advice – pam-mentations.com

March 10, 2025

Thoughtlets. LXV. Whoa Momma!

The so-called helicopter parent phenomenon is at least in part due to the helicopter research phenomenon. Parental anxiety might just be created in part by studies and expert advice, talk shows, and school report cards. True, some advice is reassuring and it’s nice to have guide books to turn to. But there sure are a Continue reading

Thoughtlets

advice, anxiety, experts, helicopter, mom, mommy, mommy wars, parenting, peer pressure

November 12, 2024

Thoughtlets. LVII. Travel.

Over the years, I’ve so often heard people dispense with the advice to travel the world to broaden one’s horizons. Open your mind, see how other people live, get out of your little bubble, they say. Usually with eyes half closed, as if their lids give weight to their words. But might these advisors be Continue reading

Thoughtlets

advice, experience, poverty, tourism, tourist, travel

August 20, 2021

Small house in a big world. The power of perspective.

I don’t know how old I was when I first heard I live in a very small house, but my windows look out on a very big world. But as one of my dad’s favourite quotes, I’ve known it as long as I can remember. Up until recently, I’ve attributed the quote to Thoreau. But Continue reading

Catch-All

adapt, adversity, advice, change, Confucius, contemplation, curiousity, inspiration, learning, life, perspective, social, survival, thought, transitions, travel

October 22, 2020

Experiment with prose poetry. About Hell.

People wonder where is hell and what is hell and others answer, hell is here. It’s here on earth, and it’s pain. People are in pain and it’s hell. People are in hell. And people are out of hell. Some leave, some enter, some remain. There are three ways, three ways out of hell. First. Continue reading

Arts and Leisure, Catch-All

addiction, advice, counsel, evil, guidance, hell, mental health, pain, peer, professional, recovery, solidarity, suffering, theodicy

September 18, 2020

Thoughtlets .vii.

Here’s some advice that’s helped me get through life: 1) Life isn’t fair and, 2) You won’t like everyone and not everyone will like you. I doubt I could share this advice with people engaged in and enraged by contemporary social movements. Continue reading

Thoughtlets

advice, aittudes, attitude, childhood, children, contemporary, dislike, fair, fairness, hate, like, mom, movement, movements, outrage, perspective, social

September 18, 2020

Thoughtlets .i.

Self-help books are written by people offering guidance and advice to others, so in which sense are self-help books SELF help? Continue reading

Thoughtlets

advice, ambiguity, ambiguous, book, categories, category, guidance, help, question, reflective, self-help, wit, witty

August 13, 2020

Myopia.

Sometimes we’re so pre-occupied by nurturing grudges with our enemies, we fail to notice opportunities for friendships. Continue reading

Thoughtlets

adversity, advice, blindness, diplomacy, divisions, enemy, friend, friendship, hate, moral myopia, morality, myopia, myopic, peace

August 13, 2020

Struggle.

For many, getting through the day is like being a mole on asphalt. Continue reading

Thoughtlets

adversity, advice, depression, difficult, emotion, moral, myopia, struggle, suffering, theodicy

July 8, 2020

Count to 10

The following is a little bit of recycled advice from one of my early posts. Why the advice? To encourage you to 1) Protect your health and well-being (physical/mental/emotional/social); 2) Protect your reputation; 3) Protect your intellectual integrity. ADOPT THE COUNT-TO-10 RULE. If something someone says on the internet pushes your buttons, do not immediately reply. Continue reading

Thoughtlets

advice, emotion, health, integrity, outrage, Philosophy, reputation, social media

January 30, 2020

‘Mom-advice’. You take a little cringe with the good.

Some parental advice is worth keeping, some not. Here’s a not. Mom used to tell me, You can’t get married until you can put your hands in hot water. By this warning she figured she could get me to wash the dishes without having to nag. And she was right. Time and again, I took Continue reading

Catch-All

advice, aging, family, generations, intergenerational, mom, parenting, sharing, wisdom