#048 - From Moon Head to Main Character

When less (parenting) is more, the new success metrics, and the return of Mac Tonight

Author

OpenEd Daily
October 08, 2024

If you enjoy this edition, forward this email to a friend! First time reading? Subscribe and learn more at OpenEd.co.

💡 THOUGHT

The case for ‘lighthouse parenting’

You’ve heard of Tiger Moms and Helicopter Dads, but what about Lighthouse Parents?

❝

“Sometimes, the best thing a parent can do is nothing at all.”

– Russell Shaw

Russell Shaw – head of Georgetown Day School – recently made a strong case in The Atlantic that our efforts to smooth every bump in our children's paths might make life harder for everyone.

You’ve seen it before: a child falls while playing… the parents rush in, causing the child to sob hysterically… A calmer reaction might have led the child to dust himself off and keep playing.

Sometimes our need to fix a situation blows it out of proportion.

Watching our children struggle goes against our protective instincts. But discomfort is part of our job as parents.

📊 TREND

A movement led by Dream a Dream in India challenges us to redefine what success means in education. They asked over 100 students, parents, educators, and policymakers what success looks like to them.

Here's what people said:

  • Sense of Belonging (18%)

  • Happiness (16%)

  • Wellbeing (16%)

  • Sense of Agency (16%)

  • Financial Security (13%)

  • Having a Purpose (7%)

What’s most interesting to us is how evenly distributed the responses are. The traditional definition—financial security—ranks on the lower side, and none of the answers dominates.

How do you define success? Reply to this email - we’d love to hear!

🛠️ TOOL

From Moon Head to Main Character

Remember the sting of a schoolyard taunt? For Joey Mascio, it was "Moon Head" – a nod to McDonald’s forgotten mascot “Mac Tonight.” Fortunately, Joey discovered a secret weapon in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Never mind the power of positive thinking. CBT is about accurate thinking:

  • Distinguishing facts from fiction in your mind

  • Identifying (and replacing) thought patterns that sabotage success

  • Crafting new narratives that fuel confidence

Most teens lack this toolkit. They're trapped in a mental cage, mistaking opinions for facts:

  • "I'm weird-looking."

  • "Nobody likes me."

  • "I'll never succeed."

But what if they could rewrite these thoughts?

As an adult, Mascio created a gamified virtual program called Sidekick to Hero to teach kids CBT and other life skills.

Check out the teaser and stay tuned for our podcast with him.

(VIDEO) OF THE DAY

Speaking of Moon Head, what was the deal with that McDonald’s mascot, anyway?

It’s videos like this that remind us why the internet was made.

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

P.S. If you’d prefer to just receive this weekly edition, you can change your subscription settings here.