Posts Tagged ‘Parenting’
Graduation card ideas
In this season of graduations I am often confronted with the uncomfortable blank graduation card. I look at it and strain my brain to come up with something that is wise, introspective, and memorable. A phrase or note that will make the graduate save my card forever, passing it on to their children and grandchildren…
Read MoreWisconsin Drops the ball on our children’s health
Wisconsin should be so proud. At the risk of choosing sides in a political hot topic, I want to point out a few facts. Not politically swayed right or left, but facts: Children are getting fatter, in fact Wisconsin is 33rd in the country for levels of childhood obesity. We were 25th so we were…
Read Morelove and friendship shouldn’t hurt
Why is bullying so prevalent now? I believe that it is because our children are on uneven ground when it comes to their own feelings of worth. When kids are pampered and their egos are inflated they tend to feel that they are hollow and their self-worth is low if not non-existent. Sometimes these kids…
Read MoreCyber-wusses and how to beat them
With the new world of social networking everyone has an opinion and everyone feels that their opinion should be heard. Not so. Sometimes kids act out their bully behavior online because they don’t have the strength to say or do anything face to face. But kids don’t realize that once something is online, it’s very…
Read MoreHow can sports keep our kids safe
What sports can do to stop bullies? Being in sports is a good defense against bullies for three reasons: athletes exude confidence, they are stronger than their average peer and sports provides a positive network of support. Yet all of that can be the reverse. Some athletes have poor self -image and feel that their…
Read MoreHow do we deal with bullies?
What happens when a kid is a bully? Sadly, sometimes nothing. In the movies the bully always gets their comeuppance, but life is not a movie and often what we wish would happen to the bad guys actually happens in reverse. Often the aggressors are rewarded for their behavior. They get what they are seeking by…
Read MoreWhere do bullies come from?
What makes a child into a bully? What makes an adult into a bully? Most bullies grow out of two different or combined settings. They were either abused or bullied themselves, or they were so over-inflated by parents and other adults that they feel they have no responsibility for their actions. This second type of…
Read MoreWhat’s with all this bully stuff anyway?
Buzz word alert: “Bully.” We’ve come a long way from Teddy Roosevelt using the word as a synonym for “good” or “well done.” When I was a child the things that are called bullying today were called “teasing” or “hazing” and it was part of growing up. I was small (until 10th grade) when I…
Read MoreThe Value of Gymnastics (part 4)
Practical Examples of Success in the Gym “Geez, it just seems so difficult to find the right sport/activity, find the right program, and then the right instructor and then be consistent in participation”. “It seems like being enrolled for 6 months to 5 years is so long and so limiting in allowing other activities”. “It…
Read MoreThe Value of Gymnastics (part 3)
Challenges for Getting Kids in the Gym. Having been in this industry for over 30 years, I can tell you that the true challenge in children’s fitness is getting kids into the gym. For this we appeal to parents to make a good decision of getting their kids involved in what I call “developmental sports”.…
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