When I was out grabbing decorations for Shawn's birthday party, I picked up some bubbles to play with Joshua and dug them out yesterday when it was nicer than we expected. All day it was overcast and they had called for rain, but it ended up being in the 70s and very pleasant. Joshua loved playing with the bubbles. Here are the pictures to prove it.
Yesterday I also finished Chapter 2 of the "Positive Discipline" book. Here are some tidbits that I found interesting:
- "A family, it has been said, is a circle of people who love one another. Whatever form your family takes, it will be whatever you have the courage to make it. With wisdom, patience, and love, you can create a place where your children can feel safe, secure and free to grow and learn and where they can become responsible respectful and resourceful people."
- Wouldn't it be helpful, as you set out on the journey of parenting, to know your final destination? Perhaps one of the wisest things you can do right now is to take a moment to ask yourself a very important question: What is it that I really want for my child? When your baby, your toddler, or your preschooler has grown into an adult...what qualities and characteristics do you want that adult to have?
- What truly matters is this: From your child's very earliest moments of life, the decisions you make as a parent will shape his future.
- Your child is constantly making decisions about himself and the world, and how to find belonging and significance in this world.
- Please be assured: Mistakes are not insurmountable failures but valuable opportunities to learn.
- The most valuable parenting tools are those you already possess: your love for your child and your own inner wisdom and common sense.
- Remember, an action (with both positive and negative results) is a far more effective teacher than a thousand words. Let your actions as a parent teach your child that he is loved and respected, that choices have consequences and that home is a safe and wonderful place to be.
- The real issue is whether you can show that love [for your child] in a way that nutures accountability and self-esteem, a way that helps your children blossom into their full potential as happy, contributing members of society.
- Will it [the things that you let slide now] still be cute when he's 12 years old and still doing it?
- Eventually, most parents realize that true love requires that they love their children enough to teach them, to set wise boundaries, to say no when they must, and to help them learn to live peacefully and respectfully in a world filled with other people.
- Parents who are contented, healthy and relatively well rested (being tired seems an unavoidable part of raising young children) are, not surprisingly, best prepared to cope with the challenges of raising a young child.
- If you have a partner, remember that your relationship is the foundation of your family; invest the time and energy it takes to keep it strong.
- Taking time to cherish a partner as well as your individual needs isn't selfishness or bad parenting - it's wisdom. Your child will learn to respect and value the needs and feelings of others by watching the choices you make. Be sure to leave time each week for activities you enjoy and that nuture your physical and emotional health...
- Raising your young child can be more enjoyable and less frustrating when parents help each other, share ideas and work together to solve the inevitable problems.
- Wise parents know that parenting is a parternship and that when parents treat it as such, the real winners will be their children. Sure, parents have different styles. The great news is that those differences can be a real plus for your child, who will learn skills for interacting with different kinds of people.
- When all is said and done, parenting is essentially a matter of the heart and spirit as well as training and knowledge. Perhaps the greatest parenting skill of all is the ability to feel an unbreakable bond of love and warmth for your children and to be able to listen to the voice of love and wisdom even when your patience has been stretched to the breaking point.
- The best parenting translates love from words into thoughtful, effective action.
- There are so many things in life that can shake a parent's confidence. You will make mistakes; your child will make mistakes too. We're all learning to be people as we go along, experimenting on each other, blundering occasionally, doing the best we can.
- The next time you tuck in your little one...let your gaze rest on that sleeping little face; print it firmly in your memory. And when you're confronted with a hysterical infant, a defiant toddler, or an angry preschooler - and there will be many such times as the years roll by - close your eyes for just a moment and look in your memory for the face of a sleeping child. Then let that love and tenderness give you the wisdom to deal with the crisis at hand.
- Parenting is rarely a simple matter, and no one can challenge or stretch a parent like a very young child who is learning and exploring his world one piece at a time.
- Remember that it is always the relationship between parent and child that matters most. If that relationship is based on unconditional love and trust - if your children know from their earliest days that you love them no matter what - you'll probably do just fine.
- Taking the time now to build the proper foundation by entering your child's world and understanding how he feels and thinks, and by talking, laughing, playing and just being together, may be the best investment you will ever make in the future of your family.
- No one ever said it would be easy to be a parent; it is undoubtedly one of life's most demanding, time-consuming, and unappreciated jobs. But it isn't always easy to be a child these days, either. Have patience; work toward trust and closeness.
- A little love and understanding coupled with some solid skills and ideas will help you find your way to being the best parent you can be: one who parents from the heart.
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