Predicting Successful Adults from Childhood Behaviors

Very interesting article that, when you think about it, makes perfect sense. "Want to steer your kids on a path toward becoming successful grownups? Skip the self-esteem building and afterschool tutors and instead encourage them to share, cooperate, and show kindness. Related: Here’s How to Raise Kind Kids A 20-year study found that kindergartners who displayed these social competence traits were more likely to have graduated college, stayed out of trouble with the law, found full-time jobs, and avoided drug and alcohol problems by the time they reached age 25. “It was striking to see how sharing, cooperating, and being kind at such a young age served as predictors of adult success,” lead study author Damon Jones, senior research associate at Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Pennsylvania State University, tells Yahoo Parenting. Interested in how social and emotional skills make a long-term impact on a child’s life, Damon and his study team tracked 753 male and female subjects. As kindergartners in the early 1990s, they were rated by teachers on a scale of one to five on skills such as sharing, being helpful, and listening to others. Related: The Easy Thing All Parents Can Do to Ensure Kids Get Good Grades The researchers followed the kindergartners for the next 20 years, noting their positive and negative milestones, such as whether they graduated from high school and college, had a police record, or dealt with substance abuse issues. The main finding: The kindergartners who scored highest on the social and emotional skill scale were up to four times more likely to turn out to be employed college grads without drug or alcohol problems or a police record. “For every one-point change on the one-to-five scale, the kids doubled their chances of being successful,” says Jones. The study, published in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health, suggests that social skills are at least as important as cognitive ability when it comes to achievement. Jones hopes that educators begin to acknowledge the importance of cooperation and sharing, and that they develop classroom strategies that can help foster these in kids in all grades. That’s an idea that resonates with child development experts as well. “We live in an interdependent, socialized society, so having the social skills to navigate this world is critical,” Fran Walfish, a Beverly Hills-based child and family psychotherapist, tells Yahoo Parenting. “Parents today are so focused on academic and athletic achievement, but equally important is the ability to get along with others and show empathy and compassion.” It’s never too late for parents to encourage their kids to build these crucial skills, says Walfish. “The most important thing moms and dads can do is model this behavior themselves: Be kind, cooperate, show compassion. Kids learn by the experience of watching their parents,” she says. And if you overhear your child demonstrating kindness to a friend or volunteering to share her toy, show her the right kind of praise. “Instead of saying, ‘Good job,’ tell her, ‘You must feel really good about yourself for sharing,’” suggests Walfish. “This sends the message that sharing is important not because it pleases you but because the behavior itself is so rewarding.” Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com."

This is an interesting opinion piece on the changes beginning to be seen in activity choices of the younger generation... http://www.hcn.org/issues/46.12/the-death-of-backpacking

Well, here are two younger people who LOVE backpacking (as well as rock climbing and ice climbing)!

More Opinions from Within the Tech Field

http://themindunleashed.org/2014/10/heres-steve-jobs-didnt-let-kids-use-ipads-shouldnt-either.html

Great Nature Appreciation Song by my favorite band; YES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx3hSNQXtI4&feature=youtu.be

Children Need Exposure to Nature

This website gives great advice about how to do it and why it is so important.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2014/10/21/10-ways-to-get-your-kids-out-in-nature-and-why-it-matters/

Interesting Moment on the Trail

It's warm; it's dusty. All in all a reasonably good evening to hike. Down the trail I went with puffs of fine clay dust lifting up with each step. Around the bend past the 'waterfall' that is barely a trickle this time of year then up again along the new section of Palisades trail. As I cross the road I see cars parked at the entrance rather than at the trail head and a van with a young man and woman in it getting ready to leave. I am assuming that people are parking here rather than at the trail head because car break-ins are getting all-too-common these days around Spokane. As I cross the road and start up the next section of trail I see someone sitting in the middle of some tall weeds and grass surrounded by something. Well, while he is trying to get himself out of the way I said "You're fine." He had his motorcycle leaning against the bushes and he was sitting there drawing while smoking a cigarette. The young man, partially embarrassed I'm sure, said "I draw better in here." As I passed him I said, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I have my stuff with me as well." It was a rather awkward situation to be sure so I didn't stop to chat. If he was as shy as me about his drawing he might have felt uncomfortable sharing his work with a stranger anyway. I just hope he is careful with those cigarettes... it's a tinder box around here right now.

Tony

The grieving process is a roller coaster for sure. The good memories are what keep us together and move us forward. Today I had to have my nearest and dearest friend Tony put to sleep. He became very sick over the last ten days when his kidneys failed which I have learned is a very common illness in cats; in fact it is the second leading cause of feline death. Tony came into my life on a winter's day just after Christmas. Peter wanted to check the ice conditions for climbing at Indian Canyon about a mile from our house. When Peter, Anali and I got out of our car we could hear some desperate meowing but we had trouble localizing the sound. We quickly realized that it was coming from high up in the Douglas Fir tree that we were standing under. We called to the poor cat who we estimated was 80' up and he began to use the horizontal branches as steps. We eventually got him close enough that I was able to reach up and grab him out of the tree. He meowed enthusiastically and promptly followed us, leaping from one deep, snowy footprint to the next. It was a short walk and we soon headed back to the car with the cat still following us. When I opened the door he hopped right in and has been my cat ever since(I posted fliers over a wide area and made inquiries but no one claimed him).

He was a large muscular cat initially but soon grew fat with the food we provided. He topped the scale at 18 pounds and at that point we tried limiting his food. However, he supplemented his diet with birds (despite four bells on his collar) and our kittens food when we neglected to put it away. He had many nick-names such as Dyno-Kitty, Tony Bologna, Jingle Pig and Tony the Tiger. He was even mistaken once for a raccoon! Most of us have had a pet at one time in our lives that we really deeply connect with; Tony was that animal for me. He would come when I called, jump up to me when I patted my lap and followed me around outside while I worked in the garden or did chores. He was more like a dog in that regard. He also slept with me most nights. He really wasn't afraid of anything which at times got him into trouble but at other times made him really likable. If a new person came into the house, like a plumber or carpet layer, he would rub against his or her leg and make instant friends. He wasn't afraid of the vacuum as long as he was up in a chair. Did I mention his propensity for licking? His tongue was four times as rough as the roughest sandpaper and he really liked to lick. The only way around it was to rub his neck and he would stop trying to get your hand. He immediately made great friends with Jan's kitten, Cloe, and he would lick her as long as she stayed still then she would want to play-fight and Tony would oblige.

My fondest memory of him will always be what he did just a few weeks ago. I was sleeping on my side when I felt a gentle paw on my cheek. He has lying on my side and just reached down to say "I love you" and just left his paw there. It was so cute that I couldn't move. After a couple of minutes he withdrew it but put it back again. No claws or kneading just showing his feelings for me. He had never done that before and it was really touching. It wasn't long after that that he became sick. I only had him for 4 years and he was only about 3-4 years old when we found him.

Today, despite the fact that he could barely walk and was getting sicker and sicker even with the IV fluids, he kept purring when I petted him. His illness was irreversible and his suffering was too much to take any longer. He was still purring as my tears dropped onto his head and while the needle went in...