Check out my new book!
Sweet Spots: Helping Your Kids Find ENOUGH in Their Lives. Available in paperback or kindle.By Suzita Cochran ~ Boulder, Colorado
-
free ebook!
My short eBook is available free. It gives a taste of my recently published book, Sweet Spots: Helping Your Kids Find ENOUGH in Their Lives.
Click here for free eBook.
Author Archives: Suzita
How Hard Could Coaching Ten Year-Olds Be?
Sam, the youngest and smallest player on our basketball team had been desperate to “bring the ball up” in a game all season. My husband Todd, Sam’s coach, was hesitant because he could see what Sam couldn’t. If Sam dribbled … Continue reading
Posted in Active Kids & Families
Tagged coaching kids soccer, coaching my child, coaching youth basketball, Frank Smoll, how to find a good coach for my child, kids recreational sports, positive sandwich method of feedback, Ronald Smith, sports psychologists for kids sports, sportsmanship for kids
1 Comment
Teaching Kids to Advocate for Themselves – And 5 Ways to Help Little Kids Learn This Skill
Recently my husband Todd, and Daniel, our fifth grader, walked in the door on a particularly gray and blustery afternoon, their grim faces matching the outdoor weather. “What’s wrong?” I wanted to know. “Daniel’s teacher put him next to Jonah … Continue reading
Posted in Life Skills
Tagged advocacy in little kids, child has problem with another student, child needs to talk to teacher, how can my son talk with his teacher, my daughter is shy at school, my kid needs to speak up in class, self advocacy, Stuart Diamond, student emails teacher, teaching kids to negotiate, teaching young kids to problem-solve
4 Comments
6 Inexpensive Ways to Weave Exercise Into Your Kid’s Life – And New Reasons You (and Her Teacher) Will Be Glad You Did!
Here’s my little secret: When my kids were young (maybe ages 2-7) I spent far too much time worrying about how tireless/active/hyper they were. In my own non-scientific playground research, I came to the unfortunate conclusion that my kids were … Continue reading
Posted in Active Kids & Families
Tagged bad sleepers, benefits of exercise, exercise and emotion regulation, exercise research results, fun physical activity for young kids, getting my kid to move, hyper kids, kid off the computer, kid off the couch, my kid needs more exercise, my kid never runs around, my kids won't go outside, physical kids, picky eaters
12 Comments
Tears at the Airport: How Kids Can Learn Emotional Intelligence
I was in a Barnes and Noble bookstore not long ago and wandered into the children’s section. In one corner was a toy train table with wooden tracks and colorful train cars attached to one another magnetically. Engrossed in play … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching Social/Emotional Skills
Tagged Dan Kindlon, emotional intelligence, emotional literacy, emotional literacy in kids, feelings chart, John Gottman, Michael Thompson, parents emotion coaching, teaching boys to express emotions, teaching kids emotional awareness, teaching kids feelings
1 Comment
“You’re smart.” Versus “You worked hard.”
Eliza lives down the street. She’s seventeen now but we’ve known her since we moved to the neighborhood eight years ago. She’s a tall girl with a tangle of blonde curls. She’s often wearing splashes of colorful apparel, chosen more … Continue reading
Teaching Kids Optimism
My daughter Annie started first grade raring to go. After all those years of watching her big brothers attend full-day school, her time had finally come. She was a real school kid. There was just one problem. In Annie’s mind, … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching Social/Emotional Skills
Tagged child having trouble learning to read, cynical children, emotional intelligence, explanatory style and optimism research, grumpy child, kids who are cynical, late readers, Martin Seligman, my kid is so negative, negative child, optimism in children, pessimism in children, teaching optimism with disputing
5 Comments
What Role Does Quitting Play in Our Children’s Lives?
My husband Todd grew early. By 7th grade he was 5’ 7.” For boys this can be an advantage, a luck-of-the-draw event that goes your way. Todd had always enjoyed basketball and his early growth spurt, along with hours and … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching Social/Emotional Skills
Tagged Amy Chua, Carsten Rausch, Jesse L. Hanley, kids and sunk costs fallacy, my kid is a quitter, my kid never sticks with anything, my son always wants to quit, pros and cons of quitting, quitting, quitting in childhood, quitting soccer, should kids quit, Stephen Dubner, Steven Levitt
4 Comments
Toward Media Savvy Kids
A while back Todd took our daughter Annie (8) to the nearby hardware store. This locally-owned place is stocked with just about every basic item you could want. Todd needed drywall anchors and screws. Annie asked to stay by the … Continue reading
Posted in Life Skills
Tagged ads on computer games, Center for a New American Dream, help kids reduce consumerism, internet advertising and kids, Japanese erasers, Marie Sherlock, media literacy for kids, my kid believes ads on tv, my kids doesn't understand that ads are ads, Shari Graydon, teach kids about advertising, teach kids marketing tricks, teach kids media literacy
2 Comments
What is Enough? Teaching Your Children the Concept of Enough
I’ve been thinking about the idea of “enough.” Whether it’s a material item (shoes) or a non-material one (free time), how do you know when you have enough of something? Enough seems to reside at the sweet spot between needing … Continue reading
Teaching Kids to Save Money
Saving versus spending: Each of my three kids falls into a separate section of this continuum, depending on how recently they received birthday money. On the one hand it’s enlightening to see what my kids choose to buy with their … Continue reading
Sweet Spots: Helping Your Kids Find ENOUGH in Their Lives.