Bill Corbett

Recently, my wife and I held a yard sale to clean out the basement.  Throughout the day, I watched with interest, all the parents who brought their children along.  Most of them constantly snapped at their kids to leave things alone and not to touch.  I must have heard the command, “Don’t Touch,” too many times to count.  The adults walked along slowly, deep in thought as they examined all the items on the tables and the contents of the boxes.  Then, every minute or so, they would look up to see where their child was and bark at him to put down what he had in his hands.  Some children looked at the parent, dropped the item, and then just went to another box to pick something else up.  Other children just ignored the parent and continued to play with the object until the parent rushed over to her and demanded she drop the item.  That child would then cry, increasing the parent’s anguish. I Brake for Yard Sales: and Flea Markets, Thrift Shops, Au...

Parents need to be aware of a book series targeted toward  teens that is growing in popularity.  The first one in that series is called The Hunger Games and children, tweens, and young teens are asking for it with excitement.  The story involves a reality TV show where 24 teens are turned loose and must kill each other off trying to be the last one to survive.  The killers use the most primitive weapons available to maim and kill each other.  Violence is the number one issue with this book series.  You may want read it yourself first before deciding to allow your children to read it.  You can purchase it here: The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set According to the watchdog Web site Common Sense Media.org, their reviewers have decided that children as young as 12 can read this book series and I completely disagree.  In my opinion, Common Sense Media has lost its common sense.  Although there is little or no sex and drugs in these books, my ...

I began my latest TV show with the top 10 definitions of a teenager.  One of them went something like, “Someone who can figure out the latest electronic gadget but can’t make his bed.”  While my studio audience thought it was a riot, it doesn’t wander far from the truth.  Our kids and teens have a tremendous technical skills and a huge appetite for TV, video and the Internet screens.  We parents have got to step up to the plate and create more balance in our children’s lives to keep them becoming absorbed into too much technology. There’s a great article on CommonSenseMedia.org titled, “5Ways to Help Kids Find Balance,” and it serves as a good reminder for parents to come up with other activities for our kids to get involved in.  Like most parents, I would cringe at the thought of hearing the, “I’m Bored,” statement from my kids.”  I can understand why some parents feel the need to just let them be plugged into a video screen because it gives us a break ...

My TV show Creating Cooperative Kids is very close to hitting the 100 station airing mark and may also soon be international.  Today, a TV station in New Zealand downloaded an episode for review.  I'm currently putting together the 12th episode that will be taped on March 19th and one of my segments will feature two amazing women who wrote the book HELP ME GET READY TO READ.   If I had written a book on helping children to read in the first five years, this is the book I would have published.  Susan and Barbara put together this practical guide using reading aloud techniques in a way that is sure to motivate most young children into wanting to read.  You're going to want to get your own copy of this book and can purchase it by using the link above to Amazon.  If you're in the Hartford, CT area and want to attend a taping of my show for free, go to www.TheParentingShow.tv and sign up.  You can also watch past episodes there as well.  Lea...

There is a great article running on Yahoo titled, "The 7 Messiest Kids Rooms Ever!" that feature seven photos of really messy rooms.  My favorite is here to the right with the one titled WHERE'S WALDO.  Somewhere in that photo among the chaos is a sleeping child. Meet CleanWell. And say goodbye to germs naturally.  (aff) My wife and I don’t have the time to watch much TV, but one program running on NBC that caught our eye last year is the television show PARENTHOOD.  I’m bringing this up because there are many scenes that represent classic parenting situations; some handled well and some not so well.  I remember one scene involving the youngest son Crosby, played by Dax Shepard and his 6-year-old son Jabbar, well played by Tyree Brown.  Jabbar began to act overwhelmed and helpless when his father asked him to clean up his room.  Crosby then moved the request up a few notches, to demands and threats, but to no avail.  A little while later, t...

Parenting in the modern age requires knowing how to “coach” a children to take ownership of their homework, a skill few of us have.  When parents coach more than direct, their children are more likely to take responsibility for their school and homework.  To coach successfully, parents must stop reacting out of fear that it won’t get done and stop resorting to controlling the child and the homework.  The first step in doing this is to help the child plan ahead and take an active role in preparing for the homework.  Here are steps for getting children self-motivated about homework. SAT TUTORING Personalized Tutoring for Success   www.studypoint.com/sat-tutoring / The Supplies Sit down with your child and help him come up with a list of supplies. Use your parent veto power to ensure the right items are purchased, but give him control over the shopping task.  Teach him much about money and shopping by letting him carry the basket at the store, pick out the ...

In Eagle Point, Oregon last weekend, a 14-year-old girl died at a party from inhaling helium from a pressurized tank.  According to the news report , she was pressured by others at the party to take a turn at wearing the mask and inhaling the gas, after consuming at least 8 alcoholic drinks.   Several adults responsible for putting on the party and providing drugs and alcohol have been charged. This tragedy is a nightmare for the parent of any teenager.  Some reading about this may have the false belief that it could never happen to their daughter or son.  Others may ask, “What could the parents have done differently to keep this young girl from losing her life?”  One thing that could have stopped this unfortunate incident is the parents having knowledge of exactly where their daughter was going that night.  According to the news report , the parents believed their 14-year-old was going to a slumber party with friends.  Instead, she got into a ca...