By Michael Witkovsky, The Psychiatrist Son There are many horrible and awful things about school shootings. They are life ending for innocents, and life transforming for survivors. There is fear, helplessness, rage and profound sadness. These feelings conspire to activate us towards solving all problems that promote the probability of such rare events. However, one of…
Detailsby Jerry Witkovsky I recently read two articles that have catapulted me to action. The first was from the Washington Post. It identifies seven gun laws that would have a powerful impact on reducing gun violence: red flag laws, relinquishment laws, assault weapons bans, high-capacity magazine bans, gun possession prohibitions for high-risk individuals, gun possession prohibitions for individuals with domestic violence…
DetailsFlorida High School Shooting. On Wednesday night, the eve of the horrific school shooting in Florida, I called my son, the Psychiatrist. “What can I do, as a grandparent?” I asked him. I called my granddaughter, a high school student. “How are you feeling?” I asked. I called several friends. “What can we do?” I…
DetailsI didn’t come up with the idea for the three words. But I know a good idea when I see one. This one comes from consultant Chris Brogan, who has been coming up with his Three Words for over ten years now. The three words frame the “big story” for the year. They simply and…
Details400 grandparents attended programs at Deerfield Public Schools this fall, to learn more about the school world of their 6th to 12th grade grandchildren. Grandparents of 6th and 7th graders at Shepard Middle School learned about social emotional learning and typical social media use at that age. 40 grandparents went to the annual Freshman Connection…
DetailsI Do Want my Grandsons to say “me too” to ending sexual harassment and standing up for women. I love my weekly calls with my grandson Ethan, a Rabbi at the Park Synagogue in Manhattan. When we spoke a couple of weeks ago, I opened the topic by asking for advice for an upcoming meeting…
DetailsMy son Michael, who recently became a grandpa himself, wrote this wonderful, deep, thoughtful letter to me. It was in response to, or perhaps to further ponder my last two blog posts about, how, at 89, I could respond to the events of Charlottesville, and about maintaining a culture of learning and teaching across the…
DetailsHow to teach, learn and care with extended family At 89 years old, I found myself thinking with pride the other day about how amazing the experience and intellectual power of my extended family is. What a wealth of knowledge we are collectively. I have learned about worlds far from mine from all of them.…
DetailsBy Jerry Witkovsky I watched the TV news–and witnessed the KKK, the Neo Nazi’s and the White Supremacists shouting their hate. It burns a hole in my heart and soul. What can I do about it at age 89? As I struggled with this, the following thought went through my mind: “When a Grandparent dies…
Details“Separate Realities” of Parents and Children San Francisco-based psychologist Joshua Coleman, Ph.D., is the author of When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don’t Get Along (Harper Collins, 2008). In a blog post for UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Dr. Coleman recommends: Honor the ‘separate realities’ nature of family life.…
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