Welcome to Kathy Seal's Website and Blog

Dealing with the pressures parents face today

Shielding our Kids from Pain -- Should You Ever Ignore that Impulse?

November 28, 2009

Tags: parents, parenting, pressure, stress, learning, brain, homework, children

Have you ever had to fight the urge to do your child�s homework or complete a project for him? At the recent Learning & the Brain Conference in Cambridge, Mass., my coauthor Wendy Grolnick talked about the natural human urge to shield our young from emotional, social, and psychological pain. When parents face certain pressures, however, that (more…)

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Kudos to a Reporter!

February 23, 2009

Tags: parents, parenting, competition, autonomy, sports, coaching, kids, stress

Here's an excellent article on Pressured Parents, Stressed-out Kids: Grolnick to Discuss Pressure, Stress It's angled around an announcement of Wendy's next talk on our book, but the amazing feature of this article is that it seems (more…)

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Kids and Competition: Love of the Game and Fun

October 24, 2008

Tags: parents, parenting, competition, sports, music, injuries, coaching, kids, stress

There's a very good article on kids and competition in the Oct. 17th Family Circle, also on Parents.com. Cynthia Hanson writes that kids' lives are more competitive these days partly because of TV shows like American Idol, and America's Next Top Model. "We have a whole generation of kids who fear they're going (more…)

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Paying kids to learn

September 10, 2008

Tags: paying kids to learn, stress, parenting, bribing kids, motivation to learn

Not long ago Wendy Grolnick and I published an oped in the L.A. Times titled, �Pay to Learn Shortchanges Kids: dozens of studies over 35 years have found that rewarding people for learning backfires.� You can see it at
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-grolnick5-2008sep05,0,2652576.story

Paying kids to learn is not (more…)

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Books and Articles

Helping Kids Deal with Bullies
Scouting Magazine

Are Parents Too Involved with Their Children?
The short answer is "no."

Saying No to Kids in a Yes Culture
Why Limits are Good for Kids

Marketing of Colleges Increases Family Stress
A Better Way to Choose a College

Pay to Learn Shortchanges Kids
What the research tells us

Too Much Homework, Too Little Play
New York Times

The Trouble with Talent
Lear's

Giving People a Clear Sign They're Curbing Global Warming
from the San Diego Union-Tribune

Transforming Teaching & Learning Through Technology
Carnegie Reporter

Alternative Pathways to College
Carnegie Reporter

The Tales Old Cookbooks Tell
Family Circle