How do we end drowning?  We change people’s behavior around water. 

How do we change behavior?  We change intrinsic motivation, how someone acts even if no one else is around. 

How do we change intrinsic motivation?  Tell people what…

I was reminded time and again this week of why I like kids.  That is not to say that I would ever return to middle school, even on pain of death.  That is not to say that I think kids should rule the world and parents and adults should not be making the tough decisions and sticking with them.  It is to say…

My son spotted the t-shirt on the attached photo at the Shedd Aquarium gift shop last weekend.  It cracks me up every time I look at it.  It is reminiscent of Gary Larson’s brilliant Far Side cartoons that routinely turned our perceptions upside down with hilarious results.  We often think…

The scene in the locker room was all too familiar.  Mothers with a variation of determined, frazzled, happy or ‘I’m just about to blow’ looks on their face wrestling pudgy toddler arms into winter coats and trying to maneuver feet into boots while the same oblivious child is determined to explore the…

There are wonderful theories about how we should end drowning.  Everyone should have one-on-one swim lessons with a qualified instructor.  Every pool should be fenced.  Every potentially dangerous body of water should be fenced with warning signs that the public obeys.  Parents should supervise…

Social media can be a powerful tool or a destructive influence.  We all know that well-chosen words can elevate or decimate, but we also know that time heals all wounds and being able to forget words, or at least add a rosy hue to the memory, can be a…

Natural disasters like flooding and tsunamis.  Unsafe environments like overloaded ferries or rickety boats.  Over-estimating…

Do you remember your baby’s first bath?  My children are 8 and 10 now and I still vividly recall the slightly concerned frown when they were first carefully lowered into the baby bath, which quickly dissolved into sheer bliss.  Just was exciting was the day they discovered that they had…

For many years, conventional wisdom has held that blacks can not swim.  (I use the term ‘black’ to apply to anyone of African descent.  The term is meant with respect to encompass the broad range of cultures descending from the African continent)  A widely discredited academic report years ago stated…

Hannah Plint drowned on October 4, 2007, just shy of her third birthday.  

Joshua Collingsworth drowned on June 4, 2008, age 2 1/2.

Stewie Leonard drowned on January 1, 1989, age 21…

Death intruded into my life twice last week.  Shockingly.  Wrenchingly.  Unexpectedly.

All deaths are not equal.  The impact is not equal.  As I grieve the loss of a family member, someone I have known my whole life, I have a visceral feeling that part of my…

Good news!  There is one area where we are surging forward with growth rates in the double digits.  The bad news?  The area is childhood obesity.  

According to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, up to 20% of children ages 6-11 in…

One child drowns every minute.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 globally.

Drowning is entirely preventable - so why aren’t we preventing…

The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics spearheaded an innovative initiative.  They write prescriptions for water safety and swimming classes for infants and toddlers.  The result?  Safer children and more aware parents.  

The concept is…

Hurricane Irene blasted the East Coast of the U.S. last week.  Millions of dollars of damage, widespread power outages, and so far 40 deaths reported across seven states.  Why did so many people die?  With any natural disaster some tragic accidents occur.  An 11-year old boy was killed when a tree…

In Chicago we are nearing the end of a summer season of the most violent and unpredictable weather that I have seen in almost 48 years.  Half a dozen times in two months we’ve gone from some rather benign gray clouds to tornado-force winds and torrential rain within a matter of minutes.  The summer…

Let’s conduct a scientific experiment.  Get a plastic water bottle.  Put in a teaspoon of sand, dirt or grit.  Fill the bottle with water and shake vigorously.  Now put your hand behind the bottle and tell me how many fingers you are holding up.  Difficult if not impossible.…

August is when many families pack up and head off - whether it’s a planned trip far away or just a day at the beach, pool or water park - anything to keep kids and tempers cool.

As a single mom who has traveled solo across multiple continents with two…

Memories of Mr. Bernklau’s fifth grade class.  

Italy wins the World…