Recently my niece posted a copy of a contract that her father developed when she and her brother were little that set out the rules for playing with Legos. The contract has 6 (!) segments, with my favorite stating that the contract starts on February 12, 1995, it ends at the year 2002, with a...
Should my child be walking by now? Is my child saying enough words for his age? Is my child supposed to be recognizing written words? When do kids begin to write their name?Sound familiar? Many parents are not sure if their child's development is on track or not. One...
Since April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, I thought it might be a good idea to shed a little light on the issue of child abuse in our communities, and highlight a resource that is available for the victims and their families. In fiscal year 2016, there were 245,388 calls to the Child...
Were you spanked as a child? While in elementary school in the 80's, I have vivid memories of the "board" in the principal's office. The rumor was, if you were sent to the principal's office for misbehavior, you would be spanked with the board. While I cannot confirm if this practice was true, it...
As part of our community wellness effort, this month we want to talk about the importance of volunteers. What a volunteer gives to an organization in time, expertise and spirit can never be repaid. However, there are also many benefits to the individual that make it one of the most rewarding things...
While on vacation a few weeks ago, I noticed there were many elementary and middle school aged children present at our resort. I also noticed that many of them had something in common.- their rudeness, lack of manners, and disrespect for others. What was interesting was that when...
Child's play is a phrase that describes something that is very simple to accomplish. However, child's play is actually increasingly complex tasks that have a large impact on a child's social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development. Infants play by themselves, called "solitary...
Think about keeping your brain strong today and every day in honor of Brain Awareness Week
Did you know that this week, March 13-19, 2017, is Brain Awareness Week? First, let me tell you what Brain Awareness Week is all about. Brain Awareness Week, the third week in March, is...
In the last article I mentioned that optimism, socialization and purpose were just a few of the characteristics proven to improve quality of life. So what are the additional elements that contribute to positive aging? Of course, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight is another...
Everyone is aging, but do you ever wonder why some people seem to age more successfully than others? We all know of some older adults out there that just seem to be more "spry." But this is not always in a physical sense. They might be mentally sharp and just overall vivacious! What is their secret...
