Thursday, December 27, 2012

Love this for 2013 resolution for parenting


  1. Play. Through playing with our kids we build relationships while learning what excites and motivates them. Play develops the senses of imagination, curiosity and problem-solving. Encourage your kids to be inquisitive and ask questions. They should wonder about the world, how things work and how they are or were created. Encouraging exploration will help kids find passion and purpose.
  2. Listen. Through active listening we allow a child to deal with their feelings. The best way to disengage a child is to lecture them. Remember it’s not about you, it’s about them. When children have a platform for expressing themselves they will develop confidence, autonomy and strengthen the parent/child relationship.
  3. Enrich. Help your child develop practical life skills. The primary objective of our education system is simply to transfer knowledge. We need more than good memorizers and test-takers but rather kids who can communicate, make connections and are willing to take risks without fear of failure. 
  4. Relax. Get your family to slow down, put life into perspective and prioritize what’s important. Stressed brains do not learn the same as the relaxed brain. Value and support each other’s uniqueness. People will be most creative when motivated by interest, not external pressures.
  5. Smile. Happiness is contagious. Setbacks will occur but how we respond is a model for our children. Remember that problems are temporary and changeable. Positive emotions increase learning, creativity and problem-solving. 

1 comment:

  1. I have seen this idea as well: Get an emty jar and fill it as often as possible with good things that happen to family members through out the year; funny family stories; accomplishments; compliments; the things kids say that are memorable....positive stuff that happens. On December 31 2013 read through them to remember all the good things that happened over the course of the year!!

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