Enter to win tickets to ANY MUSICAL at Bill Hanney's North Shore Music Theatre Deadline: May 25 All prizes are awarded courtesy of North Shore Children & Families, and in partnership with select sponsors. Please – only one entry per family.  Several winners will be selected. Your entry gives us permission to publish your name in a future issue. … [Read more...]

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Enter to win tickets to: Boston Ballet's Cinderella! Deadline: February 23 Performances: March 13 - March 23 All prizes are awarded courtesy of North Shore Children & Families, and in partnership with select sponsors. Please – only one entry per family.  Several winners will be selected. Your entry gives us permission to publish your name in a future issue. [custom contact =2] … [Read more...]

By Michael F. Mascolo, Ph.D. Over the past half-century or more, we have witnessed (a) increasing levels of narcissism, self-focus and self-entitlement among youth; a decreasing sense of (b) purpose and moral character; (c) increasing difficulties in coping and emotional regulation; and (d) poor academic work ethic and achievement. During this same period, there have been changes in how we raise our children.  In particular, we have experienced a cultural shift from adult-centered to … [Read more...]

The child-centered approach to parenting was born of good intentions.   It was meant to provide an alternative to the traditional adult-centered approach to parenting, which was considered to be overly authoritarian, and indeed often included physical punishment.   In the adult-centered approach, parents take the lead in setting family rules, making family decisions and enforcing maturity demands.   While there are many forms of parent-centered child rearing, they all embrace the idea that … [Read more...]

When we love someone, we want to take care of that person, nurture her, and give her the best that we can.   We want our loved one to feel good rather than bad.   We want to give to our loved ones and protect them from hardship and bad experiences. A good parent, of course, loves his or her children.   Loving our children, we experience all of the feelings that typically occur when we love someone.  We want to take care of our children, nurture them, give them the best that we can. We want … [Read more...]

Americans have always had ambivalent feelings about authority.   After all, the United States was founded on the principle of freedom from arbitrary authority.    The founding fathers wanted to break free from what they took to be the arbitrary authority of the British Crown.   American citizens are self-determining individuals with rights that cannot be violated either by government or by other citizens.  These rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are inscribed in the … [Read more...]

American parents bestow a lot of praise on their children.   We do so out of the mistaken belief that self-esteem is a prerequisite for success in any given activity.  The theme song for Arthur the Aardvark states this quite succinctly: “Believe in yourself, cuz that’s the place to start!”   Parents and educators have taken this message to heart. If success starts with believing in ourselves, then it is necessary to praise children’s actions.  Parents tell their children that their drawing is … [Read more...]