Can meditation positively change a young person’s life?

Absolutely it can!

Research in neuroscience and attention provides evidence that meditation strengthens the neural systems of the brain that are responsible for concentration and generating empathy. Becoming more mindful helps children and adolescents better regulate how life circumstances impact their mental health.

Last week, I posted an article at Psychology Today, Happiness or Harvard? — about high school valedictorian Carolyn Milander who discovered her own values about success through her meditation practice. If you haven’t read her compelling story of why she chose a community college over an Ivy-League school, don’t miss it!

All young people cope with stress in one form or another.

In schools, we teach reading, science, and math. Yet most communities miss one of the most important aspects of learning – how to care for and nurture the mind. read more »

With the beginning of each school year comes an opportunity to wipe the grade slate clean — to ramp up expectations for high academic achievement in our children.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with good grades. That is, unless the stress of getting an “A” causes children to fail at developing the kinds of abilities that matter much more than grades. Even for children who naturally perform well on academic tests, a good grade is only one measurement of success. A few things that school testing cannot measure include:

• Open-Mindedness
• Effort
• Social & Emotional Intelligence
• Critical thinking
• Initiative
• Creativity
• Collaboration
• Curiosity
• Respect
• Kindness
• Capacity to love
• Honesty
• Compassion

Internal strengths, like those listed above, are far more important to a life of success and well-being than whether a child earns an “A” on an Algebra exam or are accepted to a top-rated university. In fact, many tests only measure a student’s ability to produce a correctly memorized answer. read more »

What’s your parenting mindset as your children return to school? In addition to getting your student ready, back-to-school is also a time when most parents revisit strategies that help support their children during the academic year.

As a writer and researcher with a passion for positive youth development, I regularly connect with educators and psychologists who write superb articles for parents.

These authors share the latest thinking and research on learning, achievement, family well-being, parent engagement, special needs children, youth sports, media, technology, discipline, homework, bullying, and much more.

As your children get resettled into the school routine, take some time for yourself – to reflect on your own values about education and how you can more intentionally support your children.  I’ve compiled what I believe are some of the best recent articles for parents – from a variety of reputable bloggers. The list is divided by topic and I’ve put a short summary of what you will find in each one. read more »

Whether the loss of a loved one occurs from a sudden accident, mass shooting, natural disaster, war, or disease, grief is often overwhelming for those left behind.

How do we learn to live with the pain of tragedy and loss? And how do we help ourselves and our children cope with grief in the most restorative way possible?

Following the death of my husband Richard, like many, I began to reflect on life’s terrors and abysses —about the painful challenges we are often asked to endure. Most of all, I hated the fact that my three-year-old daughter would have to grieve throughout her childhood for a father she would likely never remember.

Coping with the Loss of a Loved One: The Power of Metaphor

A few months after his death, my daughter Sarah and I took a trip to the beach for some needed rest and recuperation. As I sat watching her build one of her first sandcastles, I discovered a gift which would eventually lead us on our mutual journeys through grief. read more »

When David McCullough Jr. delivered the commencement address at Wellesley High School in Massachusetts this week, it turned out to be more special than anticipated. Why?

Because McCullough was gutsy enough to speak words rarely heard by teenagers. “You are not special,” he said. “You are not exceptional.”

As he went on to fully describe how graduates had been pampered and fawned over by adults, he spoke a great truth: “If everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless.”

A teacher of 26 years, David McCullough Jr. put in words what many educators and psychologists have been preaching for years, that education should be about learning, not about gaining material advantage. Without using the term social justice, he talked to graduates about the responsibilities of privilege, inviting them to experience the selflessness and joy that comes with the “recognition that you’re not special. Because everyone is.” read more »

The holidays are here — with sparkling lights, glittering trees, and magical store displays.

But as we look beyond the external, the research on child and adolescent development tells us something very important about what happens in children’s internal worlds. It’s a season that shapes their lifelong identities about giving. What are you doing this year to help children and teens internalize the gift of giving?

Of course, children associate the holidays with being receivers of gifts. But according to studies in human development, it is the giving of gifts that reaps the biggest psychological rewards. Parents can help children and teens realize these rewards by teaching them how to give back during the holiday season and throughout the year. There are many ways to give back, including through the excellent projects listed below. read more »

How do children learn to feel connected to their communities and know they can make a difference in the world?

The answer isn’t as complex as it might seem. Like many college students who became committed to social and environmental causes, Danielle talked about developing compassion at a young age. When her father took her to visit nursing homes as a child, Danielle said, “I could see how much people were hurting there and how they appreciated our presence. Learning compassion for people I didn’t know is something that’s stuck with me.”

Developing compassion in elementary and middle school-aged children is akin to developing muscle strength. The more you use your muscles, the stronger they get. Children who participate in programs that teach kindness, respect, empathy, and compassion and who have families that reinforce those strengths at home develop the muscles they need to become civically-engaged adolescents and adults. During the teen years, they reach deep within themselves, access these muscles, and develop social and civic identities that last a lifetime. read more »

Eden Eskaros is a 10-year-old who had an eye-opening experience on her first visit to Mexico last year.

She was struck by the fact that children lived in dismal situations, using cardboard boxes as beds and walking on the harsh earth with no shoes. Eden was moved to help these children by making a commitment to bring back 100 pair of shoes on her next trip.

She returned home to New Jersey and enlisted the aid of a local shoe store and her church. As a result, she’s prepared to send over 1,000 pair of shoes to her new friends in Mexico.

Eden’s story is a great example of how children are often transformed by face-to-face interactions with people living in poverty.  Clearly, Eden has developed the ability to empathize, to put herself in the place of another.  Most children develop this capacity by the age of six and are capable of taking action to help people in need. They particularly benefit from seeing the direct benefits of their actions. read more »