Articles containing: news

How To Talk With Kids About Gun Violence

Recent mass shootings that have made national news headlines are a frightening reminder to us all of this “new normal.” Beyond those that have made national headlines, there are many more incidence of gun violence – sometimes more than one a day – for which the trauma is felt only locally.

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Sexual Assault: How to Talk With Your Kids

As a father of four children and grandfather of four, I was personally shaken by the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford yesterday. I thought about my kids growing up, and what they might have experienced or observed and never told me, my wife, or anyone.

Last night I had a hard time sleeping.

Digital Media: For Better or Worse?

It was Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts.

I was meeting with a film maker about a possible collaboration on a documentary. We were interested in the impact of digital media on youth.

Shrinking It Down: Kids, Marches, and Media (Season 1, Episode 14)

You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and iTunes. 

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Recently, youth-driven marches such as ‘March for Our Lives’ have received extensive media coverage.

There Are All Sorts of Ways of Making Things Better

Things might seem kind of awful lately.

Every news headline, from every corner of American ideology, feels pretty depressing.  We are subjected to nihilistic rants or apocalyptic predictions.  When do we smile? When our late-night talk-show hosts use our negativity for comedic material.  I’ll admit it.

Shrinking It Down: Political Angst in America? (Season 1, Episode 6)

You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and iTunes. 

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According to a 2017 report by the American Psychological Association, 2/3 of Americans feel stressed about the future of our nation, including a majority of each Democrats and Republicans.

Guarding Against Fake News for You and Your Child

This is a good time to talk about charisma and its relationship to the power of stories.

It’s not that the idea of charisma is new. The word itself is an old one.  It derives from the ancient Greek word “χάρισμα (khárisma)”, and it translates to something like “favor freely given” or “gift of grace.

Should the TV Be On or Off During Times of Breaking News?

During times of “breaking news,” we are all drawn to our TVs, phones and computers for information. This was especially true throughout the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and lockdown, when we found the drama usually reserved for action-adventure movies playing out in our own neighborhoods.