I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday. The advertisement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theatre box in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9:00 to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theatre was during my 45-minute lunch break.

    Unfortunately, the theatre is on theother side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. Butif you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, Istood at the bus stop for 15 minutes waiting for the bus, By the time I saw onecome around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip.

     So I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again next day. On Thursday, my luck changed. I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly 20 minutes. When I got there, however, I found along line of people at the box office, I heard one man say he had been waitingin line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough timeto wait in line. I caught the next bus and headed back across the town.

    By Friday I realized my only hope was tomake the trip by taxi, it was expensive, but I felt it would be worth it tohear the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, however, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.

    Here, sleep experts clear up some of the biggest misunderstandings about sleep they see with their patients, which could weaken your ability to have a night of good sleep.

Myth: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The latest research shows that the right amount of sleep may vary from person to person and should leave you feeling energized the next day. I'm a sleep doctor. Take myself for example. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

Myth: Don't fall asleep with the TV on.

    I've cured more people suffering from sleep problems than you can imagine by telling  people it's OK to fall asleep with the TV on. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Control the watching time so it doesn't affect your sleep later in the night.

Myth: You can catch up on lost sleep on the weekend.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A Harvard study found that even if you sleep for an extra 10 hours on the weekend to make up for only sleeping six hours a night for two weeks, those extra hours won't improve  your reaction times or ability to focus. Plus, sleeping late throws off your biological clock, which can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Myth: Alcohol can help you rest easy.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Alcohol may relax you so you nod off quicker, but studies show you'll wake up more and get less of deep sleep you need to feel rested.

    One evening, author Neil's son was angry. Neil had said one of those things that parents say, like “isn't it time you were in bed.” His son looked up at him, angry and said, “I wish I didn't have a dad! I wish I had … a goldfish!” That conversation gave birth to Neil's book, “The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish”. The book is a funny adventure of a son searching for the dad he swapped.

    Whether they realize it or not, fathers play an important role in their children's development. Roland Warren, Director of the National Fatherhood Initiative, says that, “The shape of their dads has a role in the kids' soul.” I agree. We live in the best of times and the worst of times for fatherhood. We live in the best of times because fathers who are engaged in their child's life spend more time than fathers of any previous generation. We live in the worst of times because there are still millions of children who continue to miss the regular presence of Dad.

    What difference does a dad make? Are they really that important? For the most part, studies have proved clearly that fathers, whether they live with their children or not, matter in the lives of their children. When fathers are present, they provide economic support for their children and caregiving responsibilities. Well-fathered children are shown to be more emotionally intelligent and socially successful as adults. When fathers are absent, their absence may negatively influence children's academic achievement, general behavioural adjustment and anger management, especially in males.

    Yet just being physically present isn't enough to be a great father. It is important that a dad be warm and emotionally available to his child. Author and researcher, John Gottman, describes this kind of father as an “emotion coaching father”. Emotion coaches are parents who listen to their children's feelings, see the sharing of feelings as an opportunity for intimacy（亲密）. It is not just the mere presence of fathers that matters, but how they are present. Most children long for and need a loving, devoted and responsible father.

    Become a Volunteer and Make a Difference

    The First Tee, as an outstanding youth development organization, is always searching for good people that want to volunteer at one of our many Pittsburgh area locations.

    We're Looking for You!

    Nationwide, we currently have more than 3,700 coaches signed up with The First Tee as well as volunteers. But you don't have to be a golf professional or even a good golfer. With The First Tee Coach Program, we provide the training you need.

    Developed with input from leading experts in the field of positive youth development, our program focuses on making participants stronger and more confident through decision-making and exploring options, inspiring the golfers of tomorrow to look to the future, set goals, and unlock their potential.

    We also need more volunteers to make The First Tee possible. Opportunities include:

    Assistant Coach: assist in our weekly golf clinics. All that we request is that you make a 7-week commitment (one day per week), for 2 hours each week. Each clinic is led by one of our trained staff members who creates a written lesson plan for our volunteers to follow.

    Database Manager: input data entry of participants, volunteers, and community relation records and update chapter information for Home Office and community relations. The database manager is expected to update the data a minimum of every other week.

    Equipment Manager: organize and sort donated equipment, get rid of unfit equipment, and arrange equipment for distribution to participants at least once a week.

    Greeter: register participants, hand information to parents, greet visitors, answer phone and provide general program information.

Process of Becoming a Volunteer

    Begin by filling out the Google Forms application below. Once Alison Boyle (our Director of Volunteer and Participant Services) receives your completed application, she will contact you for an in-person interview.

    CLICK HERE to fill out a Volunteer Application via Google Forms

    For more information, please contact our Director of Volunteer and Participant Services, Alison Boyle, at aboyle@the first teepittsburgh.org.

Like many sensitive souls, I never truly felt like a child. I was the oldest child of three and one of my nicknames as a child was "Little Mother" because I got great joy from taking care of my younger siblings (兄弟姊妹). I truly believe that the adults around me thought that I was a child that didn't seem to need physical affection. There was generally a lot of verbal affection but very little hugging pulling me onto their lap, rubbing my back when I couldn't sleep and other forms of physical comfort. I used to have a strong desire for that touch so very much but did not have the confidence to say so. Even though I had truly wonderful parents, family and friends, I remember a distinct hunger for human touch from a very early age.

When my first child was born, I remember never wanting to put him down. Grandparents, friends and even strangers at the grocery store would warn me about "spoiling him by holding him too much," I would smile and nod but ignore this advice, as well-intentioned as it was. I held each of my three children as often as I could, enjoying the quickly-passing experiences of breastfeeding them, snuggling (依偎) their little heads into the crook of my neck and rocking them gently to sleep. There was joy in work of motherhood, the like of which I had never experienced before. There was joy even in the bleary-eyed (睡眼惺松的）nights, in the crying fits of late evening, in the ever-present bouts of illness that rocked this house as it spread person to person. The joy was in the togetherness, the love, the snuggles amidst the struggles of life that did not always have joy outside of these precious moments.

When I was in nursing school, an instructor once told me about the importance of non-contingent touch—touch that isn't secondary to something like an assessment or treatment. She reminded us that not everyone has love in their lives and that love is essential for healing and growth. The easiest way to show love is often with a simple hand on the shoulder, holding hands with a frightened client, sitting next to them on their bed while chatting with them so they can see that you are not hurried and are present in the moment.

    I believe that non-contingent touch is just as important, or maybe even more important, in parenting. We touch our children when helping them bathe, dress and many other ways during our busy days. However, we mustn't forget the importance of hugs, snuggles, pats on the backs, the rubbing of hair throughout the day. Touch is one of the most important languages of love.

    One of the most important surprises of parenthood for me was that the physical time spent with my children satiated not only their need for love but also my own hunger for human touch. In loving them, I was loved. In holding them, I was held. In raising them, I rose up.

    We have become a disconnected society. We often connect more with others via social media、e-mail and text than face-to-face. Our younger generation seems lost in the technological void and they often struggle with even the simplest of in-person communication. We must teach our children the powers of touch, kindness of words and connection with ourselves that cannot happen if we have a blue screen perpetually in front of our face.

    We are powerful beings, we humans. As parents we can provide power for our children with our words and with our touch. May we teach our children the significance of small kind gestures, simple human touch and connecting with humanity on a personal level. May we reach out to another person as often as we reach out for the smartphone in our pockets.

    Almost none of us have the time to read everything we'd like to read. Yet we lose countless hours to daily activities that bring us little joy like taking buses and waiting in line. What if we could turn these little blocks of unoccupied time into precious and rewarding moments for learning and thinking?

    Established in 2012, iReader, a micro-learning app on mobile phones, brings the biggest ideas from best-selling books through 15-minute audio (音频) and text. So far, more than 3,000 books have been included, ranging from psychology and parenting to management and economics, with new titles added every day.

    iReader is pioneering a new method of reading, with over 9 million users enjoying the benefits already. According to the Pew Research Center (PRC), the British read just 4 paper books a year and over 25% haven't read a single paper book this year, but reading isn't dying. There are now more ways for the British to read than ever before, due to the widespread use of e-books and audio books.

    The books in iReader are rewritten to ensure it is easy to remember the main content. The way the content is edited has been specifically designed to ensure it is useful in practice. Besides, the content is rewritten with related examples in real life, which means users are more likely to remember and apply what is helpful to them.

    Holger Seim, German co-founder of this app, declares, "iReader gives you the biggest ideas in the shortest possible time. It transforms great ideas into little packs you can listen to or read in just 15 minutes."