Needs vs. Wants: Let’s say you’re in the dentist’s office with your child and you’re waiting for your “turn”. 🙂 You pick up a magazine and start flipping through it. This is the perfect opportunity to play the needs vs wants game. By the way, this works best if you use a child-friendly magazine like Parents or FamilyFun. “Hey, look at this cool yo-yo. I like the designs on it. What d’ya think? Would they be a need or a…
Have you ever thought about how kids learn to speak a pretty complex language? And when I say ‘speak’, I mean all the intricacies that go along with it…body language, inflection, nuance, …in addition to vocabulary and sentence structure. It’s a pretty amazing feat and, yet, we all learn how to do it pretty seamlessly and without formal instruction. Much of it happens indirectly. Our kids are absorbing what we do – it’s how they learn to operate in the world. And while absorbing…
Ryan just got back from Winco. He was grocery shopping. For me. My entire weekly list of items. For over a year, Ryan has asked me if he could do the grocery shopping. He knows it’s way down on my list below scrub the toilet and clean the hair out of the sink. But for some reason, I thought it would be more of a hassle having him do it than me just going and getting it over with. I…
“There’s no way I want to write down everything I eat.” That comment came from my 16-year old son, Ryan, as we were driving home from his sports medicine appointment a few weeks ago. Ryan is a runner. And recently he’s been experiencing extreme lethargy after his races. So, naturally, as a parent, I want to figure out what’s going on. After confirming with his pediatrician, the cardiologist, and the sports medicine doctor that Ryan is healthier and in better…
Ryan just learned how to use the ATM machine at our bank. It’s Sunday and the bank is closed but Ryan really wanted to deposit several checks that he’d been holding on to. “No problem”, I said. “Just use the ATM.” It occurred to me that maybe he had no idea how to use an ATM, after all, he’s only had his checking account for several months. But he didn’t bat an eye when I recommended it, so I passed…