The secret to happiness

Like probably a lot of other parents of children with special needs, I'm often amazed at what some moms and dads worry about. I was talking to a mom the other day who was positioning her second-grader to attend an Ivy League college, and I realized how far off my radar screen anything even remotely of that nature is. I'm more worried about whether her inability to pass a standardized test will keep my daughter from getting a high school diploma, or whether my son will be able to make it through school in our district or will have to be sent somewhere special. Ivy League? Heck, I'm not even thinking as far as the local junior college. One day at a time, right? That's what I tell my daughter when she gets all anxious about every possible consequence of every possible action, and that's a pretty good motto for me as a parent, too, I think. And so I appreciated "Finding Happiness in Your Child," some insights from Stan Goldberg, Ph.D., a learning consultant and the author of "Ready To Learn: How To Help Your Preschooler Succeed." It's nice to get permission to just enjoy the present.