Family

Emotional intelligence is at the heart of caring, effective parenting. Whether it’s setting boundaries, resolving conflicts, or teaching a growth mindset, these articles give you practical tips to bring emotional intelligence to life with your family.

Getting Off the Trouble Train

“Have you ever found yourself in the middle a situation and you know it will to turn into a big mess? You can feel it slipping out of control… and yet you keep going. It’s as if you’re being pushed along this track; you know it’s going to lead to trouble, but it seems like there’s no choice.”

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Decoding Emotions

Smarter About Feelings: Part Two . Part One introduced the idea of becoming smarter about feelings — and how that can help you (kids) get more of what you want… and less of what you don’t want!  In that article I promised that I’d also write more about emotions and the meaning behind our feelings.  […]

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Smarter About Feelings

When I was a kid, no one taught me about emotions. They’re so powerful! And such a big part of our lives… here are the most important ideas every kid (and adult) needs to know about feelings.

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What Relationship Pattern Holds You Back?

Everyone has their own pattern when it comes to relationships. ‘Attachment Styles’ have been studied in psychology for years, and its wisdom is now starting to find its way into everyday relationships. What’s your attachment style, and how can you best work with it?

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Surprise! You’re a Role Model

The stories of Krissie Jo and Gandhi remind me that others (children, parents, colleagues, friends, and family) are always watching.  Let me be the best me I can be. Each winter I start thinking about Christmas in my hometown: Inkom, Idaho. It’s just like in the movies, I swear. Delights of dipping chocolates, baking filled cookies, and the […]

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Turning New Corners

Life is full of these moments of transition, of uncertainty and discovery.  People coming and going, growing up, moving away, coming back… waves on the sand, life seems to be continuously in flux, and you just can’t hold it still. Yesterday I delivered Emma to her first sleep-away summer camp; she’ll be there for three […]

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Emotional Intelligence: A Key to Positive Change

In this speech, Six Seconds’ Chairman Karen McCown shares the definition, process, and purpose of teaching emotional intelligence. Karen founded the renown Nueva School in 1967 as a laboratory for integrating academic and emotional development for gifted children (it went on to win two Federal Blue Ribbon Awards for Excellence in Education).

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Right Speech by Eknath Easwaran

Karen McCown, Six Seconds’ Founder, handed this article to me several years ago. It’s stuck with me as a powerful set of guidelines for being impeccable with words. The children, Patty and I have discussed the “three gatekeepers” often over the last years; we started when the kids were 4 and 6 years old and […]

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Changing from War to Peace (at home)

How do we change out of a destructive pattern? Emma (my daughter, now 9) frequently makes a big fuss when it’s time to do work that’s not appealing, especially “dumb writing homework” (despite usually liking writing and being an outstanding student).  This has gone on for years, but a couple of weeks ago I noticed […]

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Finding Peace Amidst Holiday Stress

Finding Peace Amidst Holiday Stress – Tips for an “Emotionally Intelligent” Holiday   Paradoxically, holidays are extremely stressful.  Given all the bad news we’re facing in the economy, this year may be especially challenging. There are so many expectations, so much to accomplish, and so many feelings all rolled together.  Holidays are rituals and we […]

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Beginnings, Middles, Endings

Awareness of beginnings, middles, and ends helps projects, relationships, and events — at work, at school, at home, in love and in war. It seems that if we could become more effective in all three phases life would be a lot better!

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Absent Fathers, 4th of July

It is Independence Day here; when I was younger, it was a day for blowing stuff up, for a little thrill, and also for the ephemeral beauty of fireworks. A little less young, now it is a day for barbecues, family, and thinking about what it means to belong to a nation. We spent the […]

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