-
Happy Father’s Day~
For Father’s Day I had intended to post an in-depth article about the genetic and epigenetic influence fathers have on their children. In doing so, I’d hoped to talk about Annie Murphy Paul’s book Origens, among others. Sadly, Father’s Day follows the last week of school in our house, which is just about the busiest time of…
-
Hello June: It’s PTSD Awareness Month
During the last week of May I blogged about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pointed to some of the interesting new information that has turned up on this topic over the last few years. As luck would have it, yesterday—barely two weeks later—the United States Senate passed a resolution naming June as PTSD Awareness Month. I must say…
-
Battling PTSD? Well Then, You Must Be a Soldier, Right?
Recently in an online community dedicated to the discussion of trauma, I came across a comment that I’ve heard many times before. The gist was, “Whenever people find out I have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they assume I must be a combat veteran.” Now, it’s true that way too many soldiers end up with PTSD.…
-
Parents and Teachers: Partners in Building Healthy Brains
Teacher Appreciation Week has passed, along with “Mom Appreciation Day,” but parents and teachers continue the important work of shaping children’s brains all year long. Unfortunately, there are challenges that can get in the way of this worthy goal, and perhaps the most fundamental of these is the widespread misunderstanding of the conditions children need…
-
Happy Mother’s Day: And BTW, Here’s ‘Ten Things Every Mom Needs to Know’
It’s the American holiday called Mother’s Day, a time to let Mom know how much we appreciate all the little things she does to help us reach our potential. We’ll start with the reminder that “Mom” upside-down is “Wow.” Of course, as much fun as Mom is, she also helps us in some pretty serious…
-
Three Common Myths about the Teenage Brain
The latest issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science came this week and caused me a ‘major’ personal dilemma. My book club meets on Monday, and my Kindle tells me I’m only 2 percent of the way through Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, which I will be expected to discuss with a modicum of intelligence. But…
-
Ten Autism Studies Everyone Should Know About
Autism Awareness Month isn’t primarily for people on the spectrum and their families—although, of course, they benefit from the discussion too. But more importantly, all this talk about autism is meant to help the rest of us learn to communicate with those who already know about autism from the inside—and to understand their unique strengths…
-
Growing Empathy, Child by Child
You’re never too young to be a teacher. At least, that’s Mary Gordon‘s philosophy. The founder of a program called “Roots of Empathy,” which brings babies into classrooms to teach children in grades K through 8, Gordon is an internationally recognized educator, social entrepreneur and parenting expert who has established empathy-based educational programs that are now…
-
Neuroprediction, Neurolaw and a Bunch of Other Neuro Words
When a press release carrying the title, “Can brain scans predict future criminal behavior?” came across the Mom Psych feed recently, I knew it needed a little extra commentary. If you clicked through to the article just now, you may have had the same reaction I did. Or maybe not. Were you curious? Hopeful?…
-
Say Thank You, Thumper
Everyone knows healthy relationships require effective communication, but are all communication strategies equal? Take Thumper’s well-worn advice for instance: “If you can’t say something nice don’t say nuthin’ at all.” On the surface, the principle seems sound. But if this tactic hasn’t been working for you lately, you may find it comforting to know you’re not alone. With all…
