Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — My nephew, Andy, played with Duplo® blocks, Legos®, and his Thomas the Train for hours and hours at a time. I imagine every family member can testify that our favorite memories of Andy growing up include either watching him play with them or participating with him. Andy’s imagination was significant. I think he really saw castles, fire stations, and bridges over raging rivers when he built ordinary-looking structures. His trains were carrying important products and many families to their destinations many miles away. His picture-smart strengths were obvious from the very beginning. He found new … [Read more...]
How Do We Grieve? Using Multiple Intelligences to Grieve Well and Completely
May 2, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — My book about multiple intelligences is titled How Am I Smart? A Parent’s Guide to Multiple Intelligences, but many other titles would have worked. That’s because our intelligences are relevant to so many areas of life. As you know, if you read last week’s blog posts (here and here), grief has been on my mind lately. Would it surprise you to know that understanding how we are smart can help us grieve well? It’s true. And, it’s important because grief isn’t well understood. Too often, people can be made to feel they’re not grieving right. Really? Disappointing. How Do We Grieve? Using … [Read more...]
Honoring Charity’s Life, Family & Community
April 23, 2012 by · 3 Comments
My heart is heavy for friends who have lost their 22-year old daughter, Charity, to rapid, shocking cancer in the form of a brain tumor. Just headaches a week ago. With Jesus today. My heart is in my throat and I can hardly think straight. Tears cloud my vision. I can only imagine what her parents and young husband are going through. She also leaves behind an 8-month-old son, siblings, and many relatives and friends. Charity’s dad and I have 165 mutual Facebook friends. Therefore, I’ve seen probably hundreds of posts requesting prayer over the past three days as his friends reach out to their networks. Many people have updated us so he didn’t need to spend time or energy doing it. I sometimes joke that not all Facebook … [Read more...]
The Importance, and Influence, of Our Name
April 16, 2012 by · 8 Comments
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Last week, while at the homeschool convention in Memphis, I was reminded of the value of our names. We read in Isaiah 43:1 that we are called or summoned by name. Our name is important to us and can influence our identity. It can influence our security, too. And, our belonging. Would you believe our name can even influence our purpose and competence? If you’ve never told your children why you named them what you did, please share your story. Knowing is better than not knowing. Don’t assume the story wouldn’t bless them. It could increase their hope in their purpose and in their tomorrows. If you didn’t have a … [Read more...]
How Can We Help Children and Teens Use Their Smarts? (Part 2)
March 28, 2012 by · 2 Comments
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Last week, I was privileged to teach about multiple intelligences at the Great Homeschool Convention in Greenville, SC. Hundreds of parents were encouraged to look at their children differently. I loved watching their reactions to this refreshing truth. One mom shared with me that she arrived at the convention the day before assuming her son had a learning disability. She thanked me several times for helping her develop a healthier perspective about her son. What a privilege for me! This week, this mom and hundreds of other parents are charged with the task of helping their children believe they’re … [Read more...]
Five Core Needs for Healthy Living
March 12, 2012 by · 2 Comments
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Last Monday, I posted about not being as nature smart as some people are. While in Galveston the previous week, I had no need to step into the Gulf. Others would have done that immediately upon arriving. Because the post was about one of our intelligences, it was really better designed for Wednesdays, when that’s the theme. I got my days mixed up. Upon reflection, though, the post did fit Monday’s theme of “discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life.” We’ll more likely live a healthier, more fulfilled life, when we meet all five of our needs in healthy ways. The same is true for … [Read more...]
Self-Smart People = Confidence in Their Own Opinions
March 7, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Each of our eight intelligences has value in life and in school. The self-smart intelligence has unique value. Those with this strength are comfortable and confident with their own opinions. They think deeply inside of themselves and reflect on their ideas and what they hear and see around them. They may not highly value other people’s opinions so it’s extremely important that they remain teachable. Do you want and even need quiet, peace, privacy, and space? This would mean you’re self smart. It also might explain a portion of the stress you feel. We live in a loud, hurried, crowded culture … [Read more...]
Four More Awakening Strategies for Multiple Intelligences
February 29, 2012 by · 1 Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — As I wrote about last Wednesday, in Four Awakening Strategies for Multiple Intelligences, all of us are born with the capacity to develop eight intelligences. Our Creator generously creates us with each, but relies on parents and others to awaken each part of the brain in children. The earlier they’re awakened, the better. It’s more likely that they’ll become strengths. Creating “crystallizing experiences” to spark the birth of intelligences is a privilege. The first four ways of doing this that I explained were creating new experiences, attending cultural events, going exploring, and engaging … [Read more...]
The Most Music-Smart Generation Ever
February 15, 2012 by · 1 Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. --- If intelligences were based on interest alone, it would be safe to say that today’s young adults and teens may be the most music-smart generation ever. This is largely due to the iPod. It was invented in 2001 and iTunes was voted the invention of the year just two years later. Because music has always been readily accessible, this generation highly values it. They enjoy it. They prioritize it. They know it. But, when considering intelligences, ability must be factored in. Because of the quantity and variety of music on iTunes, bands on YouTube, and television shows they watch like American Idol, … [Read more...]
What Does Security Look Like? Here’s An Example from a Family in Flight
February 6, 2012 by · 3 Comments
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — What does security look like? Here’s one example: The dad took the seat across the aisle from his wife and young daughter. They settled in for the flight to Mobile, Alabama, and discussed an activity they’d do when spending time with her grandparents. After we took off, the girl fell asleep. She awoke when the pilot began our descent from 35,000 feet and pressure in her ears caused pain. The mother handled her daughter’s discomfort brilliantly. For the remaining 15 minutes of our flight, she leaned over to get even closer to her daughter. She maintained close content, often stroking her hair. She regularly had … [Read more...]
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