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As the holidays approach, people often take a moment to reflect on the year and give thanks for the blessings they have received. Whether it’s going around the Thanksgiving table to say one thing you are thankful for or assisting your kids with a gratitude-themed assignment, gratitude seems to be on everyone’s brain. But gratitude can be more than just an exercise during the holiday season. Many people believe cultivating an attitude of gratitude is a valuable life skill that can hel …

When Father Edward Flanagan started Boys Town, his mission was to give boys a safe place to call home while giving them the skills needed to become productive citizens. A major part of accomplishing this goal was teaching and modeling the character traits the boys in his care would need to be accepted by society and become productive members of the work force.These same character traits supported by social skills, are still a central tenant of the Boys Town Model®. Like any academic knowled …

Bullying has become an epidemic in communities, homes, online and our schools. For example, bullyingstatistics.org cites the following data: Bullying victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying …

A few weeks ago, I walked all three of my sons down to the end of the block and watched as the oldest two, ages seven and five, climbed onto a yellow school bus. The five-year-old, who started Kindergarten this year, sat by the window, waving and blowing kisses. My oldest, who is now a second grader, settled in next to him, gave us a brief head nod, and turned to talk to his friends. We waited until the bus disappeared around the corner, then my two-year-old and I walked back up the sidewa …

“I want it!”“No, I want it!”“I had it first…let go!”“No, you let go, it’s my turn!”“It’s my turn!”“But I had it first!”“Hey, that’s not fair!”“WAAAAAAH!!!!”Two kids + 1 bottle of bubbles = BIG problem!Sound familiar?I watched from across the driveway as my granddaughters went at it! My first instinct was to go into the house and pull out another bottle of the bubbles that was stashed in the closet, then both girls could each have their own. Boy, am I glad I didn’t do that!A few minutes later, my …