A dad talks about talking about college — and alternatives — with his high school sophomore son, 16. The son begs,”Can we stop talking about this?” but the dad soldiers on, because, “One of the reasons dealing with college can seem so terrifying is that success is defined so rigidly. You graduate high school, go to college, get a job, live happily ever after. But the truth is that most people don’t follow that path, and maybe most people shouldn’t. If a young person isn’t ready to go to college at 18, that’s not a disaster. ” Find his provocative…
Author: lskenazy
It’s so easy to say “no” to kid activities that are messy, tiring, or even the teensiest bit risky. One mom decided to try saying yes. (Or at least thinking about why she was saying, “No!”) Click here to read about what it takes to change some parent-child dynamics. Photo by Craig Gary from Pexels
Messy indeed! But an amazing reminder of what kids can do when they’re interested, excited and we’re not intervening to “help” them all the time. Obviously, mom is involved here. But she is giving him a lot of Free-Range. Click here to see it at Let Grow!
We’ve updated the Let Grow Kid Card and it is gorgeous. Go to Let Grow by clicking here. Print out some cards for kids you know and love — and want to let grow!
This post on Let Grow opened my eyes, too: A mom writes about her 13-year-old son worrying — not greatly, but a little — about being drafted. He’d seen meme after meme about World War III and wasn’t sure if these were referring to something real or not. So the mom researched how to talk to kids about fake news — and how to help them become skeptics, but not cynics. (A fine line for all of us!) You can read the piece by clicking here.
This fantastic poster says it all: #LetThem ! Let them — our kids — do it, go for it, figure it out, fail, build courage, GROW! It’s free at Let Grow. Click here!
“Parents who once spent time on their own pursuits, existing on the periphery of their children’s free time, now spend it supervising, driving, and advocating,” writes mom Lizzie Heislet over at Let Grow. Click here to read how to gently start reversing the intensive parenting trend and creating community. Photo from Unsplash by @allahetman
This actually works, so rejoice! (Or beware.) It’s a Mug Cake recipe any kid can make in just a few minutes, if you’ve got a microwave. See the recipe and video by clicking here, which leads to Let Grow!
As mom of two Amber Roshay writes at Let Grow today: “Some believe a toddler shouldn’t cry. Others judge rather than empathize… And some call Child Protective Services for child neglect.” Read her story — including what happened when a caseworker visited Amber’s home, solely prompted by the report of a kid crying — by clicking here. Photo by RobinHiggins (pixabay.com)
One gym teacher realized that his dreams of making kids active, creative, energetic, cooperative and happy couldn’t happen in 25 minute chunks unless…he changed the class entirely. Here’s his Let Grow essay on how he did it. Feel free to share with other teachers! gym class sepia