Thursday's Psychology Trivia: Is Technology Endangering Our Children?

Thought for the Day: It's time for Thursday's Psychology Trivia. As those of you who have been reading my blog know, I believe that social media and the internet hold great possibilities for the future of mankind. Just last week, I wrote about the The Power Of #Hashtags To #Empower Us. Today's psychology trivia question raises some important issues regarding the use of social media and technology by children. Here's the question: 

Which of the following correlations about young children's overexposure to technologies (cell phones, internet, iPads, TV), has been found to be true? 

a) Executive functioning & attention deficits, increased impulsivity & tantrums
b) Cognitive delays, impaired learning, & overall delayed development
c) Increased obesity
d) Sleep deprivation
e) Mental Illness, i.e., depression, anxiety, attachment disorder, autism, bipolar disorder, psychosis
f) Problematic behavior & aggression
g) Addiction to technology
h) A category 2B risk (possible carcinogen) due to radiation emission
i) a), b), f), & g)
j) All the above

What do you think the answer is?

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Need Help? Be Careful When You Put Your Future Into Someone Else's Hands

Thought for the Day: Today is Wednesday which means it's time for Words of Wisdom. People often ask how to choose a therapist. There are multiple options available; however, they are not all equal. LCSWs, Psychologists and Psychiatrists are bound to legal, ethical and legal standards that coaches, fortune tellers, and unlicensed therapists are not. As the image above states, you could put a message in a bottle and send out an SOS. Then you would simply take the advice of whomever picked up the bottle at the beach. You could go to a fortune teller or tarot card reader and hear what they see in your future. They might make some accurate educated guesses based on what you look like and how you respond to their comments. You could hire a coach who could cheer you on, tell you what to do based on their life experiences which might be similar to your own. It might help or it might not. Or you could contact a trained professional therapist. Here's what I think...

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: Is Love Better Than Valium for Anxiety/Neurosis?

Thought for the Day: It's time for Tuesday's psychology Tips. Today I'm sharing a Tip that I created  with a little more information than the 100 characters allowed on HealthTap. Is love bettern than Valium for Anxiety or Neurosis? Read on to hear what love can do for personality development and see how the tip appeared on HealthTap:

Motivational Mondays: How Can Single Moms Overcome The Mother's Day's Blues

Thought for the Day: All day I have been having problems with internet connectivity. It is very frustrating, but while I am connected I will write a brief motivational piece. As some of you know I have been answering questions on a new Single Mom's website, Single Mom's Playbook. As I prepared my posts for Mother's Day it came to my attention how difficult Mother's Day can be for single moms.

So much of what makes Mother's Day work is dependent on having a supportive husband who helps the children celebrate their mothers. When there is no father in the picture or even worse when there is an ex-husband who is unsupportive, Mother's Day can become a reminder of how unappreciated you may be. This may lead to the Mother's Day Blues. One of my clients who had a contentious divorce and is battling with her ex-husband was not even sure if she would be with her kids on Sunday despite the divorce agreement. In addition, when finances are tight, there may not be any leftover money to celebrate. Should single mothers just ignore the holiday? How can they help their kids learn the importance of appreciating all they do for their children? What do you think? Have you felt left out and unappreciated because there is no father to teach your kids? Is it important?

I think it is a subject that is often neglected, but needs to be addressed given the fact that over 50% of marriages end in divorce.

Sunday's Comic Strips: A Mother's Day Request in Honor of My Mother and Grandmother

"I Childproofed my house but they still get in."

Thought for the Day: Sundays are usually dedicated to comics, so I shared one above which I found at Mel's Commonwealth Cafe in Wayland MA. It is a great cafe with some amazing memorabilia. Sometimes, all mothers might like to childproof their houses and keep their kids out for a while. However, they also have moments when their children let them know they are actually listening and learning the life lessons they hope to teach them. My grandson gave me one of those moments a few days ago & I'd like to share it with you here on Mother's Day. Since I happened to have the precious moment on my phone's answering machine, I created a 30 second video dedicated to my mother and grandmother who are not here to celebrate Mother's Day. I know I am prejudiced, but he left a very mature request for an 11 year old that I hope you will appreciate.

I wish my mother and grandmother could hear Bradley's request. They would be so so proud if they could hear how he and all their great and great-great grandchildren are doing. Listen in...

     After I donated, I received a thank you note from Bradley, so he is learning to thank those who help him as well. Below I'm sharing the link to the Relay for Life sponsored by The American Cancer Society that Bradley is participating in. If you want to donate, I'm sure he would appreciate it. It seems like a good thing to do on Mother's Day!  
      Thanks to my daughters, they are continuing the legacy which my mother and grandmother gave to me to care for others and help make the world a better place. I am very proud of Bradley's mom, a single mom who has recently completed her Masters Degree and is a Special Education Teacher. She is teaching her children to help others, even when finances are tight. Happy Mothers Day to you as well!
Here's the link:

http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=59082&pg=personal&px=37109044&utm_source=app_smp_email_cd&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Relay_For_Life&s_src=boundlessfundraising&s_subsrc=bfIphEmPpMypg

Saturday's Songs for the Soul: Celine Dion and Charice: Because You Loved Me

Thought for the Day:  Psychologically, mothers (or mothering surrogates who can be fathers, grandmothers or other caretakers for infants) are the most important figures for us all, since their care, love and perceptions of their children give them their initial sense of self worth. Tomorrow is Mother's Day. It is a bittersweet day for me, since both my mother and grandmother are no longer living. 

I was lucky that my mother moved to Boston about seven years before she passed away. I was able to spend time with her more frequently during those years. I found myself simply dropping by her apartment for no reason at all. It became a tradition to come by on my birthday, just to let her know how much I appreciated the gift of life and the love she had given me throughout my life. We would go out and celebrate on Mother's Day, but just spending time with her on my birthday felt more like Mother's Day to me. I wrote a Mother's Day series of posts in 2012 about all the women who have mothered me and helped me become the person I am today (Mother's Day Part I: How The World Would Change If My Mother Ruled The World, Part II: If My Grandmother Ruled The World, Part III: If My Mother, Grandmother & I Ruled The World, Part IV: If My Step-Mother Ruled The World, Part V: If My Daughters Ruled The World).

Today, therefore, I wanted to find a special song that celebrates mothers. At first, when I found "Because You Loved Me," I wasn't sure it was the right, since it is such a well known hit. When I found a rendition of the song in a duet by Celine Dion and a young singer, Charice, I knew I had found today's my song for the soul.

#FF Friday's Fabulous Finds: Mother's Day Gifts, Newborn Photos, Adorable 5 Year Old on Ellen, and Animated Movie Posters

Thought for the Day: It's Friday and time for some #FF Fabulous Finds. Since Sunday is #MothersDay I chose an article with some suggestions for Mother's Day gifts. a clip from the Ellen Show of an adorable 5 year old Kai Langer covering Katy Perry's "Roar," and 29 creative photos of newborn infants. Then I found some animated movie posters that are a lot of fun....