Christine Carter

The last post was about why we parents should foster optimism in our kids. In a nutshell: there is a close link between how optimistically kids think and how healthy and happy they are—and how they perform academically and athletically, for that matter. This post explains a little more about what it means to be optimistic or pessimistic and so that we parents can better foster optimism in our kids.  Read more >

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. ” -Buddha Few people fully realize the huge impact the ability to forgive can have on their happiness, nor do most people think of this as a skill that they need to teach and practice with their children. But important it is: forgiving people tend to be happier, healthier, and more empathetic (and like the Buddha, more serene, agreeable, and spiritual).  Read more >

My kids’ dad—conveniently also my husband, Mike—travels a lot for work. For seven years I heartily resisted his heavy travel schedule. Even though I knew that he didn’t want to be away from us, I still longed for him to be more involved with the kids and household. But then I noticed the only return I was getting for all my complaining and negotiating was resentment. In January I stopped resisting; by February he’d signed up to attend an executive program at Harvard that is three weeks a year. He was gone for most of May.  Read more >

Much of the media’s reporting about our kids centers on the bad things that are happening to them. “Epidemics” of bullying, school shootings, and youth depression have received significant attention in the past year, not to mention the regular reports of sensational teenage deviance in the nightly news. My impression is that most people think of teenagers as sad, distant, and often disturbed.  Read more >