At-home genetic testing kits can be fun—as long as you know the risks Perhaps 2017 might be remembered as the first holiday season when at-home genetic testing kits received the same billing as the latest version of Amazon’s electronic assistant Alexa. These kits, which allow consumers to submit a saliva sample via mail and...Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: My daughter is starting kindergarten next month. We’ve been talking about how much fun she’s going to have and she’s seems really excited about the whole thing. But here’s where it gets strange: I’m pretty nervous. What can we (the adults) do to get over our nervousness? And is there anything else...Continue reading
A Colleague Learns a Decades-Long Truth: Academics Barely Care about Young Men I was saddened but not surprised to read of my esteemed colleague Glenn Geher’s recent experience at our college (where I am an emeritus). At a meeting of administrators to discuss a panel of “highly successful female alumni,” where faculty were urged to encourage their...Continue reading
It’s hard to believe, but over the next few weeks, most kids will be back in school (my niece and nephews started last week and my newly minted high-schooler starts next week!). Summer flew by and I’m frantically transitioning my daughter out of her summer sleep schedules and gathering her school supplies. The beginning of...Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: While I appreciate your recent column about the benefits of education, I encourage you to add the option for a career technical education (CTE) degree and/or certificate to possible educational endeavors. Not all students are destined for a four-year degree. Without the burden of substantial debt., large numbers of students can have...Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: My son just finished his sophomore year of high school and has decided that he doesn’t want to graduate. My wife and I never finished high school and we’re doing okay—she’s a waitress and I’m an auto mechanic. Some of my friends (the ones who have college degrees) are telling me that...Continue reading
Despite efforts to promote greater gender equality among professions, there remains a significant need for more men in the nursing profession. The nursing field is only around 6% male, though this number is slowly rising. It doesn’t seem to be the education itself that serves as a deterrent; many men entering the nursing field have...Continue reading
Is your daughter the brightest math student in her class? Do your son’s piano skills outpace everyone in his peer group? If so, you’re likely already thinking about how fostering your child’s natural talent could lead to great accomplishments and happiness. But if future success is in store, one of the best ways to set...Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: My daughter is in 2nd grade at a wonderful school, and we get a lot of email asking for parent volunteers to help out in the classroom or to do cleanups, fundraising, and other stuff to help the school. Almost all of that email is directed at mothers and makes a special...Continue reading
We all want nothing more than to be understood. But for some kids, that isn’t as easy as it seems. Learning and attention issues are much more common in children than most people realize. In fact, in the U.S., 1 in 5 children struggles with brain-based learning and attention issues that affect reading, writing, math,...Continue reading