“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…
Okay, so it’s just a free tux rental, but the suit…that’s $400 that he gets to hang in his closet forever. And Nathan loves suits. Last year, when he did an internship with my brother in D.C., we went shopping for his very first suit. When the tailor brought out the tape measure and Nathan had to lift arms, he was in awe that people actually got treated this way. $600 later, it made sense why. That’s a lot of…
Ryan came home from school today excited. His speech on the current state of health care had gone well. He had spent hours researching and organizing his thoughts on paper. Then there were the hours he spent practicing. But that’s not what this is about. It’s about socks. As Ryan was explaining the details of his presentation, he was kicking his feet behind him. I glanced at his foot as it came up and noticed that there were five, yes…
All parents want their children to succeed in school. And since Kindergarten is a child’s first exposure to “formal” schooling, preparing them for success is an important first step on the academic ladder. But “preparing” our kids for academic success does not mean completing reams of worksheets and stacks of flashcards. It’s actually a lot easier than that. It simply requires looking for opportunities to seamlessly tie “lessons” into daily life. And the good news is, because these lessons are…