Welcome to Kathy Seal's Website and Blog

Dealing with the pressures parents face today

Sports Gene: a New Way to Pressure Kids

December 2, 2008

Tags: sports gene, competition, pressure, parental anxiety, stressed-out kids

What will they think of next? When it comes to extracting money from worried parents, there's no shortage of business models. Now the so-called "sports gene" test for only $149 is finding a market for one reason only: because we parents are under so much pressure these days to make sure our kids succeed. That's (more…)

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College Applications Still Driving Kids � and Parents � Crazy

November 29, 2008

Tags: college application, anxiety, parental anxiety, Education Conservancy, U.S. News & World Report, college rankings, parenting, stressed-out parents, stressed-out kids

The glossy pamphlets still flood in: �Live, study, and work in both sleek high-rise towers and turn-of-the-century brownstones,� reads the gorgeously thick Boston University brochure. �Win a Hummer. All you have to do is attend an SJSU football game� trumpets San Jose State University�s.

As kids fill out their college applications amidst the (more…)

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The Overscheduling Myth

November 20, 2008

Tags: childhood depression, criticizing parents, free time, extracurricular, kids, overscheduling, overscheduling myth, parental involvement, parenting, Pressured Parents, parenting, pushing kids, self-esteem, shyness, stressed-out kids

Why do we love to criticize other parents for overscheduling their kids?

Maybe it�s a way to justify the choices that you�ve made. �You�ve decided this isn�t your lifestyle,� says sociologist Sandra Hofferth, �and rejected those of other people.�

There�s probably more criticism of overscheduling in America today than (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