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Kids can pull off the hairs from your very skull if you let them throw you off guard. Some childish behaviors are so irritating that you may find yourself reacting in a most unbelievable manner to a childish provocation. Some parents throw every caution to the winds when they are angry with their kids; they call them all kinds of undeserving names and tell them all sorts of things, in a bid to vent their anger. There is no excuse for wrong behavior and, using abusive language is a type of wrong behavior. Therefore you have no excuse whatsoever to be abusive when talking to a child. But in case you're already addicted to it and cannot but speak the wrong words and make the wrong statements when you're angry, there's one statement you should never make to a child. You must not say it to a child no matter how angry or bitter you are. What statement is that? Never say to a child: "You're are good for nothing." Please don't ever say it to them. That singular statement is enough to ruin the life of a child. It unconsciously transmits a sense of worthlessness into a child. Permit me to say it again; don't ever tell a child that they are good for nothing. Shalom.

We recently put my mom in a local nursing home for her safety and well being. I know everyone has one horror story or another about nursing homes but we are so pleased with mom being there. The staff is wonderful and they all love her. Of course we do pop in at odd times almost every day. The sad part of these visits is to see some of the residents don't ever get any visitors. My plea to everyone out there is to take some time and go see a relative or friend or someone you don't even know. Trust me when I tell you it will make their day.

It's not easy being a 50-something, white male these days. Reports of unscrupulous movie moguls and sleazy politicians dominate the news about this privileged class, and, in many cases, deservedly so. Rarely has a day gone by in the past several months that a story about another sexual abuse by one of these guys isn't unveiled. Given all that, I'm here to say that it is critical that the "other" white males stand up and not cower away from this issue. It's only when decent men march shoulder to shoulder with their wives, mothers, daughters, work associates and friends against this abuse of power that all of us come out ahead. It's time for these men to rise up and be noticed for doing what they have always done . . . the right thing.

That's a good reminder to do something for those who are often forgotten. I admit I stay away because it's usually hard to see and I don't have a relative or friend in the nursing home. Still, there's no reason I can't gather magazines, puzzles, board games, and other supplies for the residents.