The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - of secondary importance is to prepare for being five.~Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook, 1985
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Don't Rush Childhood...
The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - of secondary importance is to prepare for being five.~Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook, 1985
5 Fast Ways to "Unspoil" Your Child
Worried that your kids are spoiled? By one estimate, 94% of parents are, but there's good news: “It is seldom too late to unspoil a child,” asserts Richard Bromfield, Harvard Medical School psychologist and author of How to Unspoil Your Child Fast. He offers these tips to take charge:
• Stand strong. Commit to making less indulgent parenting a priority. This means you must “be tough and unyielding” when it comes to saying no, Bromfield says. “Wishy-washy unspoiling” won't work.
• Avoid idle threats. “Yelling, counting to three and threatening consequences that you do not implement can weaken your authority,” Bromfield advises. “State your expectations clearly, and keep to them.”
• Be a parent, not a pal. “Parents want to be friends, not dictators,” Bromfield maintains. “But sometimes, children need to hear a simple ‘no' or, dare I say, old-fashioned ‘because I am the parent and I say so.' ”
• Don't bargain. “Parents train their children to be mini-lawyers,” Bromfield believes. “Don't barter for every bit of cooperation. We know who has the energy to win endless battles, and it is not the parents.”
• Buy, do less. Giving into fewer whims, Bromfield says, teaches “critical life skills” of appreciation and patience.
borrowed from USA Today, by Alyssa BaileyMonday, May 10, 2010
Island of Antigua, Caribbean.
Carla's spring break...breathtaking views on a guided hike on Antigua.
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