You’re at a family gathering. Your kids trade TikToks with cousins while you pass out cookies and cider.   Your 14-year-old, John, walks into the kitchen when Uncle Pete yells, “I heard someone has a girlfriend!”   “Oohs” and “aahs” fill the room. John, red faced, spins around to get the heck out.   Uncle Pete calls after him, “You make sure you’re treating that girl right!”    Maybe Uncle Pete is teasing, but what if you took the question seriously:   Is John treating his girlfriend “right?”   Is he being treated [...]

Growing up as a student in the public school system, there were school community members who were seen as staples of the building. Of course, everyone knew their principal, their teachers, whether general education or specialist teachers, and the nurse. However, there was one community member who often went unnoticed: the school counselor.  During my days as a student, we called them “guidance counselors.” Oftentimes they worked in isolation and solely “guided” students as they prepared to transition from one school to the next. I didn’t need to see my [...]

How often do we really think about how busy a baby is? The human infant is a marvelous package. If all goes well, the newborn emerges on their birthday with a wonderful set of equipment for exploring, acting on, and adapting to the world they enter. Vision, although initially limited, gradually expands to colors and to greater distances. Hearing may be a bit muffled at first, but gradually improves. The basics of taste, touch, and smell are also there.  Combined with what appears to be aimless exuberance in wriggling arms [...]