Social & Emotional Development

Remembering My Dear Friend and Freedom Fighter Dr. John Maguire

“Up until I was 16 years old and a senior in high school, I did the same thing my friends did. We drove through the Black side of town throwing pears at Black guys and yelling racial epithets. We were the White oppressors. I was the White oppressor.” My dear friend Dr. John Maguire readily admitted...

9 Ways to Avoid the Rampant Consumerism of the Holidays

Now that Black Friday starts at many stores on Thanksgiving night itself, holiday shopping madness is in full swing even before you put away the leftovers. And many of the season's strongest sales pitches are directed right at kids. If you want to enjoy the holiday on your terms, it'll take a...

Where Kids Find Hate Online -- and Tips for How to Handle It

Hate speech is all over the internet. Fueled by trolls , extremists, false information , and a group mentality, this kind of cruelty against a religion, ethnicity, sexual identity, gender, race -- or anything, really -- has reached a fever pitch. And while some kids will be attacked, and some may...

Tips for Talking to Kids About Negative Political Ads

The closer we get to a major election, the more likely it is that political ads will hit below the belt. Negative political ads expose kids to highly partisan, sometimes inflammatory, and even frightening images. But because they're so extreme, it makes them ideal for analyzing the devices they use...