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Children Who Talk to Angels
What do you do when your child begins talking to some unseen entity? How do you determine if it's a psychic event, an imaginary playmate, or some sign of a mental health issue? You want to handle things in a way that is best for your child and of course ...
"How The Challenge Of Single Parenting Affects Your Decision To Divorce."
Single parenting has seemingly become an acceptable norm which is unfortunate. According to the US Census Bureau, there were over 20 million single parents in the United States in the year 2000. That's a staggering statistic, certainly the worldwide ...
The Gratitude Wreath
Bring a little bit of autumn indoors. Family and friends help create this wreath by sharing what they are thankful for on brightly colored leaves. Every member of the family can contribute to this beautiful wreath. This is a great, concrete, visual way ...
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I remember counseling a young boy who was a ‘Sammy the Slacker.’ One day his teacher confided, “When I tell my class, ‘Children, please take out your readers,’ Sammy leans back in his chair, his arms hanging over its back, and calls out, ‘I can’t find my book!’ Sure enough, a little girl scrambles over, looks his messy desk, and finds it for him.”
Sammy irritated his teacher, lost the respect of his classmates, and had no friends. These are not the consequences most parents want for their children.
To help Sammy, I worked with his parents, especially his mother. I found out that her mother and grandmother believed it was their duty to be servants to their families. They were to pick up after everyone, do all the housework, and be happy too.
Sammy’s mom finally understood that she was spoiling her child, making him weak, dependent, and distasteful to others. She decided to turn off the internal voices of her mother and grandmother.
Sammy's mother did three things:
·Wrote out age-appropriate chores for Sammy
·Created a chart to help build his character
·Worked with Sammy to choose a goal for his chart
Sammy’s mother learned that goals must be clear,
simple, and positive. At the top of Sammy’s chart he wrote, “My goal is to do my own work and then help others.”
Sammy’s mom strengthed her bond with Sammy by:
·Offering stickers for his chart
·Creating a cost-free bonding activity list
·Offering Sammy the choice of a bonding activity to do together when he earned a certain number of stickers
Once the chart was created, they posted it on the refrigerator. Sammy’s mom knew she had to encourage his improvements by:
·Being consistent in rewarding Sammy.
·Offering his stickers soon after he completed a task
·Scheduling his bonding activity soon after he earned enough stickers
Because Sammy’s mom was positive and consistent in rewarding him, he went from being Sammy the Slacker to becoming Sammy the Helper. His teacher sent home reports of improvement and, slowly but surely, Sammy made friends.
Whether you have a Billy the Blamer, a Gretta the Greedy, or a child with some other problem behavior, consider using CHARACTER-BUILDING CHARTS. You’ll be teaching your child responsibility, self-discipline, and teamwork. You’ll even enjoy finding out who lives in your house. You’ll be saner and happier and you’ll be building character too.
Character Building Charts and a Bonding Activities List have been created for your convenience.
About the Author
Jean Tracy,MSS, helps parents and teachers raise awesome kids with solid characters. Jean is a former teacher, probation officer and child/family counselor. She is now an author, a speaker, and an award winning Distinguished Toastmaster. You will find her book, Character Building on BackTalk Street, her Character Building Charts, her parenting products, and FREE bonding activities, parenting tips, and parenting articles at, http://www.KidsDiscuss.com.
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New Straits Times |
Parenting on a tabletNew Straits TimesGood parenting is not easy but it is possible. As long as you strike a balance between technology and real-life experiences, your child will be fine. Children should spend time outside the house and not be glued to the computer all day. |
New Straits Times |
Smart Parenting: Fun in the great outdoorsNew Straits TimesBy ZAID MOHAMAD 0 comments THE school holiday is here again. Are you, the parents, prepared for it? Holidays can turn out to be a nightmare because kids with time on their hands and no solid plans can mean trouble. On the other hand, those who have ... |
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The parallel universe of parentingFremont TribuneOne, is that parenting baby ducks is a difficult task. And two, some parents are better (or luckier) than others. Case in point is the current crop of ducklings that call this small, old sandpit home. The first batch that we noticed was a darker, ... |
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