Our next tele-seminar is over a month away, but I am really excited about our speaker for next month, I am posting this a bit early.
Deborah Gilboa spoke for us back in August. Her class was fantastic. She spoke on “Parenting the Tech Generation: Using technology to grow kids who are more respectful and responsible instead of less!”
She gave great hands on, simple and practical tips about how to handle technology in your home. That is why I asked her back. I love simplicity when it comes to parenting. She was also energetic and fun, which is what I look for in our speakers.
I wanted you to get to know her a bit. Here is an interview that I conducted with her:
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a family doc and a mom. I work part time (and so does my husband) so we are lucky enough to always have at least one parent in the house for our 4 sons. In addition to English I speak Hebrew and American Sign Language fluently. Since I work in a health center with patients from all over the world I can spend an entire day in the office and not have one patient I speak to in English! This lets me learn about parenting and health in the context of many different cultures, which I love.
I love to travel, and luckily so does my family. We just got back from a really amazing trip to SE Asia. I was invited to speak by the Ministry of Education in Malaysai, and also to the consortium of Montessori Schools in Singapore. So we visited those countries and also spent 10 days in Thailand where the 6 of us volunteered at and lived in an orphanage. It was a great, but challenging experience.
For fun, we love to find small towns in the PA/OH/WV area and visit festivals and celebrations and farm shows. We love to meet new people and try things we’ve never seen before, like Tractor Wrestling!
What is the most important thing parents should know about parenting?
It is possible to enforce rules and show our kids empathy at the same time. Often, though we love our kids more than anyone else in the world does, we are the ones causing our kids the most distress. It sends a very powerful message when we express understanding of their frustration and anger or sadness – without changing the rules or their consequences.
What is your basic parenting philosophy?
I’m going to give you a quote, because I think Erma Bombeck sums it up better than anyone I’ve ever heard: “The important rules of parenting are these three: Love. Limit. And let them be.”
Being a family doctor puts you in the position of helping parents all the time. What is the biggest problem that parents have today?
Parents can see the outcomes they want with their kids, but many people feel totally overwhelmed. The stress, the guilt, the fear and the uncertainty all strip parents of their power to make strong decisions about their children.
What do you love most about being a parent?
The opportunity to hang out with kids! My own sons, of course, and their friends – I love getting to know these people and learning their perspectives on and ideas for the world around us. And they’re hilarious!
Come and join us and hear her newest class:
Teaching Kids to Pay it Forward: Entitlement-proof your kids by involving them in your community!
You can sign up here:
Teaching Kids to Pay it Forward: Entitlement-proof your kids by involving them in your community!