Dec 26
The below comments are written for parents and grandparents of children over ten. The funerals at Newtown have come to an end, the days of mourning have (for those of us not directly affected by the tragedy) given way to Christmas celebrations. Group prayers have turned to other concerns. And yet the shadow of …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/12/26/conversations-with-kids-in-the-wake-of-violent-tragedies/
Oct 23
Children can and do change the world. They recognize injustice, they experience fear and anger. The father of the Buddha tried to protect him from all suffering, injustice, and anguish. He created a beautiful bubble for him, a bubble of plenty of sweet food, no harsh words, no sickness, no poverty, and no loss. The …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/10/23/childhood-dreams/
Aug 15
Judge Gilliam – I disagree. The latest “viral” Faceook is a reprint of a 1959 published letter from Judge Philip B. Gilliam of Denver,Colorado. Parents (and grandparents) of teens and tweens are lauding it as sage advice that “Every teenager should have this framed and hung on their wall in their room.” A part of …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/08/15/lifting-a-teen-from-the-mud-of-self-absorbed-pity/
Jul 13
I just finished reading Switch by Chip and Dan Heath from the perspective of a person and parent trying to understand how to motivate myself and my child to action. It was a great complement to Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow reviewed last month. The Heath’s metaphor for what Kahneman called System One and System …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/07/13/switch/
Jun 16
Daniel Kahneman, the psychologist who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics, wrote what is considered by the NY and LA Times, Economist, and Wall Street Journal, one of the best books of 2011. In Thinking Fast and Slow : He uses questions to understand the brain, for example: A bat and ball cost a …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/06/16/thinking-fast-and-slow-and-being-a-devils-advocate/
Jun 08
Do you actually sit down and set goals with your kids? Share your experiences! I’m big on goal setting. I have my own mission and goals I visit often, and so do my kids. I read and listen to leaders in education and 21st century businesses announce that our kids need to not merely have …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/06/08/summer-goals-and-portfolio-building/
Apr 14
Parents have always known what positive psychology (the study of what makes us happy) now reinforces: short term “extrinsic” rewards might make us joyful in the moment but they don’t lead to happiness. Happiness wells up from a sense of being fully alive, focused, and engaged in every moment; from a feeling of power, heroic …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/04/14/do-kids-who-play-video-games-really-have-an-evolutionary-advantage/
Jan 13
It is a very bloody, violent rage of a song. A reader sent me the link. Ben Breedlove, whose inspiration life story YouTube recording I mentioned in the last blog, spoke of a dream where he was greeted by Kid Cudi (a rap star) quoting lines from his song Mr. Rager. I watch it – …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2012/01/13/addictions-and-sparks/
Dec 30
Eighteen year old Ben Breedlove died on Christmas Day, leaving behind a touching video on the heart condition that took his life. This young man, who had struggled since age four with the fear of a young death, used social media to reach out to his friends and make new friends. Ben created the popular …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ellencavanaugh.com/2011/12/30/dreams-and-hopes-for-a-new-year-in-the-eighth-continent/
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