From Preschool to Theoretical Physics - Coach Roland on Life Long Learning

Editor's note: be sure to check out the link below to the book 7 Myths of Working Mothers--Why children and (most) careers just don't mix. Question: I am a SAHM of two kids, a toddler and a 5 yr old. I LOVE being a SAHM and hardly ever have days that I feel like I miss being at work. I worked in a fairly creative job but the hours were really bad (not 9-5), I find spending time with my children a much more rewarding experience then working. I feel that this time with them is going by quickly so I am trying to savour it. But, I wonder will I regret not keeping my ties to my old career? Will I regret taking time off work? If I do need to find work again in a few years will it be impossible for me to find it if I haven't been working all this time? I have always found a job easily and feel that if I really wanted to work again I could. -Anon . Roland's Answer: I have never regretted staying at home. I don't care about my own creativity. I care about my kids' crea...

Abstract: Patience, love and understanding are what your child needs, not more pressure. When I was a kid, school was boring and somewhat frightening. But I had a library card, comic books, and a shortwave radio. I survived the early years and went on to receive multiple scholarship offers, an earned advanced degree from a major university, a corporate career AND have taught undergraduate and graduate level courses for over 20 years. If I was a kid today, they would probably label me and put me on drugs. . Who was it who said: Art is long and life is short. If life is short, then I better say what I have to say on the subject. I have your attention, so here goes. 1. The best way to school is home based education. Children need to be with their parents. There is a reason why God designed it so that children have parents. There is nothing more beautiful and wonderful and happy that spending time with your child, and for the child to be with his or her parents. 2. Homeschooling does not m...

So many parents get so bogged down in the homework issue that they forget about the most important thing of all: the relationship. Relating to your child with love and understanding is a million times more important than any particular homework assignment. . How much homework did Einstein do? . Who knows? Who cares? He did not do very well in school. So instead of homework, he was probably doodling and daydreaming. Does your child doodle and daydream? Maybe he or she is another Einstein. Many people do not know that when Mozart was a kid, his dad took him on several long trips. His dad intuitively knew that music was important to his son. He took his little son to major music centers so that he could meet composers, perform, attend concerts and see operas. One trip, when Mozart was 7 years old lasted 3 years! He and his dad visited all the major music centers of Western Europe. Another trip, when he was 11 years old, lasted 15 months. He got to meet Johann Christian B...

There was a song made famous by Otis Redding, and also sung by Frankie Laine, Frank Sinatra and others, called "Try a Little Tenderness." I recommend you listen to it, and just think about it as if it were a song written about relationships in general. "Try a little tenderness" is not a bad idea. The parent with a cell phone in one ear, yapping on the phone, and barking out snappy, bossy commands or "I'll talk to you later" to her child is most likely a prideful, arrogant person. If someone questions her about her supercilious condescending treatment of her child, she has plenty of excuses, rationale, and justification all rushing to the defense of her pride. But the parent's message to the child is clear: You are not important. I am important. You are bothering me. Another thing. Why do we have to be authoritarian and hard when it comes to little issues with our kids? I was talking to a lady yesterday, and the question arose about what is the most...

Seeking is very important. The wise men followed a star, seeking the Christ Child. The shepherds sought the baby Jesus after having been given a hint by the angels (“you will find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger”). Jesus’ mother sought for Jesus, and found Him in the temple (at which point He said, “don’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”) The centurion whose daughter was sick came to seek Jesus, and when he found Him, the daughter was healed. Jesus told parables involving seeking: where, for example, the master came back and sought the servant, where the prodigal son sought his father, where the bridesmaids sought the bride, or where the shepherd sought the lost sheep. When Jesus was killed, Mary and Martha came to seek Him, but He was risen. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “seek and ye shall find.” Time and again, the process of seeking is important. Today we must also seek for Jesus. The shallowness of consumerism at Christmas t...

Resenting Parents is often a Factor in Why Kids Turn to Alcohol and Drugs . This is the title of a revealing article I wrote. It is a timeless classic. The article is about drug and alcohol use, and about the harm of emotionalism--but it also bears witness to just how important parents are. If you, as a parent are unenlightened and selfish, you are desitned to hurt your kids. Most of us came from dysfunctional homes. And the scars we bear affect the rest of our lives. Unless we wake up and begin to understand the reason for all the squabbling, fighting, violence, suppressed hostility and divorce, we will be doomed to fail in our own relationships and hurt our kids. Marriage is not meant to be a pleasure party. It is a framework in which we can work out the curse of original sin. Behold: every couple is Adam and Eve redux (being brought back). You cannot escape the legacy by just shacking up instead of marrying. I'm sorry but because it lacks honor and full commitment, it does not h...

Let's face it: 99.9% of us get angry too easily. We mask our anger with a pasty smile on our face, or perhaps we repress it and walk away. But we are angry. In fact, suppressed rage is one of the biggest emotional factors contributing to health issues. Another thing we do is find a euphemism to describe our anger: we say we are "upset, nervous, tired, or disappointed." In marriage, years of suppressed anger can result in someone "suddenly" saying: "I need to find myself or I've changed. " What they really mean is I'm resentful. In other words, sadly, "I'm harboring secret hatred and judgment toward you." Now let's get to the bottom line: if you have a problem with alcohol, drugs, food, or even porn, most likely it is a direct result of anger. How so? When we are angry, we need something to distract us from the guilt and soothe our hurting and frustrated ego. We need something to take away the pent up hostility and drain us of ...