The Gift of Failure Applies Far Beyond Parenting

Dec. 7, 2015: I've decided to freecycle the book I bought as my holiday gift to readers, so add your own "gift of failure" in the comments section (or tweet @ShapingYouth) for a chance to win it! Dec. 6, 2015 It’s affordable, though hard to wrap, since it shape-shifts at different ages and stages. It’s elusive, with many parents not quite ready to invest in short term … [Read more...]

Using “Frozen” as an Icebreaker For Meaningful Chats With Kids

Nov. 22, 2019 Frozen 2: With the opening weekend of Frozen 2 and a script laced with big topics from tribalism to ethnic genocide, there are icebreakers and family history springboards aplenty. Interesting that Disney took a preemptive step to negate cultural appropriation backlash by signing an agreement with indigenous Sami culture for respectful portrayal; first I've … [Read more...]

2014: The Year Of Redefining Girly

Jan. 10, 2014 Even in just the last 5 years or so since the American Psychological Association Task Force reported about the harm of early sexualization and its impact on children (full 72pp APA study here) I’ve wondered “what’s taking so long, can’t people see this is a huge public health problem? Positive change feels glacial while negative influence feels like it’s been a … [Read more...]

SureFire Girls: Life Literacy For Teens in a Power-Packed Conference

Oct. 8, 2013 As the parent of a teen graduating high school, spring was like a surreal montage of college tours, anticipation, excitement and questions swirling in my brain.Did I give her enough savvy to navigate credit/debit financial literacy, branding and budgeting? Does she have body awareness and boundaries to carve out her own comfort zone in complicated core … [Read more...]

Brave Girls Want To Put Media On A Different Frequency!

Oct. 10, 2013 Update: At the end is a newly minted press release/activities update, and this great post by Adios Barbie crams a lot into a small package involving some of the partner organization efforts as well! Oct. 7, 2013 Without a doubt, this week’s about “All Things Girl” as the 2nd annual U.N. International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2013 hosts a plethora of … [Read more...]