by janetedgette | Feb 9, 2016 | Boy behavior, Boys and sports, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys, Parenting young children, Sportsmanship
Here are some of the things you’ll hear or see from boys who become anxious when they think they might have to get involved in some game, or get stuck being the only one sitting it out. They may complain of bellyaches, headaches, or general “I don’t feel well” on gym...
by janetedgette | Oct 11, 2015 | Mental health, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Parenting young children
Heidi was a 15 year old girl who came for therapy at the behest of her parents. “She’s been furious with us ever since we had her transfer to a charter school,” her mother told me over the phone when setting up her first appointment. “Her father and I were...
by janetedgette | Sep 29, 2014 | Boy behavior, Boys, Boys and sports, Masculinity, Parenting, Parenting young children, Self-esteem
Sure, the kid is tough and “can take it.” But should he have to? “He’s tough, he’s a boy. He can take it,” says a father about his six-year-old son, who just got knocked flat on his face by an older brother testing out his brand-new bike. Sure he can take it....
by janetedgette | Aug 3, 2014 | Boy behavior, Boys, Boys and sports, Family life, Parent-Child communication, Parenting, Parenting young children, Sportsmanship
This is the last in a series of six articles about raising boys to be good sports. I wouldn’t consider this series on good sportsmanship to be complete without saying at least a few words about family game nights—those hotbeds of rivalry disguised as interludes of...
by janetedgette | Jun 17, 2014 | Parent-Child communication, Parenting, Parenting young children, Self-esteem, Sportsmanship
How misguided compassion can end up being a child’s worst enemy in terms of healthy social and emotional development Nine-year-old Billy had been a brash schoolyard basketball player when I first met him. Now, a year later, he sat in my office sad and forlorn, next to...
by janetedgette | Apr 14, 2014 | Boys, Boys and sports, Parenting young children
This is the first in a series of six articles about raising boys to be good sports. #1 Don’t dismiss bad sportsmanship as just “boys being boys.” Boys who lose games or don’t play as well as they would like to respond to their disappointment in all...