Watch Julie Lythcott-Haims’ TED talk to learn how you can help your children thrive — on their own

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Here’s what the checklisted childhood looks like. We keep them safe and sound, and then we want to be sure they go to the right schools, but not just that, that they’re in the right classes at the right schools, and that they get the right grades in the right classes in the right schools. But not just the grades, the scores, and not just the grades and scores, but the accolades and the awards, and the sports, and the activities, and the leadership.

We tell our kids don’t just join a club, start a club, because colleges want to see that. There’s no time for free play. There’s no room in the afternoons, because everything has to be enriching, we think, and we even absolve them of getting enough sleep as long as they’re checking off the items on their checklist. We spend so much time nudging, cajoling, hinting, helping, haggling, nagging as the case may be, to be sure they’re not screwing up, not closing doors, not ruining their future, some hoped-for admission to a tiny handful of colleges. And all of this is done to some hoped-for degree of perfection. We expect our kids to perform at a level of perfection we were never asked to perform at ourselves. With our overhelp, our overprotection, overdirection and hand-holding, we deprive our kids of the chance to build self-efficacy. 

If our children are to develop self-efficacy – and they must – then they have to do a whole lot more of the thinking, planning, deciding, doing, hoping, coping, trial and error, dreaming and experiencing of life for themselves. And if we could widen our blinders and be willing to look at a few more colleges, maybe remove our own egos from the equation, we could accept and embrace this truth and then realize, it is hardly the end of the world if our kids don’t go to one of those big brand-name schools. And more importantly if their childhood has not been lived according to a tyrannical checklist, then when they get to college, whichever one it is, well they’ll have gone there on their own volition, fueled by their own desire, capable and ready to thrive there.

The Honest Truth of Tik Tok Stardom

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tik tok

When Tik Tok became one of the most popular apps in the country, many in the entertainment world questioned whether it was an accurate representation of “young talent” on social media. Many Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook stars have had to rely on developing original content in order to secure views, but one of the most famous Tik Tok stars Charlie D’Amelia has proven that entertainment will always be a changing art form. 

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Creating a YouTube Channel Has Never Been Easier, but Should You?

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youtube channel

There are now billions of hours of footage on YouTube from millions of different creators, all of them wanting their voice to be heard and content to be seen. The question many new creators ask is “Should I start producing original content for YouTube?”.

Whenever you decide to pursue a creative career on the digital landscape, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself.

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Social Media Influencers are Becoming the New Celebrities

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social media influence

In the earliest days of the media, there were only certain careers you could take on and “make it” in regard to a lucrative reward. Acting, directing, producing, radio, etc. were limited positions, and more often than not, you would be under the direct supervision of a fellow professional.

Social media brought forth an entirely new era, one that made stars out of people making silly, ridiculous and original content on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, and more. Celebrities have been quoted as saying their job is to be famous, Kim Kardashian being one of the most well known examples of somebody who sells different kinds of perfume and clothing just by having their name attached to it. Similar to a “brand” like Gucci, where you pay for the name and not for the product itself, “Social Media Influencers” have become the new Kardashians. 

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The Advertising Industry Turns to Social Media For Powerful Marketing

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Social Media Mobile Apps

Over 95% of Americans have access to some kind of phone, and most of that percentage is in reference to smart phones. Humans always strive to make things better, especially technology. We want to make things more convenient, safer, faster, and more powerful. So to go from a large, heavy phone with a dial that is isolated to whatever room you’re in and can only call certain numbers to a device with more processing power than NASA computers in the 1970’s is a miracle of technology.

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