Parenting Our Children

Some blow up dozens of times a day, others just a few times a week. Some ‘lose it’ only at home, others only in school, and still others in any conceivable location. Some scream when they become frustrated, others become physically or verbally aggressive.

I watched them tear a building down; A gang of men in a busy town. With a mighty heave and a lusty yell, They...

When classes end, it is incredibly important to get your kids reading, especially if they struggle with reading during the year.

Time outs increases compliance and positive behavior far more than other forms of discipline

Why does it sometimes feel as if we spend most of our professional lives fixing problems rather than enhancing and improving?

I had just picked up my son from his first day of school, when this beautiful woman smiled at me, then at my children, and continued on her way. A flood of wonderful memories washed over me; this woman had been my first grade teacher.

The idea of mindfulness is to be present in your thoughts and actions. What that means is that when you are interacting with your child you are not worrying about the past or the future.

Rabbi Horowitz: We have very different views on the issue of having guests over for Shabbat meals.

It’s important to remember that children are children. They will act immaturely. But, if we love them unconditionally, they will mature.

These forms of testing are great ways to know what students know, but they don’t always reflect the application of the skills they are learning every day.

Why bring up the concept of emotional intelligence when discussing shidduchim? The answer is simple: if a young adult has a low EQ, no matter how smart or accomplished she is, she will never be able to show that to her prospective mate.

Children with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even though the sounds themselves are loud and clear.

Does the following script resonate with you? Father to mother: "How do you expect him to be frum when you let him to go to the mall? You don't stop him from hanging around with those 'bad' kids." Mother to father: "You're always blaming me! When have you ever learned with him without yelling or putting him down?" "When was the last time you said something positive to him − anything, anything at all?"

You probably automatically crossed a one specific leg over the other. Now, switch legs. Does this feel unnatural? Probably.

In Part I, we discussed how misunderstandings trigger anger and how different people can see the same trigger differently. I wondered if we could identity a common denominator in most disagreements and if so, was it possible we could eliminate teen aggression, couple aggression and arguments between friends, family and peers? Is there a way to bring about fewer altercations, better family unity and understanding between people with less arguments and fighting?

Ironically, no one knows just how hard these children are trying, yet they continue to fail miserably because their minds simply do not work the way normative reading instruction is taught.

Emotional intelligence therefore grounds children as people who can interact positively with others and continue to develop even as the playing field gets more difficult and challenging. This extends to shidduchim as well.

Although my ex-husband was unable to attend we still wanted to include his family members who lived here is Israel and were very happy that we choose to do so for our son’s sake.

“Mrs. Schapiro. Hi, this is Mrs. Rosenfeld from XYZ Yeshiva. I am calling you because I noticed that your son’s birthday is September 28. We have recently pushed the cutoff date at our school from January 1 to September 1. Because of that, I am afraid Yaacov won’t be able to apply to kindergarten until next year.”

All of these small changes work their way into the framework of the elephant and the rider because they are helping the elephant move forward.

Mrs. D., the mother of two children under the age of four, came to see me – she was in the seventh month of her third pregnancy. This baby was unexpected. She had “difficulty” after her last pregnancy, and already tearful, she wanted me to get to know her now, so that I could help her later, when the depression hit. She was not sure she would be able to handle it all again.

There is a debate within educational circles today as to whether resource rooms or learning centers should remediate or accelerate.

As most parents only want their children to enjoy and succeed, they feel a lot of pain when their child seems to miss out on so many of life’s rewards because they are scared of something.

If we start off happy, then we feel good about ourselves and what we are doing.

If the thoughts that are keeping you awake are tasks you need to complete, write them down. This way, you know you won’t forget.

Like most first grade classrooms, the one I was observing had students with multiple reading levels. Accordingly, the head teacher had divided the students into different groups so that they could practice skills that were relevant to all members of the small group.

We know that the child is cognitively capable, so we ask ourselves, “Why can’t he just act like everyone else?”

A compulsion is a repetitive action. But what underlies the compulsion is an obsession or fear.

The rebbe had told Meir and Yehudah to take turns, but that wasn’t working out so well.

Both instilling motivation and creating a safe space are integral parts of learning, helping students feel that they both want to learn and that the conditions are right for learning.