15 Ways To Help Kids Like Themselves
|
1. Tell me something you like about yourself? Help your child to focus on her many strengths.
2. Reinforce the positives. Give praise, recognition, a special privilege or increasedresponsibility for a job well done.
3. Define limits and rules clearly. A family council is an excellent place to discuss, explainand get a sense of ownership to the rules. Discuss what consequences will follow if therules are not followed. Don't have a lot of rules, maybe four or five, but be consistent atfollowing them.
4. Give your children responsibility to make the house a home. Everyone in the familyshould be responsible for some household chores daily. Responsibility makes them feelvalued and part of the team.
5. Don't re-do their jobs. If you expect perfection, it is too easy for them to quit trying orelse hope that you will step in and "save them" when it gets difficult.
6. Laugh at their jokes and listen attentively when they are talking to you. Being fullypresent when you are with your child is the only quality time there is.
7. If they don't fit in, teach them basic social skills. There are a number of behaviors thatcan be learned to help the "left out" child to fit into the group more easily.
8. Show them that what they do is important to you. Talk to them about activities andinterests. Help them to find a hobby or interest that they excel at. Go to their games,presentations and activities.
9. Help them to set goals. Teach them to break each long-range goal into manageable bites. It is important to succeed at something ever day. Acknowledge your own successes sothey can be more aware of progress they are making.
10. Don't punish them for telling the truth. Discuss problems without placing blame orattacking the child's character. Worry less about "who did this?" and more about"Let's get this mess cleaned up." If a child knows he has made a bad choice but doesn'tfeel attacked, he will feel more secure in trying to find solutions.
11. Create opportunities to give service and to develop tolerance for others with differentvalues and backgrounds. These experiences can help a child to see himself in reference tothe rest of the world and to be more understanding of the needs of others.
12. Give them opportunities to make decisions. Help them to see that each decision haspros and cons and may have consequences for themselves and others. If they want to dosomething that is clearly harmful, explain why you cannot allow them to act on it.
13. Teach them to deal with money and time wisely. When children are organized andresponsible for their homework and allowance, it breeds self-assurance and personalresponsibility.
14. Be a good role model. Let your children know that you feel good about yourself, but alsoteach them by example that mistakes aren't final but learning experiences.
15. Start and end each day on a positive and loving note. Give lots of hugs, kisses and highfives. Let them know on a consistent basis that your love is unconditional and that you areproud of them as a member of the family. You may occasionally be disappointed in theiractions or choices, but will always be available for support.
© Judy H. Wright, Author, Speaker and Life Educator www.ArtichokePress.com
This article was written by Judy Wright, parent educator and author. Feel free to use it in your newsletter or publication, but please give full credit to the author and mention the contact information of JudyWright@ArtichokePress.com, 406-549-9813.
You will find a full listing of books, tapes, newsletters and workshops available on finding the heart of the story in the journey of life by going to www.ArtichokePress.com
|
|
|
Saying No To Our Children
Saying no to our children is not always easy or pleasant. Sometimes it is very hard work and we don't want to face the struggle. Most of us at some time will find o...(related: Parenting)
How To Teach Your Children Social Skills
As our children grow, they will be going to schools and interacting with lots of different people other. For example, friends and teachers. Hence it is necessary to teach t...(related: Parenting)
Helping Your Teen Get Back To School With Clear Skin
Backpack? Check. Notebooks? Check. Ink-pens? Check. Clear Skin? Mommmm!If you are anything like three-fourths of the parents Harris Interactive for the American Counseling Association recently surveyed, you are actively involved in helping your teenager treat acne.While getting everything in order for back to school adds enough stress, the last thing your teen may want to deal with is a pimply face. So how can you send Mr. or Miss "But I have to have it now!" off to school with no fuss and no zits?Even though little Caitlin's initial reaction may be to bolt for the strongest acne soap she can find, this is not the way to go. As dermatologist Alanna F. Bree, MD at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, warns, "many of the zealous measures people take can make the blemishes worse."Then again, after ...(related: Parenting)
Teaching Preschool Color And Shapes With Family Games
My kids just can't get enough of playing games with Mom and Dad--can yours?Sometimes we all take a break in the middle of the day and play a game together. Most of the time, I just make sure we play games so that we all have fun together. I can get so caught up in things that I'll go from one task to the next and forget to have a little fun.Today, after several pleas from my kids, I got out the Uno cards. Today I would be playing with six-year-old Ryan and three-year-old Maegan. In the past, Maegan would sit on my lap and help me with my cards; but today, she wanted to be her "own team"."Yep," she answered and put down a yellow card on top of the pile.Round and round we went, with Maegan putting d...(related: Parenting)
Paediatric Osteopathy
All babies cry, but if yours cries a lot, isn't sleeping or is just plain irritable, many parents have found that a paediatric osteopath can help, par...(related: Parenting)
Watch What You Say
"Now don't you go getting any ideas, Harold.""Don't you get any ideas either, Terry.""Don't you two get any ideas."The young mother's words to her small children echoed in my head for several days. While I realized she was probably warning them to not do something against her wishes or something that could harm them, I can't help but wonder about the effects that a situation like that, heard over and over for a...(related: Parenting)
The Graceful Art Of Defrazzling - For Mothers
"I wipe my baby's chin with my college diploma and wonder, 'How did I ever get here?'"-- Joy Rose from the band "Housewives on Prozac"I'm sure any mom on the planet can relate to that quote and the sense of exhaustion and bewilderment that it implies. Let's face it, ladies, after cooking, cleaning, caring, chauffeuring, and "career-ing" we're pretty frazzled - physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. We dream of lives...(related: Parenting)
Mommie Moments ? Taking Time For Yourself
Being a parent is a role that requires a large majority of our attention and time. Whether you have one child or fourteen children, you are more than likely aware that personal time is at a minimal. As a mother your attention is always on demand. There are meals to be made, clothes to be washed, and rooms to be cleaned. Not to mention...(related: Parenting)
Advocating For Your Child With Ld
Advocate: you've probably heard the term before. But what does it mean to you?
Advocating happens when you speak on behalf of someone else. You say for them what they can't say for themselves.
When you have a child who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, this is exactly what you must do for them. You must speak on their behalf. You know your child the best of anybody, and you are the best person to speak for them.
It sounds like a tall order, and it is. It is not always an easy thing to do. I know. I've been there. Even with a college degree and a special education classroom of...(related: Parenting)
Are Your Kids Driving You Crazy? How Character Building Charts Keep You Sane
Who lives in your house? Are they driving you "crazy?" Do you have a Winnie the Whiner, a Sammy the Slacker, or a Bubba the Bully? Perhaps you've yelled, you've lectured, and you've even spanked to get your Winnie to stop whining, your Sammy to do his chores, and your Bubba to stop hurting his little brother. How can you get your Peter the Cheater to play fair, your Larry the Liar to tell the truth or your Tilly the Tattle to...(related: Parenting)
Commitment: Teaching Children The Lessons Of A Lifetime
It's been said, time and again, that for a child to learn what is most important, he must be shown the lessons through example, not through words. And, if we are to nurture certain traits within our children, we must first develop those traits in ourselves.I've been teaching martial arts to children for a decade and a half and I've discovered something amazing about children - they want to learn what is expected of them. For all of the 'button-pushing,' resistance to your wishes and what-not, children want to know the rules and have a deep-down, almost inherent, need to "do it right."Unfortunately, I've also discovered that many of the parents who bring their children to our programs live by two deep-seated desires. And even though they express their wishes for their child to develop more confidence, discipline, and respect - not t...(related: Parenting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Parenting