Given how busy everyone is lately I thought I might take the liberty of writing a couple of speeches for you. I know it may seem like the wedding of your son is some years away, but tempus seems to keep on fugit-ing, whatever that means, so let’s not wait
My child hit all developmental milestones-sitting up, crawling, walking, talking-significantly ahead of his peers. My child enrolled at a competitive pre-school. My child got all As in advanced classes at his highly-rated high school. My child attended a college that rejects more than 90% of its applicants. My child was
Throughout evolutionary history, to a first approximation, everybody was seriously starving. Potiphar may have had access to seven silos of grain, but your average John Q. Egyptian didn’t feel completely comfortable about where his next meal was coming from–what with Ray Kroc some five thousand years off. In the generations
Are we emphasizing the wrong things? As parents we tell our children how great it is that they’re smart, ignoring both the genetic component of intelligence and the privileged backgrounds we lovingly provide. We tell our kids how proud we are that they scored the winning goal in the U-10
Here’s what’s wrong with all those “tough love,” “timeout,” “logical consequences,” “spare the rod and spoil the child” versions of parenting. The problem is that, if properly applied, they work as advertised. Be careful what you wish for. Skinnerian, punitive, behavioral ideas about how to bully your child into submission
“I went home at 2:00 with a 10. I woke up at 10 with a 2” resonates as unfortunately in this generation as in the one in which the lyric was written. Or as an advice, columnist wrote, “If you want to catch a trout, don’t go fishing in a
There may be some child somewhere for whom higher SAT scores will be important in the college admissions process. For your child, the chances are that higher SAT scores won’t matter at all in determining where she is admitted. Bold statements, I know. But after 30-something years of counseling students
A buddy of mine is a world class distance runner. If I mentioned some of his accomplishments–running across Costa Rica, for example–you would just shake your head in wonder. He is a complete and utter beast. Never having run more than 50 miles in a day myself, I’m in awe
Vizzini and Fezzik guard the Princess Bride in the bow of the ship. Inigo, standing in the stern, watches intently as the Dread Pirate Roberts’s vessel, silhouetted against the full moon, draws closer and closer. “Inconceivable!” Says Vizzini. “You keep using that word,” replies Inigo. “I do not think it
During the day, Penelope knits a burial shroud for her father-in-law. As soon as the garment is finished, she will be forced to accept a marriage proposal from one of the unpleasant suitors who have been hanging around, drinking her husband’s wine, ogling her, and generally treating the place like
Copyright © David Altshuler 1980 – 2024 | Miami, FL • Charlotte, NC | (305) 978-8917 | [email protected]
