The Tattletale Child

Every child is different and special. Some children tend to be trouble makers, some are quiet, some are loud, some are inflexible expect perfection, while others tattletale.  Every child has different abilities and different personalities that make them unique and special.  If we learn to channel each child's personality to be a gift instead of a problem then we can teach them to be resilient and successful.
The tattletale child can be challenging because they appear to be the one always bringing light to problems.  When a child is constantly worrying about other children's problems and "tattletaling" it's helpful to simply say, "That's not your worry".  This allows the child to stay focused on playing or minding their own business.  Another way to help this child is to channel their desire to be a leader and give them responsibilities such as helping to clean or organize things.  Also, teach them what situations are an emergency that requires adult intervention and what issues should be left alone.  Being a leader is a good thing but children often need help learning when it's appropriate to lead and when it's better to stay focused on their own activities.

QTAYK: Would You Rather...

Get to know more about your child's interests by playing a game of "Would you rather..."  Here are some questions to get you started...

Would you rather be a firefighter or a policeman when you grow up?
Would you rather eat a fried Oreo cookie or a fried pickle?
Would you rather live in the North Pole or Hawaii?

If your kids are older...
Would you rather be blind or deaf?
Would you rather be 4'5" or 7'5"?
Would you rather be the worst player on the best team or the best player on a great team?

Get creative and ask as many questions as you like then encourage them to ask you questions!
Have fun!

ADD Single Mom

Here I sit on a Saturday morning in a quiet house.  The kids are with their Dad and I slept til 9am and woke up on my own without anyone crying or asking me to get something for them.  Pretty nice actually.  Then I start my morning-walk the dog, get coffee, and then things start to go crazy.  As I walk through my house from one room to another I seriously think of 5,000 things I am going to do with the 5 hours I have to myself today.  I'm in a bit of a transition right now.  I am starting a new life on my own and really want to create the best life possible for myself and my kids.  But litterally a million things are going through my head at every given second.  Life is crazy sometimes! Well, better get back to that to do list!!

You don't have to like it-you just have to eat it!

We sat down to dinner tonight and my daughter says, "I don't like this kind of cheese." I responded, "That's ok. You don't have to like it, you just have to eat it." She paused, looked at me and ate the pizza.  It made me think about how we are raising our kids in this day and age.  Are they under the belief that they do have to like everything? Where do we draw the line?

OK, I'm a martial artist so I guess I can be a little tough but the question remains, how many things in life do you HAVE to do as an adult that you DON'T enjoy?  I can name about 10 off the top of my head.  I don't like drinking water.  I don't like running on the treadmill.  Cleaning the house sucks.  Let me tell you how fun the laundry is!?
My daughter asks me to put chocolate in her milk and gives me a hard time when I give her water to drink.  So, how can we raise children who don't think that they must ENJOY everything?  How do we raise them to understand that life isn't easy...but it is rewarding if we try hard?
Children always want things that are pleasing to them...don't we all?! And of course we would rather have ice cream than brocolli if we have the choice.  But raising children to understand that we must do things we don't like is essential to building resiliancy and character.  What are some ways that you can teach your child to "get er done" when life hands them undesirable circumstances?

QTAYK: Summer Olympics

Questions to Ask Your Kids....

I'm starting a new series called Questions to Ask your Kids.  Today's questions are about the Olympics...What sport would you compete if you could be in the Olympics? How long do you think they train every day? Where is the Olympics taking place? Where is London? How long would it take to get to London? Who's the youngest Olympian?

When these questions spark curiosity and great conversations with your little ones...here are some more great things to look at with your kids...
http://holidays.kaboose.com/Olympics.html/
http://johnscreek.patch.com/articles/how-to-involve-kids-in-the-2012-summer-olympics

The Most Important Thing You Can Do as a Parent

Cook a healthy dinner? Nope.  Give time outs? Nope.  The single most important thing you can do as a parent is to wake up earlier than your children and meditate, exercise, or listen to some music.  If you do this, all the other things you want to do as a parent will fall into place.  Take some time for yourself.  I know, I know you've heard it a million times but I have a new way for you to think about it!  I recently read a children's book about self care.  The book is about a grandfather who teaches his grandson that he should picture a bucket of water on top of his head and to never let it get empty.  The boy imagines a bucket over his head and every time something good happens he gets drops of water in his bucket.  Every time something bad happens drops of water pour out of his bucket.  The lesson here is to take care of yourself!  So, how can you keep your bucket from getting empty?
Start each day with some self love and give yourself a full bucket to start your day.  Even if you look at a picture like this beautiful castle and let your mind drift to that place....you will be filling your bucket. Finally, think about what you want to happen that day and how you're going to make it happen.  Make a plan.  If you don't want to take this time for yourself, think of the value you will be teaching your children!



**If you are interested in learning more about the children's book mentioned above...go to my Amazon Store (on my home page) and click on How full is My Bucket on the last page of items.  The book is $9.95 and also makes a great gift!

What is Contentment Parenting?

We live in a society where we are rarely happy with contentment. We find ourselves in the habit of wanting our senses to always be pleased by sweetness instead of water. We find ourselves wanting a flat screen 3D, high definition t.v with impeccable audio (and of course 300 channels to choose from!) What happened to our phones being used only as a way to call one another? What happened to buying a simple coffee for .65 cents?
Today, we can find a cell phone application that will almost wipe our tush after we use the bathroom!! Have we gone too far over the top? What can we do to keep ourselves and our children grounded?

Perhaps the answer is in the word contentment? If we truly engage in the simple pleasures in life, than we need the fancy things far less often. Appreciating the nourishment that water gives us for example, will allow us to appreciate life's simple pleasures instead of being disappointed when we can't have the 'special treats'. When we choose to find more joy in the extravagant things over the simple things, we start habits of entitlement often leaving to let downs and frustration.
In addition, these habits don't teach our children to be flexible and resilient when life gives them obstacles.

Here are some simple pleasures I am learning to appreciate in my life today...

Water
Pregnancy
Sunshine
Shelter
My husband's employment
Laughter
Music

What simple pleasures have you overlooked today?