Teach Them to Choose
It makes sense that you and mom would make most of the decisions for your kids. You guys know more. Your kids basically know nothing. About life. About what the weather is going to be tomorrow. How th...
3 Des 20192min
Blow Their Nose, and Your Own
Because women can seem so much better at this parenting stuff, because historical gender roles have often decided for them that most household duties are their responsibility, there is a secret strate...
3 Des 20192min
Your Kids are Not a Reflection of You
The philosopher Stilpo of Megara had a daughter who had a bad reputation. We don’t know what for, it could have be deserved or it could have been one of those ridiculously minor violations of etiquett...
3 Des 20192min
Epithets for Your Kid
One of the most interesting passages in Marcus Aurelius is this one:Epithets for yourself: Upright. Modest. Straightforward. Sane. Cooperative. Try not to exchange for others.These were essentially th...
3 Des 20192min
How to Get Them to Read (Or Do Anything)
We want our kids to read. We want them to read instead of watching so much TV or playing with the iPad. So we make up rules or create incentives to motivate them to pick up a book (I’ll give you a dol...
3 Des 20191min
Punishment Should Make Them Better
Punishments aren’t supposed to be fun. They’re suppose to deter bad behavior. That’s why kids get grounded or sent to their room. That’s why we take away their toys or iPad privileges. It’s supposed t...
3 Des 20192min
What are Your Rules?
In her memoir, Composed, Rosanne Cash talks about how she wished she was as a parent of small children and how different that was from the reality. She recalls that her biggest rule ended up being no ...
3 Des 20192min
This is a Fresh Start
We were all deprived or hurt in our childhoods. Even the best parents left something to be desired. Maybe we were ignored. Or maybe we were pressured too much. Maybe Mom’s insecurity was a burden to u...
3 Des 20191min
