The Top 10 Things....
.... That will NOT kill your kids.
1. Germs (aka there is absolutely no NEED to carry 18 miniature bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere you go and then proceed to use them every 42 seconds)
2. Saying Please and Thank You (this should be a given, and sadly it's not)
3. Dirt (kind of goes along with the germs thing, but it's different... because it's dirt. Let them get dirty. That's why we have current fancy technology called a washer & dryer)
4. Free Time (kids tend to like it, parents tend to hate it, thus the fact that most kids today can't fit their resume onto one page... and they're 10 years old. Stop forcing 14 musical instruments, 5 foreign languages, and every camp known to mankind on your child - they'll be fine without learning how to basket weave while playing the oboe... I promise.)
5. Responsibility (teach it, practice it, stop catering to them)
6. You Following Through (when you tell them that if they don't "stop it right now or we'll leave this store" PLEASE LEAVE THE STORE. Seriously. Those of us without kids are totally willing to carry your child outside FOR YOU. It takes a village... right?)
7. A bedroom with a bed, dresser, and mirror (Notice I left out TV, Xbox, Wii, computer, etc. The bedroom should not be your child's very own Chuck-e-Cheese, which is great because then you won't have to deal with the police and more-common-than-not domestic disputes that tend to consume that 'ol Mouse's habitat.)
8. A spanking as an immediate punishment. (Notice I did not say a beating. But for serious and immediate consequences, a spanking works. Sometimes "time out" is not effective. FYI - also not effective? Threatening to spank. And then not doing it. Or not doing any kind of punishment. Refer to #6 if you're confused.)
9. Doing things They don't want to do. ('nough said.)
10. Understanding that Parents are People, too. (Please, Please... whatever you do. Teach your children that YOU still have a life. You have friends, who like to have conversations with you... without being interrupted 82 times. This goes back to the "Please & Thank You" manners conversation... "excuse me" is a wonderful lesson!)
The Authors
Lisa and Lindsey, San Diego, CA
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
Greetings...
If you have made it to this site, you probably want to know what qualifies Lindsey and me to write a blog about parenting since we are both single and without children of our own. Let me try to explain.
First, we are educators at the high school level. So on a daily basis, we see the results of all different methods of parenting, including but not limited to, helicopter parents, self-absorbed parents, negligent parents, "best friend" parents, and "excuse" parents. For example, that sassy hand on hip that your 2 year old currently does? Not so cute on a 15 year old and liable to get the child in trouble. And on a 25 year old? Likely to get them slapped. I spend more time addressing students on their parent based issues than any other topic, and let me tell you that most issues could have been easily resolved if the parent had simply chosen to be the adult in the situation.
Second, Lindsey and I offer a third party perspective. We do not think your child is the smartest child, nor the prettiest child, nor the funniest child, nor the kindest child... Because we have not physically birthed a child or adopted a child to love and cherish, we can offer a bigger picture perspective. We can show you how the behavior that you are creating in your child will not fit into the world that they will exist in on their own one day. See example from paragraph above.
Lastly, Lindsey and I are both gifted with common sense, something that I am noticing is in short supply these days. And at the end of the day, and for parents, it is definitely an exhausting day, the most effective parenting is done through common sense.
And for those of you who still don't believe we are qualified, does it help to tell you that I have a dog? And she is the smartest, prettiest, funniest, kindest dog on the planet."
First, we are educators at the high school level. So on a daily basis, we see the results of all different methods of parenting, including but not limited to, helicopter parents, self-absorbed parents, negligent parents, "best friend" parents, and "excuse" parents. For example, that sassy hand on hip that your 2 year old currently does? Not so cute on a 15 year old and liable to get the child in trouble. And on a 25 year old? Likely to get them slapped. I spend more time addressing students on their parent based issues than any other topic, and let me tell you that most issues could have been easily resolved if the parent had simply chosen to be the adult in the situation.
Second, Lindsey and I offer a third party perspective. We do not think your child is the smartest child, nor the prettiest child, nor the funniest child, nor the kindest child... Because we have not physically birthed a child or adopted a child to love and cherish, we can offer a bigger picture perspective. We can show you how the behavior that you are creating in your child will not fit into the world that they will exist in on their own one day. See example from paragraph above.
Lastly, Lindsey and I are both gifted with common sense, something that I am noticing is in short supply these days. And at the end of the day, and for parents, it is definitely an exhausting day, the most effective parenting is done through common sense.
And for those of you who still don't believe we are qualified, does it help to tell you that I have a dog? And she is the smartest, prettiest, funniest, kindest dog on the planet."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)