We have a rule in our house - "You must ask before you take something." Seems pretty simple. "Can I look at the book you have?" - "Would you mind passing the salad dressing when you are done?" - "Can I play a game on the iPhone when you are finished?" These are simple requests but very hard to implement. Why do we all struggle with crossing into each others space, taking and using what is not ours? Why does it seem easier to grab something from someone, knowing the likely tantrum or protest that will follow? And as adults I don't think we can limit this behavior to our preschoolers. I have seen many spouses take something directly from their beloved with intentions to "explain it" or "fix it." Our struggles with entering into the world of others is connected to a developmental skill. It's called, Theory of Mind. Developmental experts have used the idea of Theory of Mind to explain a person's ability to identify bel...

I love statistics. I know to many of you that likely makes me seem a little crazy, but I like working with sets of data. This is part of the reason I am driven crazy by the reporting of statistics we find in the media. What is typically reported is highly agenda driven and only a tiny sliver of the truth. The headline will be something like this, "Abstinence Education Does Not Work" or "Teen Birth Rates Highest in the South." Though the second headline is factually true, and the first headline is a logical leap, neither of these statements provide a complete picture of what is happening with teenage sexual activity. A frequently quoted source regarding reproductive statistics is the Guttmacher Institute (www.guttmacher.org). This non-profit is closely associated with Planned Parenthood and likely shares political leanings with that organization. All data in this blog has been taken from the Guttmacher website. When one looks at the birth rate (live births) among tee...