Part 3 of a 10-part series on Parents as Leaders Research shows that it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of focused practice to become a master musician, artist, dancer…parent or leader. One of the first steps in becoming a leader is realizing that proficiency requires a significant amount of time, commitment and dedication. How […]
Part 2 of a 10-part series on Parents as Leaders Making small adjustments in our lives in terms of vision, discipline, passion and conscience provide big payback on our leadership growth and abilities. Vision requires our mental skills of using imagination and curiosity. Discipline in turn uses our mind to control our physical challenges. Passion […]
Part 1 of a 10-part series on Parents as Leaders As we move forward into 2012 – a year for our presidential election – we will be deluged with daily details about various candidates for a variety of offices. Our minds may turn to the idea of leadership, or the lack of leadership, as the […]
“Ever since Jill started first grade, she’s become louder, messier, and not as kind as she was in kindergarten. I think her first grade classroom must be the reason she is the way she is,” said Jill’s mother, Paula. Susan, a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher, smiled. “Paula, I heard this every year. What’s happening […]
“Idleness, indifference, irresponsibility are healthy responses to absurd work.”—Frederick Herzberg “Marjorie is lazy. That’s all. You need to push her to get things done,” said Ms. Busch. We were in a parent/teacher conference and I felt uncomfortable with the word “lazy” as a descriptor for five-year-old Marjorie. Lazy seemed derogatory. Marjorie’s teacher, Ms. Busch, had […]
As soon as my southern drawl is detected, I am usually greeted with something like, ”Aren’t you from the South? Southerners are so polite.” Folks from all over the world marvel at our use of “yes, ma’am” and “no, sir”. My imagination is not large enough to consider growing up and not saying “yes, ma’am”. […]
It was Parents’ Weekend during our daughter’s freshman year at college. The ladies cross-country team had arranged a dinner for their parents. As we dined on ravioli at a local restaurant, it dawned on me that I was sitting in the middle of a statistical anomaly. Every team member had a parent there and of […]
Children don’t misbehave, says Dr. Thomas Gordon, author of the best selling book, Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T). Wait a second, you say. Whoa! Everywhere you look there are children misbehaving. Dr. Gordon says that children’s actions are judged as misbehaviors when those behaviors come into conflict with the desires of parents and other adults. What […]
“Humans would degenerate without the child to help him rise. If the adult does not waken little by little, a hard crust will form around him and make him insensible.” ~ Dr. Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood, page 106 Being in the city is interesting, to say the least. Surrounded by world-class restaurants with […]
“No man is free who is not master of himself.”—Epictetus A flower begins with a seed sprouting from the earth with the seed leaves coming out of the ground first. The plant grows a stalk, and sends out more leaves. On the stalk or branches of the plant, small buds form and are protected by […]