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When I walk into an early childhood classroom, I look for promising signs of play, like giant cardboard boxes, dress-ups clothes, and a bit of mess. What I often see are the Big Three: Behavior Charts, Calendars and Weather Charts. That's a sign of trouble.

My mother was a master of moral support. Moral support sounds simple and easy, but it can be tough on both sides. It means having the confidence and strength to stand there and say to your child: "I can be with you, but I won't do it for you."

I'm not a fan of behavior charts. You've probably seen them - red, yellow and green stoplight-like charts ubiquitous in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Kids get put in the red category if they're "bad." The chart is posted in a visible place where everyone can see.

Kids are constantly finding new identities. Breaks help kids find the new "me." It's fall, and kids have a summer-full of learning inside them. What's more important than the "summer slide" of school skills is the fact that these are NEW people heading back to school. Summer gives a chance to restart.

It's time to celebrate kids and summer - summer reading that is. Some of you may already be back to school, but there's still time to dig into good books. And win books! For the finale to the Book-Lover’s Summer Giveaway, I'm offering four fascinating parenting books.

When we think of technology and kids, we need to focus first on ourselves. Examine how we use and model technology and whether (or not) we are creating a healthy balance in life. The kids are watching. Some are modeling their sense of etiquette and normal behavior after us.

This summer I'm doing a Book-Lover's Summer Giveaway. Throughout the summer (when I'm not out camping away from all things technology), I'll be giving away thought-provoking parenting books.

When I explain why respectful rejection is good for kids, I often get strong adult reactions. We're terrified. We don't want kids to be mean and reject each other. We want to teach them kindness. Most of all, we want them all to be friends.

If  you like renegade ideas, but are nervous about trying them in real life, read on. Beth shares how she implemented renegade rules into daily life and made the transition to a child-marvelous program. Listen here to podcast interviews with Beth Wolff.

I'm excited to announce my newest book: Saving Arcadia. This book gets back to my love of the outdoors and wilderness. I grew up in a Great Lakes state - Ohio - but never really encountered the greatness of the Great Lakes until I moved north and lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.