child psychology

Tagged Discussions

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 10 Mar 20

Today was an interesting day for me. I worked at my friend's preschool, and got to be in the "big kid" room, next to my usual (these days) toddler room. Of course, when we were all outside, my toddler friends came up to the fence...

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14 people

A quick test for autism?

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 10 Oct 19

A couple posts ago, I mentioned an autistic kid I'll be losing soon at the preschool. I also mentioned another kid at the preschool who some thought has autism. But I thought otherwise. The quick and dirty test for autism? I...

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15 people

Getting started on my book.

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 10 Jul 19

As some of you know, I am working on a book about my experiences in Oakland CA, working at a residential mother-and-child drug rehabilitation center (and minimum security women's prison). I have decided to structure the book as a...

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23 people

Something beautiful happened to me on Monday

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 20 Jun 18

As some of you know, I'm a kid psychologist and something of a "professional dad" to several kids around the Bay Area. When I worked in Oakland with the children of drug addicts, I felt appreciated by the kids (aged 1 through...

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18 people

Moms--What would you do if I did to your daughter what I did to this little girl today? (And a sincere question)

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 18 Apr 18

In Northern California, people generally ignore those around them. But that's not the case with the littlies, who have not yet been socialized to be un-curious. About an hour ago as I stood in line at Kaiser to pick up my...

fun things to do when standing in line

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28 people

Do you remember Ground Squirel Gardens, my garden at work?

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 30 Aug 17

My life of crime, specifically illegal planting, started when Ground Squirrel Gardens failed. Two years ago, I decided to try growing a garden with my kid clients at my place of work in Concord CA. We were experiencing drought...

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13 people

The Horse is fired from his job for a strange reason

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 14 Jun 17

I got fired yesterday, and it was for a reason that I find to be rather silly, though I do understand. I was out with a 12-year-old kid client who wanted me to buy him Mortal Kombat X. He is homeless, and suffers from depression...

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36 people

How The Horse's gun-toting redneck friend made him a better child psychologist

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 20 Apr 17

When I work with kids, I use knowledge gained from anywhere I can find it. I've already forgotten more than most of my kid clients know, but I remember some things, including some physics formulas, and how to get male turkeys to...

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11 people

How airplane pilots taught me to be a better child psychologist

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 26 Mar 17

Have you noticed that many people don't listen that well during conversation? They interrupt, they usurp your story with their story that is even more dramatic, and they try to "win" arguments, rather than sharing a mutual...

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23 people

Oh snap. I fell in love today.

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 19 Jan 17

I fell in love today. It's true. I picked up a 10-year-old client to take him to play hoops, and there, helping answer the door, was a 3-year-old boy I'd never met before. I engaged him, asking his name, and how old he was, and...

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17 people

Why my life has meaning right now

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 6 Jan 17

Actually, my life has meaning for several reasons. One of my afternoon kid clients got a guitar for Christmas, so I'll be able to teach him some guitar. I'm going to see him tomorrow, even though it will be Saturday. And my...

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20 people

The Horse almost arrested on gluttony and hedonism charges

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 19 Oct 16

I admit it. I deserved to be harassed by the police today. It occurred in the "elite" (Martin, Taylor, Gibson) guitar room of Guitar Center Concord CA at about 5:45 PM. I had stopped at Stevie Coyle's guitar store, called Might...

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17 people

Why will this be the last plant standing?

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 22 Jun 16

The ground squirrels have already managed to vanquish all of our corn and sunflowers out at Ground Squirrel Gardens, in spite of the rainy Winter we had. But for some reason they haven't touched the squash plants. The squash...

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14 people

Why I love chickens!

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 21 Jun 16

Everybody needs to be loved. One of the things I love about chickens is that kids find them cute, and that some of them (the chickens, I mean) will let you pick them up. The secret to generating people-friendly chickens is to...

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19 people

Green bean harvest at Ground Squirrel Gardens!

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 8 Jun 16

I took my new kid client to the garden at work to help me water the garden there. I told him that the ground squirrels would probably get all of the "crops on our farm" eventually, but that one should never give up. As we were...

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13 people

Will I get to play piano today?

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 7 Jun 16

I'm off to pick up a kid client and see what he wants to do on this hot day. Will I be able to get him to shoot some hoops before we do something mellow? His parents say he spends too much time in front of the TV. I'm secretly...

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14 people

How I got my friend in trouble

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 31 May 16

My neighbor kid, now 7 1/2, is always pretty excited to see me when I get home from work. He lives with his mom, who is from Croatia. Dad is not around. Of course, he asks if he can go play with me (usually this involves cycling,...

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28 people

Vicious herbivores and my balcony sunflowers

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 24 May 16

I just checked the garden at work (in Concord CA), and the ground squirrels have begun the process of decapitating all of my sunflowers out there, and starting to eat the corn plants. Even on my balcony, the tree squirrels are...

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17 people

A pleasant surprise!

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 11 May 16

I got a pleasant surprise yesterday evening. My 7-year-old neighbor buddy showed up at my door, asking if I'd take him cycling. We cycled all the way to his school, where we picked up some jackets kids had left on the playground,...

teaching

child psychology

early childhood education

friends

math

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22 people

Should I suggest a new protocol? Or go with the flow?

The Horse @TheHorse (238364) • Walnut Creek, California 8 Apr 16

In one of my jobs, I work with kids who have been referred by their schools for behavior problems. I take them hiking, play sports with them, teach them music, sneak in some "book learnin',"and of course teach them gardening. The...

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23 people