This morning, amidst the windy chill before the season’s first snow, the children standing in line at our neighborhood bus stop kept warm as they kicked around one topic of banter among them: politics. It started when one very vocal boy said “I’m so mad Romney lost. I hate Obama.” Then a girl chimed in, “He’s the only person in the world named ‘Barack.’” Timidly, a younger boy added, “I’m glad about Obama.” Then the opinions really started flying between the children, as the big yellow elementary school bus pulled up to our corner. The spirited, but not unique, conversation got me thinking...

These small steps toward mindful compassion we take today can open up a whole new world – perhaps one that is less focused on our boundaries and more on our possibilities. Bonus: a second give-away!

It was one of those mornings when I was in a hurry, but the universe had other plans. I sat my groggy four-year old down with a buttered bagel so I could rush to get ready while she ate, but when I came running back to her, I saw that she had placed a favorite coffee-table book in front of her and was quietly, deliberately dropping crumbs on the page. Not only was Sophia oblivious to my urgency to get out the door, but there was a new mess to clean, right on top of a cherished book. When I demanded, “What is going on?” She gently answered, “Mommy, I want to share my bagel with them.” I looked...

I’m mad this morning. My eight-year old (8!, yes, just 8! in third grade!) is a nervous wreck. Today is the first day of PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, or Pissed Students Seriously Anxious?!) Standardized testing at her school. They’ve been prepping for weeks (or is it months?) to score stellar points on the test. She feels personally responsible to do great and not let down her beloved teacher. They’re even allowed to break the ultimate elementary school rule and CHEW GUM IN CLASS during the test, since it’s supposed to stimulate brain activity. One lasting lesson here: do...

The Year of the Dragon celebrations offer a great opportunity to grow our understanding of the world – while having fun with our kids. Before you good-intentionally blurt out “Happy Chinese New Year,” to colleagues and neighbors – stop! “Chinese New Year” represents a subset of the cultures that celebrate. It’s also a festivity in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, Mongolia, Brunei, Indonesia, and more, with some of the biggest festivals taking place in Canada and Australia. So, say “Happy Lunar New Year!” And some call it Spring Festival, even though to many of us in colder locales that...

My third daughter had a 92% chance of never being conceived. When she was around four years old she heard a friend of mine mention our little surprise, and then asked me: “Mommy, why does she say I’m an accident?” Never wanting her to think this about herself, I stopped anyone from saying anything like that again, and called her our “gift”. I use that term often to refer to her. To us she is perfect and our lives are profoundly richer thanks to her presence – as our present. Nazeer Bibi’s daughter had about a 92% chance of never being born. Throughout her pregnancy, Nazeer worked in the...

Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner who died a few weeks ago must have been smiling down on the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners, all of them mothers, and heroines for peace and justice from environments that are usually so hostile to women’s success. Like them, Wangari’s was an unlikely story of triumph. Wangari was born a typical little girl in a Kenyan village, who spent her days fetching firewood and water for her large family. She was expected to grow up like her mother – one of four wives, illiterate and subservient to her husband. Thanks to opportunities to pursue...

The age difference between my oldest child and youngest is ten years. The daughter who was in third grade on September 11, 2001 started her first year of college last week, and the “baby” is now at the same school, sitting in the exact same elementary classroom as her big sister did on 9/11/01. I resisted writing about the tenth anniversary of 9/11 – there’s already much opinion criss-crossing the airwaves, and there have been so many other tragedies – genocide in Rwanda, recovery in New Orleans and Haiti, famine in Somalia, tsunami aftermath in Asia, contempt for human rights in Iran – that...

Our small steps alone will not solve the crisis, but actions suggested here help build compassion, connection, greater understanding of the world's challenges from a young age, and even cultivate creative problem solvers. Collective action builds momentum and benefits the U.S., too.