When Is Comparing Your Child To Others A Good Thing To Do?
Posted: August 29, 2019
There exists within life a never-ending siege of thousands of daily messages we receive continuing compare us to an ideal. I have heard upwards of 7,000 messages a day fight each other in an effort to rise above the noise created to steal you or your child’s attention. As adult, we know the feeling of the pull that exists when it’s cold and snowy outside and we see the advertisement for a tropical vacation. Well much like this, children get a constant bombardment of things they don’t have that would be super cool and make them feel great if only they could get them. Compound this with the feeling of not having what their friends have and the potential beginning of your child feeling second rate starts to sprout.
If you have read my blogs or newsletters for any period of time you will know, that for a variety of reasons, comparison to others is something that I have found to be far more discouraging than encouraging. There is however a time that I do feel it can be used in a positive way to provide perspective and when you lock onto this you will find you have a never ending supply of tools at your disposal you can use as very powerful teaching tools. They are best used when you do it frequently and proactively.
As the messages come in and around us, start to create conversations around the children in the news and headlines that are having serious third world challenges in our first world communities. Sadly, there is no need to go out of the country to find impactful challenge that will cause pause. In my experience the closer geographically the more real it will feel. The strategy is best used at random times and has to be revisited frequently. If the only time you bring up the subject of less fortunate children is when your child is asking for something, it will not work and in fact be felt as manipulation instead of truth.
How To Ensure Balance In Your Child’s Development
Posted: August 18, 2019
With so many differing opinions on how to help your child develop their full potential, how do you really know as a parent if you are doing enough of the right things? I suggest pulling away and viewing your child’s development from a distance. To use an analogy from nutrition, it is referred to as the macronutrients or “macros”. Macros include the big block categories that include proteins, carbohydrates and fats. In priority order, you want to get these in the proper proportion and then turn your focus on the fine-tuning of the “Micronutrients ” or “micros” which include vitamins and minerals which your body needs but by comparison to macros in very small amounts.
So what are the big block categories when it comes to a child’s well being? They are physical, mental and spiritual development. And while each comes in different forms, they are all needed to unlock of your child’s fullest potential. As parents, a simple way to ensure your child is on the right track is to look at each of their days and make sure they are doing a little bit in each of the areas. If you ensure your child does some kind of movement like karate, you can check that off your list. Add onto the schedule a daily 15 to 30 minute span of time devoted to reading and now you have taken care of the mental side of daily development. Finally we come to spirituality. There are many ways to fulfill this part of your child’s growth, some simple daily activities could be to include daily prayers or a few minutes per day of quite reflective meditation. Providing something that centers your child’s thoughts and feelings and makes them feel grateful and connected to something beyond themselves is a great and healthy practice.
Imagine if you help to create a daily habit that just becomes a routine allowing them to feel at their best…. what an advantage you are giving them in life. When so many of the ills in today’s world point to a lack of one of the three being deficient, you are ensuring your child will always be a daily habit away from restoring their feeling of balance. While as parents, we can’t protect them from the trials of life; we can equip them to be at their best so they are able to handle all natural textures that create a rich and is in store for them.
What makes a person be called, “A Total Package?”
Posted: August 12, 2019
When you hear the phrase “total package” who or what comes to your mind? While it may depend on the activity it typically reserved for those who have distinguished themselves at a high level in a particular area but have done so while still maintaining a balance that makes them full and complete.
We can’t call a teacher a “total package” if his command of the curriculum is strong but he has no rapport with his students.
We can’t call a business person a “total package” if her success has come at the expense of her family.
3 More Must Do’s to make your Summer Great! Part 2
Posted: August 06, 2019
As mentioned in the last blog, we are two thirds of the way through July and you may start to have the feelings of Fall is going to be here before you know it. As a way of tempering the evil thoughts that keep you away from being fully present and enjoying every ray of our sunshine season I would like to share a three more things that you can do which will help up your level of enjoyment this summer.
4. Take in a baseball Game with a friend or family member! Baseball is a slow enough moving sport that you can really enjoy great company while still enjoying the game. What’s nice about the area we live in is that for a small amount of money you can see some fantastic minor league teams that are very entertaining to watch. I went to the Pawtucket Red Sox game and treated myself to a premium seat for $15 with FREE parking of course. The seat was so close to the first base line that I switched my seat to about 12 rows back just to have a more full view of the field. While I tend to prefer faster paced sports, I can tell you for passive entertainment and great conversation it is a great summer time tradition.
5. Whale watching or fishing Depending on your preference either can be a lot of fun and a nice way to get away from the routine of your day. To live in this area and not enjoy the opportunity to see the largest mammals in the world in their natural habitat is a missed opportunity for a truly awesome site. Fishing is nice because it can be as simple a rod, reel a worm and fresh water or salt water fishing for tuna. Whichever you choose, each will create the space for you to be focused and still.
3 Must Do’s to make your Summer Great! Part 1
Posted: July 30, 2019
We are two thirds of the way through July and you may start to have the feelings of Fall is going to be here before you know it. As a way of tempering the evil thoughts that keep you away from being fully present and enjoying every ray of our sunshine season I would like to share a few things that you can do which will help up your level of enjoyment this summer.
1. Take time at the beach! I’m not sure if it is the salt air, the sand under your bare feet or the movement in the water, but what I know for sure is that the rejuvenation you feel after treating yourself is magical. My favorite time to go is very early in the morning. Being an early riser, I am usually on the beach by 6:30AM and I will lie down for an hour or so, I may read a book and then I will hit the water and take a walk or a run. I lay back down fall asleep and go back to my reading and by 10:30 in the morning I am ready to leave. Going down early I beat the traffic, don’t pay for parking, don’t hit traffic and the sun and heat are tolerable. Leaving the beach at 10:30AM I also hit know traffic as it is all going in the opposite direction.
2. Enjoy preparing your food outside on a grill! The smells and tastes are always better outside on a grill. Whether it’s old school charcoal or a gas grill doesn’t really matter, cooling outside promotes gathering in a fun and different environment.