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
From: David Altshuler, M.S. <david@altshulerfamily.com> Subject: Loser! 305 Preheader: Reply: david@altshulerfamily.com Loser! Cam Newton may be the most recent to suggest that “there’s no such thing as a good loser–only a loser,” but he certainly did not invent the concept. Racecar driver, Dale Earnhardt said, “Second place is just the
What do Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey, Jr., and Basil Rathbone have in common? Tough question, don’t you agree? The following information may not make the answer any more apparent: Michael Caine, Peter O’Toole, and Charlton Heston (of all people) have all done the same thing. As have Leonard Nimoy, Larry
Remember in college when four CBS blocks and two six-foot boards constituted a functional bookshelf? Two battered pots-one for simmering tomato sauce, one for making spaghetti-constituted cookware. Somebody brought salad, somebody else brought garlic bread and-voila!-let’s eat. Clean up involved five minutes of scrubbing and two trips to the dumpster
When a slot machine pays out ten thousand dollars, sirens blare, lights flash, and young women in bathing suits crowd around to help pick up the explosion of spewing quarters. The joyful winner bathes in admiration and coins up to his ankles as joyful music plays and the crowd cheers.
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