We’re into the baseball and softball seasons full swing and I’ve noticed some really stark differences between the two events. Now, there are bound to be differences between a 10-year-old girl playing intramural softball and a 14-year-old boy playing school ball and in a competitive travel league. But even turning back the clock to when my son was 10, I’m a little stunned. At that age, the boys had started to get a little serious about the game. Well, as serious as 10-year-old boys could be. They got mad when they struck out and the intensity picked up when the score tightened. The girls are …

I offer a few extra credit assignments in my undergraduate Introduction to Psychology class, including one that prompts the student to write his or her own obituary. Students react in a variety of ways to this one – horrified, amused, bemused – but it’s a great way to think about your life before it’s too late. (Think Scrooge). I urge the students to be creative and fabricate their tale as well, including their future accomplishments - a bucket list of sorts but without the pressure of imminent death - and to think about those left behind. I want them to get perspective and think about how …

We finally made it to the Franklin Institute to see the Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs and it was awesome. I just love museums and I love to attend them with my kids and their friends. I still like to learn new stuff.  Parents need to stay engaged and open to new experiences. Lots of places like aquariums have cool things to do like wading in and feeding stingrays, or actually touching jellyfish and sea cucumbers. At the Franklin, we went to the roof to check out a sunspot through a giant telescope and learned that sunspots are actually storms on the surface of the sun. Just amazing! Times being …

One of the things I love about Patch is going from site to site to see what people are talking about in other towns. This week, I came across an interesting piece on the Nazareth Patch. In a nutshell, the question was, should teachers and students be friends on Facebook? The story goes that a teacher from Maine accidentally posted a picture of himself naked on Facebook and, since he was “friends” with some of his students, well, there you have it. First off, I’m astounded that so many adults have so much time to be on Facebook. Second, why on earth would anybody post a picture of himself or …

Like a lot of elementary school kids, my daughter has been spending a lot of time lately studying our presidents. In addition to memorizing all the presidents – there sure are a lot more than when I was in school! – she also was asked to choose one president and do a report. She chose Lincoln and she asked what he “did” as president. We talked about the Civil War and how he was assassinated. We also talked about how he freed the slaves. This led to a lot of questions – who were the slaves? Why were they slaves? How were the slaves treated? All good questions, but not always easy ones. The …

What does Valentine’s Day mean? Seems it all depends on your perspective … and your age. My daughter is in elementary school, so as far as she’s concerned, Valentine’s Day is another opportunity to decorate the house. She loves putting the red heart-shaped doilies in the window and seeing the Valentine’s Day flag go up in front of the house. Another holiday means another party at school, too. There’s the hunt for the perfect cards to give classmates – mission accomplished with a box of Scooby Doo valentines. Then there’s the anticipation of treats and some games in class. All in all, it’s all…

My son enters high school next year so the question of the hour is, “What do you think you want to be when you grow up?” Since sometimes I’m not sure of the answer to that question at my age, I wonder how hard it must be for the youth of today with all of the choices out there. I began to do some soul searching to help my son. It seems that I have always been a musician. It is my passion. I really wanted to be a conductor. My piano teacher, Ethelyn Stinson, saw this and took me to a rehearsal of the Philadelphia Orchestra. A woman from Russia was the conductor for a few pieces. There was an …

Adopting a daughter from China has some great added benefits, like looking into another culture and enjoying some of the traditions. Last Sunday was the beginning of the New Year celebration in China, beginning at midnight last Sunday and continuing through the week. This Sunday we will visit Philly’s Chinatown to enjoy the Dragon Parade and some great food at our favorite restaurant. We’ll stroll through the shops and purchase good luck charms and maybe a new silk dress for my daughter. We’ll probably learn a few new words. We already know my daughter’s favorite word - Ching wa - which is …

Do you have a dream? No matter how old you are or what your lot in life is, ya gotta have a dream. And it really matters that you share that with your kids. For the past year, I have had the privilege of serving as a senior choir director. I never actually dreamed something so wonderful would be granted to me. In fact, about a week before I was asked to take the position, my husband asked if I was disappointed in not ever directing the larger choir at church. I actually said that I wasn’t because I truly believe that God has his plans for you and it is best to stay with those plans. As soon …

Some folks suffer from post-holiday blues, but there isn’t really time for that in our house. January means the beginning of indoor baseball workouts for my son and the start of a new season in my daughter’s youth orchestra. Add that into the normal mix and we hit the new year at full speed. Though winter is staring us in the face, my thoughts are already on June. I can’t wait for the kids to be done with school so we can spend our time hanging out at the pool. We’re hoping this summer will be special, too. We’ve set our sites to getting out west, specifically seeing the Grand Canyon. What we…

We acquired a puppy this summer after much pleading and prodding from my husband. I have always loved collies - big and fluffy and, well, a real dog. But I was adamant that this eventual 80-pound dog would behave and not endanger any lives or worldly possessions. We hired a bona fide dog trainer and he is worth every penny. With the first lesson finished, I leapt into the ordeal with both feet. Heal. Sit. Down. No! All followed by appropriate praise and tasty treats.  Our trainer went on vacation and yet I kept up the pace. When he returned, I was eager to show him our puppy’s progress. The …

In a few shorts days, the mini summer vacation will be over and our kids will be back in school. The long assault of homework, assignments and work in general will be on for the next six months.  While the holidays have been great and totally enjoyable, it is time to get serious about several issues concerning our children and teens. If you are like most parental units, what started as a general lessening of rules just for the break, is now an all-out festival with eating whatever and doing whatever and, well, many have had enough screen time to put most kids into a trance. This coupled with …

The other day my 14-year-old son announced that he would be driving in two years. As serendipity would have it, my auto insurance card arrived in the mail at the same time. I looked it over and found this small card attached to the driver’s card. I detached it and read it over. The heading read: “What to do if you are ever in an accident.” The first line was horrific; it read, “Do not admit fault.” Is this what I want my brand-new driver to know? I freaked out. Is this was America has come to?  My mind raced back to when I was seven months pregnant and on the way to choir rehearsal Sunday …

A single-engine Cessna could land anywhere thanks to the rows and rows of lights on houses. Inflatables are popping up from the earth in amazing numbers and the pace on the street is quickening with each passing day. Sheer panic will set in closer to the end of the month at the malls and there will be a glow, not from the fireplaces, but from the credit cards that are still warm in pockets after countless swipes. I’ll admit that I have gotten pulled into the frenzy from time to time. Usually it is when I simply lose perspective listening to the world around me. This year we did put up some …

December brings a feeling of expectancy and celebration mingled with anxiety and dread if you are on a college campus. The semester is almost over, but the final exam and culminating project are looming large in the minds of most undergrads. My general psychology class has been a particularly exceptional bunch of kids and I wanted to offer a bit of extra credit to them in exchange for their consistent effort during the semester. I offer extra credit when I think that most students are working hard and yet some may have difficulty showing how well they understand the material through static …

When my daughter arrived from China I knew that self esteem was going to be an issue. She was abandoned by the people who brought her into the world - a really tough situation - so the psychologist in me summoned the advice from all the great theorists. I knew I had to help her define herself.  First, I took her into our family and we all worked to love her unconditionally.  Then I took her to church to learn about Jesus because of our belief system. I gave it to her.  Then I began with her deficits. She didn’t speak until she was 4 years of age; she never crawled so her speech was delayed. …

Whew, what a rush the past month has been, but it was nothing compared to how it ended. We lost power in our neighborhood at 2 p.m. on a recent Saturday afternoon. My husband and I had finally stowed the kids at the grandparents and sat back to watch the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. We have tried to do this for three years now and failed. That’s right, no date night for the past three years. But no electricity, no movie. About 2 a.m. Sunday, the power was restored. Two days later, the power was shut off, this time with no warning and, it would seem, no rhyme or reason.  I walked up the…

Last week our church had a rummage sale. I was walking through the piles of old stuff and found a beautiful framed needlepoint piece. It read, “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” I knew this saying because my mother had it on her dresser for years and then I learned the melody that went with it from my time in Girl Scouts. I began to hum it and the church secretary joined me. We stopped, looked at each other and laughed. Isn’t it great to connect with someone?  My mind started to go over all of the traditions we have in our family. I remembered the first …

It's been one of those months, but October usually is in our house.My son's birthday, wedding anniversary and daughter's birthday all come in October; all within two weeks. Add in Halloween and you've got a pretty packed schedule, especially when you mix in the normal stuff.This year, we had a few more additions to the mix and we've been moving even faster than normal.Being hectic is par for the course as a parent, so I'm used to that. What's disappointing is not being able to celebrate the important milestones.We always say "family first" but we need to do a better job of putting action …

Our public schools are a microcosm of the world outside, reflecting the general makeup of our neighborhoods. This happens in regard to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and any other variable used to describe the surrounding people in your backyard.  In 1954, after the courts settled the Brown vs. the Board of Education issue, that of segregation in our schools, something interesting occurred. Since the issue of segregation could not be solved in our neighborhoods by the government – clearly you cannot force people to purchase or sell their homes to accomplish this - the public school …