Blog - First Things First

Body Image and Your Kids

Did you know that nearly half of girls ages 3 to 6 worry about being fat, and about one-third would change a physical attribute, such as their weight or hair color? That’s what Stacey Tantleff-Dunn found when she conducted a study at the University of Central Florida. Girls and boys of all ages are bombarded with messages of how they should look and dress and what defines beauty. Based on these definitions, they begin a lifelong quest to be beautiful – often doing unhealthy things tha…

Who Is More Likely to Cheat?

Avoiding behaviors that could create suspicion can help your marriage.

This past year, in the midst of the #metoo campaign, a number of married men were among those accused of sexual misconduct. News of the inappropriate behavior probably created some extremely awkward moments within these marriages and perhaps made others wonder if their spouse is likely to cheat.Dr. Wendy Wang, research director at the Institute for Family Studies, recently released a brief on the subject called Who Cheats More?

How to Encourage a Growth Mindset in Kids

Choosing to praise wisely can help.

Carol Dweck is a pioneering researcher in the field of motivation. In her book, “Mindset,” she addresses why people succeed or don’t, and how to foster success through the power of yet.She tells the story of a Chicago school where students had to pass a series of courses in order to graduate. If they did not successfully pass the courses they were given the grade of “not yet.” Dweck thought that was brilliant. “If you get a failing grade, you feel like a failure,” she says, “But…