Be a Better Example If You Want to be a Better Parent
Being a better parent is something we all try to be for our kids. There are lots of ways we can do so, but one of the most effective and … Read more
Parent Up
5 Easy Techniques to Reduce Your Parenting Stress
Breathe in….. Let’s be real, being a parent in a ‘normal’, non-pandemic, non-election, non-remote-learning season is pretty darn challenging. Lump all that together, and it’s easy to be completely stressed … Read more
Pandemic – Lonely Kids – and the Power of Camp
Undoubtedly, the pandemic has altered our lives like no other event in recent history. Its impact on the health and well being of people near and far is well documented. … Read more
5 Things We Can Do To Support Our Kids Emotionally Right Now
With each passing day during this pandemic, it can be hard to maintain a positive outlook. Our desire to return to a ‘normal’ life gets questioned and hope and faith … Read more
Microtia Day is November 9th
Guest Blogger: Ryan Isbrecht, Kidventure Camps Coordinator-Dallas Area. A story about one father’s journey to raise a little girl in a world filled with technology. A simple goal to find … Read more
Child Behavior Tips: Think Smarter not Harder
We are proud to have Katie Casey as a Guest Blogger this week. Katie is a Fifth Grade teacher, serves as a Summer Camps Manager for Kidventure and provides workshops … Read more
P e r s p e c t i v e
June 7, 2018 My son, Michael Bennett was wheeled in to the Pre-Op room at about 8:30 AM. His nervous excitement and uneasy playfulness was on glorious display for all … Read more
Reclaiming our Kid’s Spirit
At the 2018 Director Retreat for Kidventure this past weekend, I focused my keynote address on the topic of Spirit and how that very spirit of ours is under attack … Read more
Kids Need Us Like Never Before
The following is an interview with me published in the April 2018 issue of ON Magazine. On Magazine author is Carrie Temple. When the school year ends, learning doesn’t have to … Read more
24 Years, Kids, and the Power to Change
24 years of running camp programs has taught us a lot. Don’t invite raccoons into the cabins with open containers of Oreos, always make sure the bus driver … Read more
Why Your Kids Should Sing Aretha Franklin
> Instructions for Reading This Post: Forget your political affiliation or what news channel you tune in to. Forget that our country is divided and some call themselves conservative, liberal, … Read more
Parenting the Injustice League
So here is my dire situation… I am heading into the wee hours of my 40’s. I’m not going to say my exact age, but I might have only months … Read more
5 Reasons Camp Builds Great People
Kids grow to be healthy and happy adults when they are given the opportunity to be healthy and happy kids. Seems simple enough, but with the pace of life today, … Read more
A Culture of Bullying
No child deserves to be bullied. Period. Nevertheless, bullying takes place, particularly in certain environments that do not promote respect, kindness, and attention. Bullying and its prevalence seem to be … Read more
Talking to Your Kids About Tragedy
Recent tragedies like the Las Vegas shootings and hurricanes cause anxiety and unrest in all of us to one degree or another. As adults, it can be difficult for us … Read more
Adopting a New Perspective
“To adopt a child is to broaden the life of everyone who is touched by the experience.” Almost three years ago, lives were changed forever. In a nine-story institutional highrise, in … Read more
Why America Was Pretty Great Today
I felt pretty grateful today. Sitting in the auditorium of my son’s preschool, a couple hundred parents waited with anticipation for the Christmas program to begin. From the back of … Read more
A Huge Presidential Win: And It Wasn’t Who You Think
This morning, a president was elected. However, no mention of it could be found on CNN or Fox. No one read about it in the paper and, for most Americans, … Read more
All That’s Great in Our World
With our social outlets and daily news casts so dialed into to what is negative in our world, it is easy to lose sight of all that is good. True, … Read more
5 Essential Kidventure Camp Strategies To Make Parenting Easier
The following is taken from an e-book I recently published on Kindle. I hope it helps provide some great help in the pursuit of better parenting… How to Harness 22 … Read more
The Power of Camp to Make Change
For 22 years, nothing has meant more to me personally and professionally than the power to make a difference in the lives of kids through our organization called Kidventure. Every summer about … Read more
The Magic of Summer
Last night, June was born again. Lightning danced among the distant clouds and the evening sky turned from a pink, to an orange, to a deep cobalt blue. From under … Read more
The Superhero in You
The following is an excerpt of a presentation I delivered to Kidventure’s 2016 Leadership Team (Camp Directors and Managers) at our Director’s Retreat April 23, 2016. The purpose of my … Read more
The Art of Choosing a Summer Camp
The Art of Choosing a Summer Camp The benefits and rewards from experiencing summer camp as a child are timeless. Furthermore, those benefits of a summer camp have never been … Read more
The 10 Essential Skills For Raising Your Child: Part 2
Imagine for a moment if we left the teaching of character and kindness up to our presidential candidates, reality TV shows, and video games. Would the example those outlets demonstrate … Read more
Forever And Then Some
April 6, 2016 Dear Son, Today I was reminded of just how important a birthday can be. For just over two years ago, your mom and I heard the crying … Read more
10 Tips for Surviving the Modern Day Family Road Trip
As Spring Break approaches, I am reminded of the nostalgic family road trip. As a child, I don’t remember a single vacation that was not taken on the highways of … Read more
‘Soft’ Skills Now Essential Skills
The idea of Soft Skills and their proper place in our society is not new to our landscape. Yet, it has been academics and technical experience that have garnered the … Read more
Superman Takes On Cincinnati
As a small infant, Superman was cast from his home and rocketed across through space by his parents. He arrived in a strange world and was rescued by modest people … Read more
Let Go…They’ll Grow
There once was a gardener who planted a flower. With much love and passion, the gardener tended to the flower at almost every waking moment, constantly watering, weeding, and standing … Read more
Words Lost
“Words Lost” Written September 2015 for Michael Bennett Audioroad Verse 1 If I could bring you here into my light Steal your pain and make it all feel right You … Read more
Being Bubba
Help your brother’s boat across, and your own will reach the shore. ~Hindu Proverb I never had a brother. I was an only boy in a family with two sisters. … Read more
A Simple Stick and the Downfall of Western Civilization
I had an epiphany at the elementary school near our house just the other day. It happened as my feet landed oh so softly on the modern playground surface at the … Read more
No Cancer But a Dose of Perspective
I am prone to saying that “life is relative”. I was reminded of the meaning of this once again this week. But let’s back up just a bit… As many … Read more
15 MPH and That’s Ok
A little over eighteen years ago, my wife and I drove home from Women’s Hospital in Houston, Texas with our first born. She was wrapped carefully in the carseat, just having been … Read more
Yeah, I Love It
I really love overnight camp. Yeah, I know I’m the camp owner and have done this sort of thing for 21 summers in a row now, but having just returned … Read more
5 Ways We Can Teach Happiness to Our Kids
We’ve got to ask ourselves as parents, what is the single most important thing we can teach our kids to be? I would contend it is to be happy. This … Read more
If You Want to Change the World, Begin with Kids
I have to admit, I try not to consume too much world news. It focuses too heavily on death, destruction, and all that is negative in the world today. Unfortunately, … Read more
When Family Happens
I have a chicken. I like to raise a couple of them because they provide us with fresh eggs and great fertilizer for the garden. Normally the chickens are pretty … Read more
Risk Should be Child’s Play
Just last week, I was invited by a local middle school to speak to 8th graders on the topic of risk. A fitting audience, since I consider the middle school … Read more
Online Cyberbullying Just Got Way Easier
My kids’ school district brought to our attention a specific social media app that has filtered down from college campuses to our High School and making its way to Middle … Read more
It’s Time We Start
The following post is taken from the Keynote Address to Kidventure employees at 2014 Orientation Time is this crazy abstract thing. It organizes our day and it defines our physical … Read more
Parenting’s Familiar Face: Update From China
It’s midday on a Thursday in Mainland China. This morning, I took a break from presentations and Chinese style buffets to visit nearby Macau. Macau is an incredibly fascinating city … Read more
The Beginning of a New Adventure: China
This Sunday, I will be flying to Hong Kong. At my side will be my friend, Tommy Broyles, Professor of Law at the University of Texas. Together, we will be … Read more
More Than Just a Camp
Dear Family, In a month, school will be out and the time honored American tradition of summer will warmly be upon us. This is a particularly special year for Kidventure as … Read more
Mom, A Rock-n-Roll Drummer and a Washer and Dryer
If you had to list out the most tireless and thankless jobs, Mom would have to be towards the top. From the day they start ‘on the job’ a mom’s … Read more
Five Reasons You and Your Kids Should Grow A Garden
I have a garden. In it we grow things like broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, strawberries and spinach, to name a few. My kids help me plant a little something here … Read more
Run With a Lion This Saturday
This Saturday in Austin, Texas a lot of the community is coming out to run with a lion. In this case the … Read more
For Better or Worse: 5 Things Your Kids Will Probably Never Do That You Did
The other day the phone book was delivered to my doorstep. Remember the phone book? It used to be an essential repository of information when looking up a phone number … Read more
Kidventure Camp in China 2014
After 20 years of running a summer camp business, the last place I probably ever thought of playing capture the flag or roasting marshmallows with campers would be in China. … Read more
Always Fight for Them
This past Tuesday evening I entered Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston to visit some new-found friends of mine who have been faced with a tough life challenge. I walked out … Read more
Ping Pong, Humility and Bigger Life Lessons
Sunday evening I was beaten by my 13 year old boy at ping pong. He has never beaten me at ping pong. He beat me four games in a row. … Read more
Give Your Kid the Greatest Gift This Holiday…Your Time
Time. It seems like we have less of it with every passing year. As a parent, time can be our best friend or our worst nemesis and too often we … Read more
The Demise of Play
Okay, maybe I’m old fashioned. Maybe I am not as progressive as others. Nevertheless, the term ‘play date’ has got to be one of the most frustrating and confusing word … Read more
The Force is Strong in Mom
There is a Force. A balance if you will, that oversees the universe and keeps our planet from careening off into the fiery gasses of our molten sun. This Force … Read more
A Case for Why Everyone Benefits from Special Needs Kids
This coming summer my organization,Kidventure, will initiate a summer camp pilot program called Voyager that provides a mainstreamed camp for kids with … Read more
When 12 Year Old Boys Have Something to Teach You
As parents we work hard to teach our kids to be good, wholesome young people. We insist they say thank you, clean up after themselves, and promise not to fight … Read more
We All Share in a Solution
As for so many, the tragedy in Newtown, CT has dominated my thoughts and prayers. Yet, the answers will not be found solely at the federal level, it must be … Read more
Serve Your Kids Some Humble Pie and Teach Them to Be Thankful
Let’s face it, for most of us reading this blog, we’ve got it good. Even when we think we might not, the overwhelming majority of the world faces far greater … Read more
Four for Four Years: Parenting Lessons For Our Elected Officials
Whether you are Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, being a parent trumps everything Washington can offer up. And if you are like me, as much as you are proud … Read more
Are We Tending To Our Kids’ Roots?
An old man hired a young man to come and help him build an orchard on a mountain. They divided the land into halves, each responsible for growing and caring … Read more
The Camp Counselor vs. the Intern
The following article was published in The New York Times today, May 30th. Like teachers, we so often undervalue those that have some of the greatest impact and impression on … Read more
Big Challenges, Small Solutions
I think often that some of the most important lessons in life come not from inspirational speakers, therapists and yoga instructors, but from kids. Perhaps it is the way they … Read more
The Wrath of Mom Makes Nice Kolaches
I love kolaches. What I have not been a huge fan of is getting my kids off to school during the week. For some time now, that process from waking … Read more
Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms
I have recently served on a steering committee for my school district created to bring together my community to discuss education, its future and how we go about creating a … Read more
Video Game Addiction: Redirecting the Virtual Generation
Introduction by Mike: One of the focuses for my company Kidventure has been to become a greater resource for parents and children. I believe that running summer camps for 18 … Read more
The Real Batman A Hero for Kids With Cancer
Every once in a while you come across a story that provides enduring faith in fellow mankind. I read the following article (extracted) from the Washington Post posted online March … Read more
Life Without Sportscenter and Phineas and Ferb: The Update
It has been one month since we pulled the plug on cable TV in the McDonell home. … Read more
Day 2: The Meltdown
Yesterday I arrived home from work. As fate would have it, the kids had been out with … Read more
We Did It. Goodbye Snooki
My wife and I made a decision to cut the ties of cable television. Beginning today the … Read more
Reality Check from Uganda
For the second year in a row, our family had the honor of hosting two children from … Read more
15 Minutes of Recess…Are You Kidding Me?
For the record, I love my kid’s elementary school. Having begun this blog with that kind of preface, you have to have a feeling I am about to rear back … Read more
What if We Ate All Our Kids’ Halloween Candy
I don’t know about you, but I have been guilty of sneaking some of the kid’s candy after Halloween. Personally, I am partial to the Kit-Kats and peanut M&M’s. What … Read more
7 Connections with Your Kid
I have three kids, ages 6, 11 and 14. Each is a unique and individual representation of their mother and father’s DNA. Moreover, each of my kids possesses their own … Read more