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...
by janetedgette | Mar 13, 2014 | Boys, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys, Parenting, Parenting young children
By mistaking unchecked behavior for undeveloped behavior, we allow unacceptable behavior in boys and men to be seen as just another part of “being a guy.” Years ago I knew a mother who had eight kids, the last six of whom were boys. The brothers were...
