10Tips For Great Parenting via Mrs PiggleWiggle

1. Engage your child’s imagination: Whether it is chores or overcoming a bad habit give your child the skills to think outside of the box.
2. Be his/her number one fan and forever cheerleader. There are billions of people in the world that are queuing up to tell your kid what a failure he is. It doesn’t have to come from you. Even if there are things that he doesn’t do well you can always find something positive to say! Remember Power of Life and Death?
3. Allow him to learn from his own mistakes as much as possible. This means standing back and allowing him to experience the consequences of his actions.
4. Help you child put himself in other’s shoes. Didn’t feed the dog? Maybe skipping lunch or a snack might be in order.
5. Care about the kids more than the stuff. Children should be taught to be careful with things and take care of what they have; however when you find that you are yelling or spanking excessively because a child broke an antique vase then you are the one with the problem. The message you are sending is “my stuff is more important than you”.
6. Let the punishment fit the crime. I had a child that would kick holes in the wall in a temper. Used to send the child out side to kick the brick trim on the house until she didn’t feel like kicking walls anymore. Didn’t hurt her OR the wall.
7. Listen with your heart.
8. Keep them busy with a good balance of play and chores and time to be bored.
9. Make memories.
10. Never lose the wonder and magic of childhood.

image: Taken by Erin Audet Myers, collection of marye audet

Post from: Blisstree

Parenting According to Mrs. PiggleWiggle

And if you think that teenage girl drama is the ultimate expression of dramatic angst you have never been around a teenage boy. It is teen drama week here at Chez Audet and emotions are running high. Well, and with good reason. Dragging kids through an unexpected divorce just stinks for all involved. Add the stress of a 17 year old going through college midterms (sophomore year) and trying to juggle his first job, increased responsibility at home, and general hormones…well you get the idea.

The thing to remember when your teen is having a meltdown is that they are dealing with real pain. Maybe you don’ t get it, maybe it seems silly to your intellect but it is massive to them. Here are some things I do to try to get through it unscathed:

• Don’t take it personally
• Allow them to verbalize
• Don’t try to fix it
• Reassure them of your love, acceptance, and pride
• Listen more than you talk
• Don’t assume it is a major psychological or spiritual problem but be willing to get help if it is
• Be willing to step up to the plate and bat for them if they need it. Maybe a few days off from school, chores, or other responsibilities will help them have perspective.

Luckily my kids tend to be thoughtful and drama happens one child at a time. I think they draw straws but I can’t prove it…

image:SXC

Post from: Blisstree

There Ain’t No Drama Like Teen Drama

Image: sxc.hu

Here are five for September:

Obama – Education or Mind Control of Youth?

One-Room Schools – An American Heritage

Kids’ Exotic Hair Colors

4-H Club Memories

Are You a Pinocchio Parent?

Did you have any favorites that I didn’t mention here?  I’m now working on my October posts.  Are there topics you’d like to hear about?

Post from: Blisstree

September Parenting Round-up

Image: sxc.hu

This could be a challenge for those who are helping parents manage their money and for caregivers who take care of finances for Alzheimer’s parents, as I did for my mom.  If the Social Security check isn’t so large that goes to a nursing home or assisted living facility, will family have to make up the difference?  If the person is on supplemental Medicaid for nursing homes, too, will the state have to come up with more funds from an already tight budget?

What if neither can squeeze out more money?  Will the homes have to refuse some patients/residents?

We may need to think about some of these questions…and the answers as we cope with a tight economy, job losses, lower incomes, and decreasing Social Security.  The reality of Social Security not being there may be starting to evolve.

What do you think?

Post from: Blisstree

Parenting Parents on Less Social Security

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I thought that it might be nice to focus on ideas that inspire parents to spread a little more love and positivity around the home. Being a disciplinarian doesn’t mean you have to be mean. In fact, acting kindly on a regular basis, makes it easier to enforce discipline and create a greater respect for parental authority. My Peer Leadership teacher once gave a lecture on the importance of feeding each other with positivity. He made the point that all people walk around with an emotional collection bin. Every action or comment that is made toward them, during the day, goes into the bin. As the day wears on, the bin gets full and overflows. Everything that was put into the emotion bin spills out into the atmosphere. If the bin was filled with mostly negativity, then that negativity will spill out and effect others. But if we fill each other’s bins with positivity and love, then our bins will overflow with good things and create a positive chain reaction.

I have never forgotten his words and I find that positivity starts in the home. When I spend the day barking at my children and spewing negative commentary, it causes my kids to become negative Nellies, in turn. I have realized that I can greatly affect the mood of this house and all who dwell within, just by speaking and acting in love. Here are a few ideas that may help to create a more positive home environment and take very little time and effort.

1. Cut out paper hearts and laminate them. Once a day, use a dry erase marker to write a little word of appreciation or positive observation to each child. Pass out the hearts at the dinner table or any time that you are all gathered together. Make sure that they read them aloud, so that the positivity gets verbalized.
2. Write a love note and stick it in your child’s backpack, lunchbox or pocket.
3. Sit with them at bedtime and tell the story of the day that they were born. Make sure you include your feelings of joy and excitement, so that they know how special their birth was.
4. Make up a song about each child. It can be sung to a familiar tune. Be sure to sing their praises whenever they look glum.
5. Sit in a circle and have each family member say something nice about everyone in the circle. My kids were surprised to learn of the nice things that their siblings thought about them.
6. Make a collage out of magazine pictures that depicts the great things about each child. Hang it on their wall, above their beds, as a constant reminder of why you love them so much.
7. Go through old pictures and talk about the memories of when they were young. Include lots of reasons why you love each memory. It will flatter them that you actually remember things that happened so long ago!
8. Hang a picture of each family member on a poster board. Write positive adjectives on sticky labels and hand them out to each family member. Let them take turns at applying each label to the member that they feel best fits the label’s  description. Display the board for all to see.

What are some ideas that your family uses to spread a little love around?

Post from: Blisstree

Spread The Love

I’ve always found it interesting to see the various opinions of mothers (especially mother’s of toddlers) who have watched a SuperNanny episode or two and are trying to apply the tips to their own parenting.

Have you successfully implimented some of Jo Jo’s tips into your life?

I must admit, taking my kid to the corner 50 times plus isn’t in my nature.  I’m more a three strikes YOU ARE OUT kinda parent.

Post from: Blisstree

Bringing up the baby