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Of course we are all dumbfounded as to what could possibly posses an adult to open fire on innocent children as they are anxiously ending their school day and leaving or home.  This is exactly what happened on February 23rd at 3:15pm at Deer Creek Middle school in Littleton Colorado, the same city where Columbine High School was the focus of international attention eleven years ago.

I am writing this post today to say a heartfelt THANK YOU! to Dr. David Benke, the math teacher HERO that tackled and subdued the gunman as he attempted to reload his high powered rifle.

“Math teacher Dr. David Benke tackled and disarmed the gunman, and then helped subdue him until police arrived moments later.

Steve Potter, a Deer Creek bus driver, witnessed Benke’s heroics.

“Dr. Benke was out there at the time the school was being let out. It looked to me like he heard the shot and decided to react accordingly,” Steve Potter told FOX31 News. “There was a little bit of a wresting match for about 5 seconds or so,” before Benke had disarmed the gunman, Potter said.”

Read the full story

My boys go to an Elementary School less than 2 miles from Deer Creek Middle School, so this story hit very close to home for me and my kids.  We moved to Littleton just over a year ago from Bailey Colorado, where less than 5 years ago Platte Canyon High School lost a precious young student in a senseless act of an adult terrorizing kids.

For very good reasons our children are scared, in fact I can see how it would be very difficult to trust any adult stranger.  But I believe their is an opportunity in this recent tragic event, where thankfully no lives were lost thanks to the heroics of Dr. Benke, in that teachers, school staff, parents and kids can work together to help ensure one another’s safety.

This is an opportunity to share with kids the extreme importance in developing strong character and emotional intelligence.  To build a sense of compassion for others and to care about the wellbeing of their fellow student.   To let others know “I’ve got your back” instills a sense of security in their knowing that others care about them.

After an incident like this, is the time when our kids need us the most, to reassure them they are safe and loved, and to let them know that they also need to stick up for and watch out for each other.

So, thank you again Dr. Benke for letting our kids know that You’ve Got Their Back:)

I just wanted to point out that Monday, February 15th is Family Day in Canada.  This is a National Holiday in Canada and frankly I am suprised America has not followed Canada’s lead in making a special day to celebrate the FAMILY!

But do we really need the Federal Government to tell us to take a day to devote to acknowledging our family and making a day of it?  Of course we can pick a day out of the year and call it Family Day and even make it an annual family tradition.  Though it would be nice if everyone had the day off work and schools were closed for the day.  I believe that honoring the family is equally, if not even more important that devoting only one day to focus on Gratitude.  Every day should be a day to be grateful, and every day should be a day to honor our family.

In our family we celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Brother’s Day (we have two sons) and of course all the other National Holiday’s, but Canada has given me the inspiration to create Family day too.

Character Education begins at home so to focus on family for a day is a character building tool every family can take advantage of.

5 Tips to get your kids to do what you want them to without manipulation, bribery or threats.  It’s a lot easier and more fun than you might think.

By: Patrick McMillan Continue reading

“First of all, what is emotional intelligence? I bet you’ve read some fancy definitions, and maybe even some of the academic articles trying to distinguish between emotions, feelings and moods. Part of emotional intelligence is what we could call “common sense.” So, some common sense definitions of emotional intelligence (EQ) would be understanding your emotions and those of others, being able to sense what’s going on, being able to manage your own emotional state (taking the information but not getting drowned in it), good reality-testing, and good communication skills. Continue reading

“When you’re in the universe, you’re going to encounter a number of people and situations. However, it’s how you react to these situations that will determine the course of your life and the length of the path to your dreams.” Continue reading

Hello, I’m Patrick McMillan with Kidscandoanything.com and I want to thank you for being here for our second in our ongoing series of short video articles designed to help you instill emotional intelligence in your kids.

Well, last week’s article was about gratitude and how to instill an attitude of gratitude in your kids and I hope that by doing so will provide them benefits that will last them the rest of their life. Continue reading