Your Child's Journey

wisdom for the big steps little children take

Good Manners

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For many of you reading this article, your children are too young to teach good manners. You are still trying to get them to sleep through the night or to drink from a cup or your child is only beginning to talk and name objects. But it is never too early to begin demonstrating good manners by the way you act and talk and relate to others. And it will be sooner than you imagine that your baby is able to practice speaking and acting politely. Helping your child learn to use good manners will get him noticed- for all the right reasons!

All of us want our children to have good manners. Proverbs 20:11 tells us, “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.” Parents.com published an article with 25 manners kids should know. It is a rather daunting task, but good manners can gently be taught in our normal family interactions.

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Parenting in Public

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I read this article on line at Parenting.com.  It has so many practical ideas for helping children behave when in public. You know, most of the time, it has to do with how well you prepared ahead of time. This is a teaser, take time to read the whole article at: Parents.com

 

How to Parent in Public

Parenting when others are watching can be nerve-wracking, but a lot of those onlookers want to share advice, not pass judgment.
By Mindy Walker from Parents Magazine
child in toy store

One kid is dangling dangerously off your grocery cart. Another is pulling cracker boxes off the shelves. Your list has gone missing, the whining is growing noticeably louder, and you’re beginning to yell in that way that announces, “Mother of the Year in Aisle 5!” Parenting when others are watching can be tough, but it might help you to know that the grocery-store clerk is actually on your side. Same with the waiter, the flight attendant, and the nurse. Because of their jobs, they’ve seen nearly every child antic and tantrum you can possibly imagine. And it turns out that if you promise anonymity, they’ll share some pretty great coping tips.

See the tips from the following people you and your children will meet. Parents.com

From the grocery-store manager:

From the kids’ clothing-store owner:

From the children’s hair cutter:

From the toy-store owner:

From the nurse at the pediatrician’s office:

From the children’s librarian:

From the family-restaurant owner:

From the birthday-party entertainer:

From the flight attendant

Help the Challenged Child

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Over the last months I’ve been sharing from my husband’s web site: Intermin on parenting. This month will be the last in this series. We have been talking about different reasons children might not behave as you would expect. One reason is rebellion, another is discouragement, and this one is when they have a weakness. If we take the same approach to every misbehaviour, we will miss some of the most important opportunities to influence our children to do their best. To read the entire article go to: Help the Challenged Child.

There’s a mystery about Vincent. Here’s the explanation of it. Vincent has learning disabilities: special problems that make it hard for him to learn in a normal school room setting. His problems aren’t serious enough to detect easily, and that makes things worse. Vincent’s difficulty isn’t his intellect, but the way he processes information. With the proper help, Vincent will become an outstanding young man. However, if someone doesn’t help him, if he is ignored or misunderstood, Vincent’s true potential will be wasted.

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Partnering With Your Child’s Preschool Teacher

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If teaching was show business, then your child’s teacher would get star billing. But don’t forget about the other major player whose role in your child’s education can help make it a smash success: Yes, you, the parent.

When parents and educators co-star in a child’s big show – a.k.a. school – everybody benefits: The teachers who can count on the support of active and involved parents, the parents who stays connected to their kids and school and, most important, the child whose parents and teachers are working in tandem

Educational research bears out the fact that academic achievement, attitude, and attendance improve measurably when parents are involved in their children’s schooling.

These first years of school are the ideal time to start developing connections with the teachers, the school staff, and even other parents. Here are ways to keep in touch with the teacher and be an active partner in your child’s education.

Meet the teacher

To get the school year off to a good start – and help the teacher get to know your child and your family – set up a meeting with your child’s teacher early in the year, even, if possible, before your child starts. Many teachers in the classroom in the days before school starts. Also, it’s often a more relaxed time for them. If you haven’t already gotten an email, call, or letter during the summer, contact the school office to find out the best way to get in touch with the teacher. (These days, most teachers find email works best.) When you meet, help the teacher get to know your child’s passions (“She loves animals.”), problems (“He’s great at puzzles, but freaks out if he can’t finish one.”), and any other issues that may prove challenging at school. (“My child has trouble sharing.”)

Communicate often

Ask the teacher how she likes best to communicate – email, phone calls, or even a notebook that goes back and forth between home and school. Many preschool teachers are open to writing notes about your child every once in a while to check in; kindergarten teachers with more students to oversee are less likely to. Parent-teacher conferences – which usually take place once each semester – offer a chance to have a more in-depth conversation about your child. During conferences, ask the teacher to describe your child’s strengths and weaknesses, and be sure to air any concerns you have. (Click here and here for more tips on preparing for a parent-teacher conference.)

To read the rest of the article: GreatSchools.org

Making it Work

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Barbara Nicols is one of our First Steps family. She has a gift for writing. Thank you, Barbara, for sharing a day like we all have from time-to-time and telling us what you did with it.

Diane

Okay so I don’t exactly enjoy grocery shopping. I love making food, dreaming up new recipes and combinations, pouring over my favorite worn Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, measuring & ingredients for a new recipe.

I love seeing the excitement on little faces as they clamber to the table on a Saturday morning, grabbing eagerly for a homemade cinnamon roll or banana walnut waffle to eat with their blueberries or pineapples.

But I don’t love shopping. In fact sometimes, most times I dread it. And it is even more dread-worthy (is that a word) when I must bring my little twosome along. The twosome are jolly and raucous and completely adorable and mostly manageable when they are within the familiar confines of home and yard. But put them in a brightly lit supermarket with hundreds of thousands of hands off items, anchored to a rickety and crowded cart, forced to watch me linger over which head of broccoli is the firmest, which type of milk for my tea, which bag of frozen edamame has more…and they go just a little bit cuckoo. Grabbing things off the shelves, giving a poke or an unwanted tickle to their sibling, fighting over who gets to put the steel cut oats in the cart (yes, just about anything looks exciting when someone else is getting to do it!)…Needless to say I don’t exactly enjoy shopping with my children. At least not all of them at once…when I’m pressed for time and on a strict budget..

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