| |
| |
|
Parenting Information |
|
|
|
Think Like Your Kids - And Understand Them More!
Seven-year old Michael was on a school trip to a WildlifeCentre in Central Scotland. It was near the end of the day and they were in the Gift Shop before boarding the bus for the journey home. Poor Michael! He couldn't resist the array of lollipops andchocolate animals that beckoned to him. He chose one and wasabout to pay for it with his last few pennies. His teacher, a kindly soul with not long before retirement,noticed him. "Have you bought something for your Mum yet,Michael?" Michael lowered his head in shame! Gently, the teacher tookthe candy bar from him and replaced it on the shelf. She walked to another display and selected a small figuremade from cheap plastic. "Why not take this for her? You'vegot just enough money left." Years have now passed. Michael is all grown up and has left home, but thefigurine stillhas pride of place in his mum's display cabinet. Michael still recalls the day he learned an importantlesson:"The figure was made of cheap plastic, but my Mum couldn'thave treasured it more had it been made of silver, gold or even platinum." Sometimes we as parents and adults lose our sense ofperspective, don't we? What may seem trivial andunimportant to us, can mean so much to a child. We can learn a useful parenting tip from Michael's mum.The gift had little or no monetary value, but was given - albeit with a gentle nudge from the teacher! - with generosity and a certain amount of personal sacrifice. And by displaying it for years, Michael's mum showed herappreciation of that. This reminds me of a conference I once attended. There was a blue rug on the floor and the participants were asked to gather round. It was an exercise in perception,we weretold. The speaker threw a small woollen ball onto the rug.It was exactly the same colour and was made from the samematerial - so it blended in and seemed to disappear. 'Now find it,' was the instruction. Everyone peered andpeered without success, until someone - not me! - got down on his knees and looked from ground level. Bingo! There was the profile of the ball, rising above thesurface of the mat. Call it 'thinking outside the box' or whatever - but veryoften problems can be solved by looking at them from anotherperspective or dimension. When we learn to think like our children, when we 'getdown to their level', when we master the art of getting inside their heads and seeing life from their point of view,the task of raising children becomes much easier - to say nothing of more enjoyable and fulfilling. Happy parenting! Why do some parents and children succeed, while othersfail?Frank McGinty is an internationally published author andteacher. If you want to develop your parentingskills and encourage your kids to be all they can be, visit his web pages, http://www.frank-mcginty.com/peace-formula.htmlAND http://www.frank-mcginty.com/for-parents.html
MORE RESOURCES:
Parenting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How Being a Mom Makes You a Better Professional "Becoming a parent can make you a better worker," New York Times writer Lisa Belkins said in a recent column.I'd always heard that becoming a parent made MEN better workers. Picky Eaters - The Dawn of Understanding "In general my children refuse to eat anything that hasn'tdanced on television." (Erma Bombeck, 1927-1996)Once upon a time not so very long ago, you probably envisionedthat your children would be good, healthy eaters while growingup. Aptitude, Achievement, Processing Deficit - What Does It All Mean? You are sitting with the professionals who know about learning disabilities. They have been explaining what they will be looking for when they test your child. Your Child's Self-Esteem is in The Cards Research has shown that the present generation of children worldwide is demonstrating more social-emotional challenges (from low self-esteem to depression) than ever before. Families, schools, recreation programs etc. Top 10 Things To Never Believe From Your Teenager 1) It's not my (pot, beer, cigarettes, etc.), I'm just keeping it for someone else. Labor of Love The small, lilac colored hexagonal box, with Winnie the Pooh on the lid, brings to mind healthy babies and happy times. But not all babies are born healthy and not all deliveries are happy occasions. Adolescence - Clues and Advice Be sure to respect the intellectual changes that mark adolescence. Adolescent thinking can and should reflect: abstract notions, the relationships of things to each other and people to each other, multiple responses to the same condition or question and the idea of thinking itself. The Classic ADHD Child Reminds Me of Tigger ADHD comes in differenty forms, or types. What has become known as "classic ADHD" is characterized by Inattention, Impulsivity, Hyperactivity, Restlessness, and Disorganization. CPR: Why You Should Know It I never dreamed that I would be in a position touse CPR on someone. But I was wrong. Scolding: One of Communications Tools of Last Resort (Excerpted from Jim Rohn's 2004 Weekend Leadership Event)You have to be very careful of scolding. Scolding, as a last resort, may be necessary but you must be very careful. Creating Great Birthday Party Videos My son recently had his third birthday party and it was mayhem. There were kids all over the place doing all sorts of funny things with parents following them around trying to prevent the next catastrophe. Homeschooling - Is It Worth It? Suppose that you rearrange your life to homeschool your child and the experiment fails? You may feel that you've disrupted your life and wasted a year of your child's time. Your child may even be kept back a grade by the local public school. The Added Advantage In African American Childrens Education: Computer Homeschooling (Part 2) We've got spirit, yes we do! We've got spirit how 'bout you!We left our parents and friends in our last article discussing the commitment it takes to homeschool african american children. In part 2 of 4 we will discuss finding resources to make sure that african american parents commitment to their children's education is not hampered because of anything easily available. Public-School True Believers with a Mission One reason public schools get away with educational failure, year after year, is because they are run by school officials who passionately believe in what they are doing. As the great English writer C. How To Teach Your Children Courage Courage means doing the right thing when it is hard, even when it means being called a "chicken" by others.A person with courage dares to attempt difficult things that are good. Normal and Logical Consequences Successful parents have learned to be both firm and kind at the same time. They set boundaries and work with their children to help them understand that they will follow through with appropriate action if inappropriate behavior continues. Sharing Books with Children One of my first memories of childhood is that of my mother reading Dr. Seuss books to me in a big brown recliner in our living room. Lets Pretend Children explore the world around them and learn through pretend play. With so many passive activities like watching TV and playing video games, we sometimes need to encourage our children to pretend play. Parenting Your Teenager: The Teenager and the Gorilla Q: A parent writes in to ask, "You write a lot about the difference between controlling and managing teenagers. What's the difference. Mothers Day Tribute As Mother's Day approaches I would like to give a different perspective to ponder.Being a parent and a mother are not necessarily the same.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
