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 […]


Beware of the Tree Octopus

beware of the tree octopus

A newsletter from the Core Knowledge Foundation introduced me to the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Going to the octopus’ website I found photos of the red octopus in a tree. The red octopus is usually found in the ocean off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. But here was an explanation that the now land-lubbing […]


John 15:13

john 15:13

The idea of selfless service was the theme of a story from my kindergarten days. The Sunday School lesson told of a firefighter who died saving families from a burning building. The Bible verse to memorize for the week was John 15:13, which reads, “God hath no greater love than this, that a man should […]


The Brain Seeks to Control Stress

brain seeks to control stress

Brain researchers believe that a newborn’s brain creates neurons at a rate of over a quarter of a million per minute. The young brain grows and absorbs information without evaluating, filtering or giving priority to the information. The brain receives each event with the same import as every other experience. The young brain hasn’t learned […]


TV Or Not TV, Is That The Question?

tv or not tv is that the question

All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone. Blaise Pascal (1623 -1662) “I can tell you exactly the year that my students changed,” my college professor told our class in the 1970’s. “I’d ask a question and nobody made any attempt to answer it. They thought they were […]


In a Twitter

The most important help to life we can offer to our children is to provide opportunities to develop concentration and independence. With the development of concentration and independence, our children can take these strengths and apply them to any activity they wish to pursue. With concentration and independence a subset of other skills comes along, […]


Taming the Television Monster

television monster

“All my three- and four-year-old want to do is watch TV. They fuss about having to turn off the TV at dinner and bedtime. They wouldn’t even play with their friends yesterday because their favorite shows were on. I think I’ve let it get out of hand,” lamented Robin. I was impressed to hear Robin […]


What Do You Mean? Turn Off Your Screen?

turn off your tv

A school age child may spend more hours watching television, phone and computer screens this year than going to school.  A CBS News reports that children ages 8 to 18 use an average of 7 hours per day of screen time, or over 2500 hours per year, versus 900 hours of school time per year […]