“The human brain is the best organized, most complex , highest functioning object in the universe.” (Kenneth Wesson) An adult brain weighs about 3 pounds and has over 1 trillion cells (100 billion of them are neurons) and the cell connections within the brain number about 1 quadrillion. The brain stores bits of information and can accomplish processes of unfathomable complexity. Unlike a computer (which simply regurgitates information) the brain can initiate new thoughts and […]
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I recently had an invitation to visit a church community north of Toronto to share some ideas with a small group of parents who are concerned about choices their teenagers are making. I outlined the 5 conventional approaches to dealing with these kinds of issues (medical, biochemical. counselling, skills acquisition, behavioural) and explained the strengths and weaknesses of each. It is probable in each one of these families that the best approach would be to […]
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Play is widespread throughout the animal kingdom suggesting that it must serve some vital function. One way to find out what play is good for is to take it away from animals and see how they fare. The problem is that this experiment is nearly impossible to do. Animals (including children) are irrepressible; they play under the most adverse conditions. The only way to get an animal to stop playing is to restrain […]
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At each of the four stages of development, from birth to age eleven, there is virtually a different being inhabiting your home. To get a flavour of each stage, it may be useful to keep these different creatures in mind: Infant: a small, squawking, hungry little bird, all mouth and unable to fly on its own Toddler: a curious monkey, a veritable natural scientist bent on actively exploring the world Early Childhood/Preschooler: a fanciful, talkative […]
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Being a parent of a teen can cure a person of narcissism. When your child was born, you were the center of his/her universe. You were special . Now that you have an adolescent, you have become less central. No matter what you do, your teen continues to invest in the outside world more than at home. This is how it should be. Teens slowly move away from their parents physically and emotionally. […]
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