Category Archives for "Parenting"

1 How to teach children creative writing

tarika34 asks: My daughter has very poor creative writing skills; what can I do to get her to improve?

Hi tarika34 –

I’m really honored that you consider me a good-enough writer to give advice on this (most dogs aren’t known for their writing skills!).

Of course, just going to school should help your daughter a lot in her writing.  Hopefully she has smart, inspiring teachers, who will help her with the really tough stuff, like organizing her thoughts into clear sentences and paragraphs, and building her vocabulary (and, of course, the always-annoying disciplines of grammar!).

But when it comes to creative writing, what she really needs to develop are Continue reading

0 What to give as a gift when you have no money

kavin24 asks: Our mum’s b’day is coming up. My younger brother (7) and I (12) don’t have any money with us, and even if we had any we couldn’t go to a shop as our mum always comes with us (our dad works abroad). Can you suggest some things to surprise her?

Hi kavin24 –

I love this question.  Because it brings up a really important topic.  You see, our world today largely relies on economics, which means people buying and selling things.  And in order to keep economies going, people are taught (by other people, by economists, and especially by advertising) that they want to buy and buy and buy, and that their value is determined by what they buy.  So here’s your mum’s birthday, and you can’t buy her anything, and you’re totally Continue reading

0 How to get your parents to do something they don’t want to do

Nardy Asks: I am A Huge Fan Of Justin Bieber, and I want to go to his tour, which is two hours away by car. But my Mom & Dad don’t want to go, they don’t like Justin!! But that’s my dream to go there. What can I do?

Hi Nardy –

Okay, this is one of those times in life when you begin to learn major adult skills.  It’s like with me — when I was a puppy, I could get pretty much anything I wanted from Handsome, just by giving him big eyes and a happy, wishful face.  But after I grew up, it got a bit harder.  And if there was something I wanted reeeeeeeally badly, I needed to figure out exactly how to go about getting it.  Play too puppyish, he’d think there’s something wrong with me.  Be super-nice, he’d just think I’m feeling very loving that day.  Be aggressive and demanding, and he might refuse to reward that behavior by giving it to me.  So I had to learn to think, really hard, about how to (and here’s the most important line in the letter) get him to Continue reading

0 Should teenagers answer online surveys?

kavin24 asks: I’m 14. I want to earn money. I’d prefer to make money online. Is it a good idea to use a paid survey?

Hi kavin24 –

I have to be honest with you; I really don’t know much about these surveys.  But I’m a huge fan of kids finding ways to earn money.  As long as two things are true – that what they’re doing is legal, and that it’s safe.

I’m a very protective mutt, and if there were a way for me to sit with you and look at each of these surveys, I’d be very happy to do it.  But of course I can’t.  And one thing about being 14 is that, no matter how smart, even brilliant, you might be, there’s stuff about life you just Continue reading

0 What to do if you’re sent to a scary school

amason7 asks: I failed 2 subjects at school, and my parents say that they are going to change me to a very bad school. I fear for my future. What do I do?

Hi amason7 –

I’m not sure what you’re fearing – if it’s the effect of failing the classes or the bad school.  Or both.

If it’s about the classes, the odds are you’re worrying more than is deserved.  People fail classes and exams all the time, and manage to move on to great lives and careers.  There may be lessons to learn from the failures, and if so I’m all for that.  But in terms of the immediate effects of the exams, you might have to retake those classes, or not get into some schools you want, but in the long term I think it’ll be fine.  Hey I had to get trained in staying so many times – each time I’d think I’d nailed it, I’d screw up and have to go Continue reading

0 How to teach a teen not to smoke

smiletrain48 asks: What punishment should be given when a 13-year-old girl is caught smoking?

Hi smiletrain48 –

I’m a big believer in certain sorts of punishment, for certain things.  I never would have learned not to pee in the house, or not to climb onto the couch, unless Handsome had let me know that such things weren’t acceptable.  But in truth, he didn’t have to do much about them.  Once I knew they were outlawed, I was pretty good at avoiding them.

But when I was a puppy, Biting was another story!  I knew he hated it, and I bit him all the time!  Bit his ankles, bit his shoes, bit his Continue reading

2 What to do when overprotective relatives get in the way of relationships

glampie1 asks: I started dating a friend of my brother’s. But then I started to let my friends know (which was a bad idea), and things started to get out of control. He started talking to my best friend (his cousin) and we started arguing, and then we made up. But the only major thing that is wrong with this whole relationship is that my family is too overprotective! What should I do?!

Hi glampie1 –

Boy, is that ever the thing about families!  If you have a not-so-great family, they don’t protect you at all.  And if you have a good one, they just might protect you too much!  So while it’s wonderful to have people caring about you and wanting to protect you, it can also be a drag!  Kind of like my feelings about the fence around my yard – I know Handsome locks me in because he cares about me, but it makes it impossible for me to chase the neighbor’s cat!

The only answer I can come up with for you (I don’t have any for myself!) is for you to talk to your brother and his cousin, and anyone else who’s being too protective of you.  But this can only work if one thing is true:  Do they trust your Continue reading

0 What do kids need to know about energy?

carina asks: What topics can I teach about energy?

Hi carina –

I’m not sure what age you’re teaching to, but I’m glad you are, because energy is such an important issue today, and we really do want all humans of any age to understand it.

One thing that the youngest really have trouble grasping is how much more the world depends on energy sources than ever before.  Can they even conceive of a world with no computers, no cell phones, and no big-screen TVs?  Or how about a world with no Continue reading

0 How to fix a chipped tooth

yoko asks: My 22-month-old son fell and chipped his teeth. How can I fix it?

Hi yoko –

I’m a big believer in doing the jobs you can.  Every day, I’m the only one – yes the ONLY ONE – who takes on the important tasks of barking at passers-by, chasing the squirrels in our yard, and jumping all over Handsome when he comes home, particularly if he’s wearing nice black clothes that really need my hairs covering them for style.  I’m proud to do these jobs, and they make me feel very important.

However, there are other jobs that I’m really not equipped for.  Handsome makes the money to pay our rent, he brings food home for both of us, and he’s the only one of us who drives the Continue reading

0 But It’s Not My Fault! …how to handle disasters

But It’s Not My Fault! …how to handle disasters

(Originally Posted in The Pawprint, in January, 2011)

Sometimes terrible things happen.  A couple of weeks ago, the city of Brisbane, Australia, where some of my favorite friends live, was flooded, destroying homes and businesses and memories and lives.  And at the same time, a man shot a lot of people, including a Judge and a Congresswoman, in Arizona.  When things like this happen, it’s just human nature to ask why.  With the flooding, scientists will find out things to help them predict weather patterns better, and engineers will see what they can learn to build better cities.  But with that shooting it’s tougher.  Why would anyone, even a crazy man, want to shoot these people?

A lot of people thought that perhaps some of the mean things that people on TV and radio had said about the Congresswoman might have inspired the man to want to hurt her.  And some of her political opponents had even used words and pictures about guns when they were saying they wanted  someone else to have her job.  So the question came up: Could this sort of talk and advertising have affected his mind?

Well, really we still don’t know.  And we probably never will.   But the question is still important – is it okay to say bad, hurtful things about people, or things that sound like threats to them?  Especially when you don’t know how your words might affect a person who hears them?

So, I thought a lot about it, and I know I’m only a dog, but I think it’s all about the word Responsibility.  Imagine you’re at lunch, and you see someone cleaning up after herself.  That shows responsibility, right?  She’s doing what she should.  Then you see someone else leaving a mess; he’s showing that he’s really irresponsible.  But what if you then see someone else, who doesn’t have to, step in to help clean up that mess?  Doesn’t he seem really responsible to you?  Isn’t he someone you want to trust?

You see, that last person is taking responsibility for things that aren’t even his fault.  He isn’t complaining about whether or not the mess is unfair.  Instead he’s choosing to do whatever he can to make his world a better place.

So in that same way, I’d love it if the people on TV and radio who say or send such terrible things about others would stop.  Whether or not that shooting was their fault.  Just because it might have been, or could be next time!  In other words, I’d like them to be more responsible.

Now, I believe in doing as I ask others to do.   And so I’ve looked over what I’ve written on my website, and…  wow, do you know what?  I’ve done the same thing!  I have written over and over again about how useless, stinky, and awful a certain group of beings are!  Not Congresspeople or Judges or Republicans or Democrats, but…  CATS!!!

       And it’s true!  I don’t like cats at all!  They do smell terrible and they walk through my yard in that slow smug way that just drives me up the wall, and they have that yowling sound that hurts my ears, and…

…And yet, I don’t wish for anything bad to happen to any cat, ever!

Sure I want to chase them out of my yard, but that’s just because I’m a dog.  But do I want someone who reads my writing to go off and hurt a cat?  Absolutely Not!

I love this world.  I love sniffing around it, making friends in it, playing, finding good things to eat – and I don’t want bad things to happen to anyone in it.  And of course, I have lots of friends who really love cats.  And I sure don’t want them to be sad because something happened to their kitty.

So I’ll say it simply:  Don’t Hurt Cats!  Ever!  Pet them, feed them, take them to the vet, let them sleep curled up in your neck if you like!  (But don’t bring them near me, or they’ll be chased up a tree in two seconds!)

And if anyone who reads anything I’ve written has ever been inspired to treat a cat badly, I am sorry.  Deeply, truly sorry.  And I’ll be happy to apologize to that cat, or that cat’s friends.

So kids, that’s me taking responsibility.  It’s a great thing to try to do.  And if you can live your life with joy and all sorts of bratty fun, but also be able to take responsibility when it’s necessary, you’ll be on the road to becoming great adults.  And you’ll make me proud, and help make this world the sort of place we all can enjoy.

Well, at least as long as the weather is kind!