Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013

Michelle Basch, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – If a teenage boy suddenly develops an “I don’t care” attitude, it might not be Mom or Dad’s fault.

New research shows girls have an increasing ability to recognize and understand what other people are feeling, called cognitive empathy, starting at age 13.

But this ability drops for boys between the ages of 13 and 16, before rising again when they reach their late teens.

The findings come from a study recently published in the journal Developmental Psychology.

Of course boys also have to deal with raging hormones and peer pressure.

“They’re under tremendous social pressure to act like a man, and many of them define that as acting detatched, aloof, (and) funny,” Sue Shellenbarger, The Wall Street Journal’s Work & Family Columnist told WTOP.

If your child is acting this way, Shellenbarger suggested trying to talk to him about what’s going on.

“One thing you can say is, ‘I see you’re really acting pretty detatched. I know that isn’t who you really are. Is there anything I can do to help you? What are you dealing with right now?'”

“If a boy can start talking about what their emotional experience really is, it may help them manage those emotions and be more real with others,” she added.

Listen to Sue Shellenbarger’s interview on WTOP.

2:20 p.m. – Sue Shellenbarger, ‘Work & Family’ Columnist for the Wall Street Journal

Cultivating sensitivity in teenagers

Read more from the Wall Street Journal: Teens Are Still Developing Empathy Skills


8:10 p.m. – Norman Kelley, ‘How Washington Works’ filmmaker

On, well, how Washington works


7:40 p.m. Roxanne Jones, former vice president at ESPN

She’s falling out of love with football because of concussions and the NFL


7:20 p.m. Michael Hirsch,chief correspondent for the National Journal

What could halt the deal tonight


6:20 p.m. Jonathan Allen, White House Bureau Chief for POLITICO

No one is dancing but the White House didn’t have to give up anything to land this deal


5:40 p.m. George Wallace, WTOP Redskins beat reporter

Special teams struggling


5:10 p.m. – Rachel Smolkin, managing editor, POLITICO

Could we be nearing the end of the shutdown?


4:40 p.m. – Jill Schlesinger, business analyst, CBS

Market reaction to word of possible shutdown deal


4:10 p.m. — Major Garrett, chief White House correspondent, CBS News

The budget deal


3:10 p.m. – Sylvia Allegretto, labor economist and co-chair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley

Fast food wages and public assistance

Read more: Fast

food, poverty wages: the public cost of low-wage jobs in the fast-food industry


12:51 p.m. – Dave Ross, commentator

Money to burn


Are higher key economic rates hurting consumers?

WTOP’s Dick Uliano reports.


11:10 a.m. – Michelle Singletary, Washington Post

Shutdown should be a financial wake-up call for everyone to set up an emergency fund.

Related Link: Washington Post: Shutdown should be a wake-up call for us all


8:40 a.m. – Robert Blizzard, co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies

A majority of the nation is centrist.


Data Doctors

iOS 7 tips and tricks


7:10 a.m. – Jim Nussle, former Office of Management and budget director

Common sense process of adopting a budget is needed.


6:40 a.m. – Nancy Cordes, CBS News congressional correspondent

How close is the Senate to reaching a deal on the debt ceiling?

Follow @WTOP on Twitter.

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