Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
You’re standing at the grocery checkout counter, and your son asks for the M&Ms. You say, “No.” He asks again a little louder and you say, “No.” He starts whining. You repeat, “No.” He starts pulling on your sleeve and screaming at the top of his lungs. Everyone is looking at you.
“Okay, just this once,” you relent, and throw the bag of M&Ms onto the checkout counter. You’re relieved that the embarrassment has stopped, but what have you taught him in the long run? Read more ›
Your six-year-old says she needs a cell phone-just like her friend. Your sixteen-year-old son complains that his car is not as nice as everyone else’s (but shouldn’t he just be happy with a car? Should he even have a car?) Even if you could afford these things, you wonder: Am I just trying to keep up with the Joneses? Does my child need these things? Is my child entitled to these things just because others have them?
The world watched in horror as images of the devastation that occurred in Japan on March 11, 2011, filled our television screens. Buildings crumbled, smoke filled the air and people’s lives were swept away in an instant. As tsunami warnings were issued across the Bay Area and news of danger from radioactivity emerged, fears mounted that our community too could be in danger.
