When my son was little, he had a favorite toy which was a set of tubes and various other pieces which could be put together to make different forms of whistles or wind instruments. But he never used the toy that way. He would string the tubes together on a piece of cord or use PlayDoh© to … Read more
Everyone with any connection to students is trying to decide whether to go back to school, or not. There is no “one right answer,” but here are some of the factors to consider. Things you can’t control: What do we know about how the virus affects children? The latest research indicates that many children are … Read more
I was in the grocery store the other day, standing in line waiting to check out. This store has spaces carefully marked off, so that we all can stay six feet away from each other. Behind me in line was a mother, without a mask I may add, with two children in two who were … Read more
You and your children have now been stuck at home together for more than six weeks, so things are probably getting a bit sticky. Some of you are lucky, with safe outside places for your children to go so that you all can have a bit of separation, but everyone is – in a well-known … Read more
No matter where you live, the pandemic means that your life has become compressed both in space and time. We can’t go anywhere, we can’t get together with others, and we are stuck inside. I’m lucky, I live on a mountain where there are lots of hiking trails and parks so I can get out, … Read more
Last month, I promised you that the next post here would discuss gender, again. Why? An article that appeared in The Atlantic in December, titled The Miseducation of the American Boy, that discusses the problems boys are having with becoming men. Last month, we covered the issue of sex (the noun, not the verb), making … Read more
This semester I’m teaching a course in the Psychology of Human Sexuality. I’ve discovered that very few of my students know anything about the basics and biology of sex. So, we start with a comprehensive course in sex education. From the very beginning, I point out that there is a difference between sex and gender, … Read more
One of the core attributes for a Boy Scout is to be brave. The scout is to stand up for what is right even in the face of adversity. It would seem that bravery is in short supply these days, particularly with the presence of so many bullies who insist on things going their way. … Read more
Around a decade ago, I visited a friend whose grandchildren were staying with her for a couple of weeks in the summer. The children were young, one was two and the other almost five, and they had been there for over a week. When we sat down for lunch, the older child leaned over and … Read more
Why force a child to share their toys? Better to teach your child to share their ideas and their words, but not necessarily their toys. Here’s why.