Someone sent me this article on facebook, and I thought it was worth the read, and worth dissecting. The link with the full article is below, but I decided to highlight a few things.
"She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time."
"He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations."
"He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking."
"He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up." Family is everything, and home should be those who created it, not the four walls that held it.
"She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs."
"He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them." Parents, please don't try to live vicariously through your children. Our Great Creator created your child to be one very special person, not a mini-version of you.
"... let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud."
"She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous." Never let your child believe that he/she is anything less than wonderful."She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics." ...or math facts, or shapes or colors. Not every day, but this is your toddler we're talking about, no truancy officer is going to come knocking on the door of your backyard.
Parents! Listen up!
"...the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books." May I point out that this goes beyond preschool. KEEP READING to your child all the way through elementary school or longer if they'll let you!
Junior and Princess are not responsible for bringing home the bacon, making the doctors appointments or the play-dates That's you mom/dad! They are responsible for picking the crayon, bedtime story or popsicle flavor they want, and for obeying you.
"...children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them." Build your home library! Don't make a trip to the library seem like an ordeal, or only for special occasions. Books should be the "normal" your child becomes used to, and videos, movies, and noisy, lighted toys the special occasions choice. That doesn't mean that books aren't great presents too! Also, give them the freedom to explore all of this themselves. No I don't mean turn them loose in Wal-Mart with the Visa, but give them supervised options and really let the choice be theirs. Again you're not out to create a mini-me or the next Nobel-Prize winner, Heisman trophy winner or Miss America. But if you let them be themselves, maybe they will be someday...after they've learned to tie their own shoes and cross the street safely by themselves.
"Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like Legos and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books." More toy suggestions, to guide them to toys that will help give them a good educational foundation. Even better than that pre-school you've been on the waiting list for since you found out you had a bun in the oven, or tried to put a bun in the oven. Yes let them choose, but remember you are the parent, not the best parenting specialist on The Today Show. YOU. Unless of course you have given parenting advice on The Today Show...then you too.
"They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit." The glitter makes me cringe, but yes glitter.
"That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. " Sorry parenting experts, Pinterest gurus, and bestselling parenting magazine editors, but it's true. Your main headline should be: Spend More Time With Your Kids, because there is no magic formula for programs, preschools, play-dates and personal time. The formula is more mommy-n-me time, more daddy-n-me time.
"They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them."
"They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work." Ooh toddler pace! The best! They haven't a care in the world but they're so perceptive and curious! The fun years.
"They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them."
We base so much of our lives, and our children's lives on grades, ratings and climbing the ladder. We need to learn to celebrate each other and especially children for who they are. Not for what they can or can't do. Furthermore we need to give them the freedom to explore the world so they can discover who they are. Life is a beautiful journey, not a race to the top.
*Boldness added for emphasis.
*Italics are my thoughts
Original article: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.holley.50/posts/10151863600121151
No comments:
Post a Comment