Parental Musings

  • Building Blocks For Success: The Importance of Nurturing In Early Childhood Development

    Building Blocks For Success: The Importance of Nurturing In Early Childhood Development

    The importance of nurturing in early childhood development is essentially all about healthy brain development! Of course the subject of healthy brain development doesn’t have to be as complicated as it may sound, and basically stipulates that children need a safe, secure and loving environment, with the right nutrition and stimulation from their parents and…

  • The Gift of Curiosity: Fostering a Lifelong Love of Learning

    The Gift of Curiosity: Fostering a Lifelong Love of Learning

    Have you ever noticed that wide-eyed wonder in your child, that insatiable “why?” that fuels their endless explorations? Curiosity is the relentless desire to understand the world around us, and is  truly a precious gift. It’s the spark that ignites learning, the engine that drives innovation, and the key to unlocking a fulfilling life. So…

  • What To Do If Your Teen Is Struggling

    What To Do If Your Teen Is Struggling

    Although teens don’t usually have to worry about paying bills and pursuing a career, they can and often do experience age-related stress, which is of course quite different than the stress their parents might face. We must remember that peer pressure, school-related issues, even bullying and can become very overwhelming at times. The reality is,…

  • Thank You Signs From The Heart And Teaching Kids To Give Thanks

    Thank You Signs From The Heart And Teaching Kids To Give Thanks

    Saying thank you and really meaning it is one of those little things that really makes a huge difference, not just for the receiver, but for the giver as well. In today’s world where modernization has brought with it a feeling of entitlement, we have to work extra hard to teach our children (and ourselves)…

  • The Content’s Of A Seven Year Old’s Pocket!

    Do you have children that love to collect little bits of everything and store them in their pockets? This phenomenon seems to be more prevalent among boys than girls, and a quality that one might find in just one of several boys/children in a family! Given that I’m quite a collector myself, I’m secretly proud…

  • Homemade Cards From The Heart

    There’s nothing quite as sweet as homemade cards for any occasion, right? And encouraging kids to spend a little effort to express their feelings for another on an important day is certainly something every parent should do. I grew up making cards, and now I’m happy to say my kids have taken on the  family…

  • Parental Musings: Drum Sets and Boys (and girls….)

    Boys like drums. Some girls like drums. Many more boys like drums. Right? No one is offended right? It’s just a fact of life, whether genetic or environmental or hormonal.  That said, I had a funny parenting moment last week that I thought I’d share with you. I knew something was up when my eight…

  • Fostering Acts Of Human Kindness Through Crafting

    Using our crafting abilities to do acts of human kindness is one of my favorite topics, so when I got a nice letter from a reader today with this photo, I just had to share the story with you…..plus I’m just so darn proud that I really couldn’t help myself! These sweet kids from New…

  • Fostering Thoughtfulness: Little Gifts For Friends Back Home

    Appreciation and gratefulness are certainly two of the most important traits that every parent should make great efforts to foster in their children. Certainly we have all come across adults who are lacking these, and it is truly sad —without appreciation and gratefulness a person cannot fully enjoy life or reach his potential in this…

  • Child’s First Oil Painting – The Rolling Hills Of Jerusalem

    Today is the 17th of the Jewish month of Tammuz, and we are thinking about Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, our Holy City, whose ancient walls were breached on this day many many years ago. And yet, we remember this day each and every year, and I thought it was so very appropriate that my almost nine year…

  • Fostering An Interest In Vegetables: Visit A “Vegetable Museum”!

    Ever been to a grocery store that stocks over 35 kinds of apples from around the world? Have you heard of white eggplant? Do you know how to prepare taro root and Yucca? Ever seen orange tomatoes, yellow and purple cauliflower, multicolored chard? What about New Zealand horn melon? (Note to my readers from New…

  • Lessons Learned In Revisiting My Childhood Stomping Grounds with My Own Kids!

    I am the person that I am today as a result of many life experiences— and especially those which occurred before the age of 12 or so (as I’ve started to realize lately!) So I found it particularly interesting to visit some of the places we used to frequent when I was a child, but…