9 Leadership Steps For Parents and Teachers

9 Leadership Steps

I love to watch leaders grow! It’s fun to see someone take their first steps into leadership. Leadership is a choice, a choice that more of us need to take. At home our children need parent leaders. At school, our children need teachers and administrators to offer clear direction and coaching. Here are some Kids […]


BOOK REVIEW | Why Don’t We Listen Better?

Book review Why don't we listen better

Do you have a book that you tend to go back to time and time again? Jim Petersen’s book, Why Don’t We Listen Better?, is one where I find so much inspiration. In college I majored in Organizational and Interpersonal Communication. After I graduated most people would ask, what kind of major is that? Today […]


Happy 15th!

Happy 15th Anniversary

Happy Birthday, Kids Talk! Fifteen  years ago today, the first Kids Talk column ran in the Benton County Daily Record. It’s been an amazing journey, from newspaper columns, to blog posts, to online workshops and more. What an extraordinary way to meet remarkable people. Thank you for being a Kids Talk reader! All the best, […]


Centuries of Fun

Centuries of Fun

The group of ten-year-olds sat absorbed, thumbs moving. Each played an individual game on his cell phone. Over the past few years I keep noticing this phenomena of groups of children who elect to be connected to their electronic games when there are “live knowledge objects” previously know as “people” sitting right next to them. […]


Know Your Child By Likes and Dislikes

know your children by their likes

What’s your child’s favorite food? Color? Outfit? What does your child dislike? Preferences give important insights into our personalities. For the child who is agreeable in most situations, we have smooth sailing. The child who expresses strong preferences, though, can push us to the limits of our patience. How long can we listen to…I don’t […]


FREE WEBINAR: Creating Your DREAM Community

Creating Your DREAM Community

Are you a school leader concerned about building your ideal school community? Please join me for this 50-minute “instant” webinar on Creating Your DREAM Community.  Watch Now! In this free webinar you’ll learn: Why creating and communicating a clear vision of your dream school community is the first step to transforming “customer” families into partner families, […]


FREE TRAINING | The Five Most Important Questions

There are five questions that you should consider if you are going to create a joyful and confident school community of children, families and staff members. Unfortunately, many school leaders spend decades without understanding what is missing in their leadership and in their community. If you are a school leader, you won’t want to miss […]


FREE TRAINING | Teaching Civility

Teaching Civility

Over the past few years it seems like incivility in our culture has reached a new high. Which is not a good thing! Most of my life I have been teaching others how to problem solve and urging others to treat all people with kindness and respect. Time to double down on those efforts. There […]


BOOK REVIEW | The Big Disconnect

The Big Disconnect

The rate of change in our digital world confounds. Published in 2013,  The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age, cites research from 2010, now over eight years old.  Eight years in digital time is ancient history. The stories and key findings that the authors share with us, though, are relevant […]


Gimmee! Gimmee!

Gimmee! Gimmee!

‘Tis the season to be jolly. If only our over-demanding children would stop with the demands for this and that, and this again. For a second, try to see the world from your child’s point of view and you might see that some of the following situations help create and reinforce their whiny requests. Too […]