Essays 1-20

Children, like the rest of us, complain sometimes. Some more than others. And also like the rest of us, their complaints are sometimes justified, sometimes not. Often, when we listen to people’s complaints, we think about whether there’s any substance to them – whether they refer to real problems that ought to be addressed. And…

Sometimes people don’t have anything they feel like writing about. That’s my problem right now. I’ve been having computer trouble for almost a week, and during that week, I assumed that articles were growing in my mind, and that I would have all kinds of things to write about as soon as my computer was…

Parents, teachers, children, and other people often get cast in roles they’re expected to play. They do, say, or write something that impresses other people, either because they do it so well or just because at least they DO it. It may or may not astound people, but at least it impresses them enough to…

In 1969, having recently seen “Man of La Mancha,” I was full of zeal and commitment. When I heard my first speech welcoming new teachers, I was all ears when the speaker, an eloquent nun, said we must see the Dulcinea in every child – the inner person who can be so much better than…

Please bear with me while I suggest an alternative way to look at distractibility. If you have a child who is distractible – perhaps one who has been diagnosed and labelled – it may be hard to hear this. If you are one of the diagnosticians, you may feel that my perspective on this issue…

Many of us learn that it’s a sin to tell a lie, and that confession is good for the soul. And so many parents get quite concerned when their children lie, and get quite frustrated trying to elicit confessions. I remember how my own parents used to do it. They lined us up facing them…