The Child Is Always Becoming

the child is always becoming

Whether we know it or not, each of us is on a continuum of growth. Not being open to growth and change, though, can make us falter on our journey through life. We all know people who have eddied out of the flow of life. They appear stuck in a routine and can’t seem to […]


The Child’s Love Of Place

child's love of place

“Education should be a social and human endeavor of interest to all.” ~Maria Montessori “We want to go see Ms. Maren,” was the request of three of my former preschool students. Their mother, Pat, made arrangements for the boys to visit after school. The day arrived, and the boys came through the door, gave me […]


A Child’s Natural Love For The Adult

child's natural love of the adult

In my kitchen at the back of the drawer that holds the hotpads, is a green oven mitt. Worn, with a few holes in it, the mitt is visible every time I open the drawer. Its mate, regrettably, was lost in a move. The mitt’s been around for almost 30 years. It is my hope […]


Pull An Art Box Out Of Your Hat

pull an artbox out of your hat

“I’m so bored. There’s nothing to do.” The-Rainy-Day-It’s-Too-Hot-Summer-Blahs. Every year the blahs hit, and every year parents and grandparents wish they were more prepared. Get ready by having a special art box organized and ready to pull out on short notice. For a small investment, about the cost of taking four people to the movies, […]


Add A Little Drama

add a little drama

Summer is upon us and ideas for vacation fun can start to run low after a couple of weeks. One of our perennial favorites for serious merriment is the drama box. Our drama box began with remnants of Halloween costumes, old dress shoes (cowboy boots and red sparkle heels!), and a forgotten black dress. From […]


Lighten Up

lighten up

Thank goodness for my mother-in-law. Her sense of humor has always been helpful. Years ago, my in-laws came to stay with the girls, then four and five, for a few days while my husband and I headed off on a company sponsored trip. This five-day trip was the first time we had been away more […]


Dealing With Bullying

dealing with bullying

“Do you have any suggestions for me to share with a parent on how to help her child deal with a bully in school?” asked Mary, a grandmother and teacher. Bullying seems to be getting a lot of media time recently. Many schools and other organizations are creating programs to try to combat these mean-spirited […]


The Rule Of 150

rule of 150

The Rule of 150 states that the size of an effective social network is limited to 150 members. Social scientists theorize that 150 is the limit of the human ability to remember and respond to all the members in a group. The human mind seems unable to maintain a large number of distinct relationships. As […]


Five Dangerous Behaviors

five dangerous behaviors

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi We have all experienced the person. The person with the negative attitude whose dark cloud metastasizes throughout a relationship, family, business or community, bringing discord, disorder and disaster. In order to maintain harmonious relationships, Stephen Covey in The 8th Habit says […]


Watch My Interview

This event is in full swing! Click here to watch my 20 minute interview. Over the next two weeks there will be interviews with lots of great folks.  Join in! Dr. Laura Markham Lori Petro Tracy Cutchlow Maren Schmidt Jessica Martin-Weber Amy Bryant Karen Young Kim Payne Claire Heffron and Lauren Drobnjak Jane Nelsen Liz Barker-Aquino […]