes seems (e.g., in the eye of a tantrum at Target checkout). Think about it – right now while you’re calm and not tantrumming back at them. What are they grappling with that we have learned and hence take for granted? Two things:...
read moreWhat Can We Learn from the San Francisco Giants to Help Make Our Children More Resilient?
How to Build Resiliency What Parents Can Learn from Bruce Bochy and the San Francisco Giants In 2010, the San Francisco Giants were 6½ games back in their division in August. This year, they were neck and neck with the Dodgers mid-season, when the Dodgers made multiple blockbuster trades. Next thing you know, one of the Giants’ best players gets suspended for the remainder of the season. Somehow, some way, both seasons ended in champagne celebrations and ticker-tape parades. How were the Giants able to overcome such adversity, stay...
read moreI Enjoyed My Child Today!
Log onto Facebook anytime near elections and you’ll see countless reminders urging you to vote. Stop by any grocery store on election day and every other shopper will be dawning a red, white, and blue badge of honor (a little sticker that declares, “I voted!”). Let me say, I get the whole “pressure people to vote” thing. It is indeed important and even imperative that we all participate in the democratic process. Not only do I vote, but I also acknowledge how fortunate we are to have the right to do so. But I feel the need to...
read moreBegin with Gratitude
Did you know the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude lives right here in Northern California? Not Berkeley, but good guess. Robert Emmons, Psychology Professor at UC Davis, has been studying the varying benefits and healing powers of gratitude for 11 years. In his book, Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier!, he highlights four reasons why gratitude has trans-formative effects on people’s lives. His conclusions can certainly benefit our day-to-day lives. I contend they apply perfectly to our role...
read moreHow to Not be “That Guy”
You’ve seen him. He eagerly attends his kids’ games (and unfortunately yours’ as well) and suddenly fashions himself the Vince Lombardi of the grandstands. One minute in, he shakes his head and makes disapproving comments he pretends to keep under his breath. Overcome by his desire to “help” the coach get the best out of his kid (and yours), he screams out reminders colored with frustration and disappointment. Much like an overprotective mother who never allows her child to taste disappointment, he means well and...
read moreWhy Joe Paterno is NOT in my book!
At the risk of alienating anyone that is still defending Joe Paterno, Jerry Sandusky and what happened at Penn State…wait, I don’t care what such a person would think of this: I give you my top ten reasons why Joe Paterno is NOT in my book, Dad’s Playbook: Wisdom for Coaches from the Greatest Coaches of All Time! I want people to talk about and learn from Coach John Wooden, an amazing teacher and leader. His passing was the inspiration for the book. I knew what he had to say about life, communication, and motivation applied...
read moreAre We Having Fun Yet?
Need some light? Flick a switch. Want some clean, running water, just turn the knob. Howzabout a ripe, juicy kiwi from the jungles of New Zealand? Swipe your card and save $2.49 per pound. Oh you forgot your card? Well then, just enter your cell phone digits on the little keypad that sends a digital signal to a satellite in outer space. You’re good to go! Talk about ask and ye shall receive. We got it easy folks. Wait then why’s parenting so frickin’ exhausting and frustrating today? Might have something to do with the...
read moreThe Themes of Dad’s Playbook
If you’re like most of us parents, you can use all the guidance and inspiration you can get on a daily basis. I’m always on the lookout for life lessons that can be applied to parenthood. When I find them, I’m compelled to share. Because, as I state clearly in my new book, Dad’s Playbook: Wisdom for Fathers from the Greatest Coaches of All Time, “Parenting is no easy business.” That’s the opening line of the section titled, “Teach and Learn.” In the book, I collected over one hundred quotes from the...
read moreSeven Ways to Encourage Your Child
In celebration of the release of my book, Dad’s Playbook: Wisdom for Fathers from the Greatest Coaches of All Time (its main theme is encouragement), I offer thee seven ways to encourage your child! It’s so easy to slip into the discouraging parental mode – they give us so many opportunities! That makes it all the more important to make a conscious effort to encourage whenever we can. Trust me, they’ll be more apt to listen when they know you’re on their side. Wouldn’t you be? Believe- It all starts here. You...
read moreIdeal gift for any father!
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