My 6 year old is smart. Not brilliant, not a genius, but quick, bright, perceptive, sensitive, and intelligent. Her information retention is impressive, and her verbal skills often have people thinking that she’s a year or two older than she is. And I never, ever use the word smart in front of her if I …
“She’s a bad mother. Look how messy that baby is!” It took a moment for me to translate the accusation into English and process the criticism being leveled. On overseas assignment in a developing country, I was eating among locals in a noodle shop, reminding myself of the hygiene hypothesis – exposure to germs early in …
We expect that as our kids grow older they will learn to clean up after themselves. So, how do I get my child to clean up? I enforce immaculate inculcation. The technique sounds more obscure than it actually is in practice. You’re probably using it already and don’t even know it. Although I have only …
