Lies are terrible things. They erode personal trust. They erode social trust. They can set us up for disaster or they can impede our recovery from disaster. They harm our relationships and hurt our self-esteem. Let’s look at the way lies will affect us going forward—by looking at the various stages where they come into play. Purposeful untruths at any…
Thoughts
IS IT BETTER TO USE A MAP OR GPS WHEN PARENTING?
Parenting is sometimes considered an innate process to raise one’s children to be capable adults—that everything is straightforward and will easily fall into place over the years from birth to adulthood. Conceiving children does not properly prepare us for the nurturing, physical and emotional, needed to raise healthy children. So when we need help where do…
YOU WILL BE FOUND
How can Antonio Basco carry on? He just lost his wife, Margie Reckard, of 22 years in the El Paso Walmart shooting. They lived a plain life and had no children together. Antonio had no other family of his own. He considered his wife “his saint.” He envisioned that he would be saying good bye to his life partner on his…
SSRIs are no substitute for SSNRs
Let us state our premise upfront—safe, stable nurturing relationships (SSNRs) are crucial to early childhood development and later adult health. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), commonly prescribed anti-depressant medications, can be very important for children and adults—but they will never be a substitute for the SSNRs that are necessary for adequate, and hopefully far exceeding adequate,…
Lessons from DEAR EVAN HANSEN
I continually go through life trying to learn from the events of everyday, whether that is a sporting event, TV show, movie or Broadway musical. I must admit that Broadway musicals particularly “speak” to me and force my introspection. In my book MY CHILDREN’S CHILDREN: RAISING YOUNG CITIZENS IN THE AGE OF COLUMBINE, I devoted a chapter…
Stacey Abram’s words of wisdom – LEAD FROM THE OUTSIDE
My thanks to Stacey Abrams and her sage advice in her new book – LEAD FROM THE OUTSIDE. Great advice for any citizen or leader. Leadership requires the ability to engage and create empathy for communities. Parental Trinity for Success -go to church, go to school, and take care of one another (faith, education and…