How did we get here so fast?

When my daughter was two weeks old, I watched a documentary about a young Australian man who tried to smuggle drugs through Singapore airport to make a few bucks so he could help his twin brother out of a financial rut. He was subsequently sentenced to death. 

I remember after watching it I sat in the bath cradling my tiny, sweet, innocent newborn baby in my arms, and I cried and cried. Blame it on the hormones, or who knows, but all I could think about was that mother’s grief. I felt it. It was so real. And then I started to panic. I was terrified I’d forget to teach my daughter something crucial – like never ever smuggle drugs or you may be sentenced to death by firing squad. I worried for the world that she would grow up in, about all the bad things happening in the world, and all the bad people who might try to hurt her. I felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer enormousness of responsibility that I held in my arms. I just wanted to protect her forever. I held her close to me, and I hugged her. Continue Reading →

The Importance Of Quality Early Learning

Recently I was invited to an event run by Guardian Early Learning Group that was all about how the first five years of child development are so crucial, and how quality early learning sets the stage for success at school and later in life.

The presentation was made by Dr Elanna Yalow, a world-renowned expert in early education and the CEO of Early Learning Programs at KinderCare Education in the United States. Dr Yalow has several qualifications under her belt including a Ph. D in Educational Psychology, an M.B.A., and a B.A. in Psychology.

I wanted to write this blog post today to share some of my key takeaway messages from Dr Yalow’s presentation.Continue Reading →