Bringing Literacy to Thousands More Children This Christmas
Today was Presentation Day at my children's primary school. It's the end-of-year assembly, that involves the whole school community, and awards excellence in all aspects of school life. Amidst the joy, I felt some sadness. Read full article
Our Family Christmas Traditions
It’s Christmas time again and this year it seems to have caught me by surprise. I know we have had the same number of days in the year as in all previous years, but for some reason I’m not yet in the Christmassy spirit. Putting up the tree and decorating the house would normally have put me in the mood, however this year I can’t even find the momentum to get the tree out of the cellar ... Read full article
Christmas and Families - What if You're Just Not Into It?
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You might have noticed a few changes around your local area. Shopping centres draped in tinsel, supermarket aisles crammed with chocolate Santas, carols being sung in the park, the odd school concert featuring songs about reindeer … ringing any bells? ... Forget about whether your kids believe in Santa Claus. What about parents who are just not that into Christmas? Read full article
A Christmas Present for Your Child That Lasts All Year
Possibly the best gift you could give your children this Christmas is to teach them the value of giving...The truth is people consistently over-estimate the impact on their wellbeing of acquiring things and underestimate the impact of giving, especially to those to whom they have an emotional connection. But this can be overcome by encouraging our children to experience the joy of giving directly. A good way to do this is to give them a gift voucher to microcredit charity Kiva. Read full article
Giving and Receiving Gifts - Teenagers, It's Not a Negotiation
Gifts and their meaning have changed over the years. I’ve not done an anthropological study on the matter, but it appears to me that, to many people, they have become somewhat of an entitlement. And especially for teens, gifts are sometimes a point of negotiation, or even more alarming, of reward. Read full article
