It's that time again, kids are back in school.
I recently read where only 25% of young people enrolling in college are qualified to attend based on the education they have received up to now. Do you realize that means 75% are not educated well enough to qualify for college.
It is such a shame that our schools are failing our children. What that means is, that as parents we need to "supplement" their learning, and we need to start when they are very young.
We need to make learning interesting and fun and help them understand how important education is.
That is why I created coloring books about U. S. geography. There is a book about each of the 50 states. While the children are coloring the pictures they can read important and fun things about that state. When I was a kid someone gave me the jigsaw puzzle of the states, and by putting the puzzle together, I learned each state and the capital. My books contain much more information than that.
There are so many ways to teach our children and at the same time be spending quality time with them.
I know I sound like a broken record, but being a parent is the most important position a person can have, and as parents we need to do more than just give birth to a child. We need to teach and nourish them.
We need to start when they are very young, like we teach them to feed themselves or put on their own shoes. You might be amazed how fast they learn at that tender age.
For example, when they are learning to put on their shoes, take the first one and say "one" then the second and say "two," then point to one of the shoes and say and one, and one are two. If you do things like that, as they advance in age they will advance in learning.
At the same time you will be building a bond with them.
All kids are different. I have two boys and I failed to "teach" them how to be organized. I myself am very organized, and I guess I thought they would learn to follow my example, and I didn't actually "teach" them how to be organized. The result is one of them is very organized because of watching me and the other one is not at all organized. So unfortunately for the one I should have "taught" him how.
Because all children are different, we need to be more aware of each ones needs, that too is part of being a parent.
Enjoy teaching and sharing with them, because before you know it they will be grown.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
color the United States: Kindness (of a sympathetic nature)
color the United States: Kindness (of a sympathetic nature): Often when we adults talk about teenagers, we roll our eyes and talk about how bad they are. I recently heard a news story that warmed my ...
Kindness (of a sympathetic nature)
Often when we adults talk about teenagers, we roll our eyes and talk about how bad they are.
I recently heard a news story that warmed my heart .
There were three teenage couples on their way to their school prom, when they witnessed an automobile accident where the car was rolled on its side with a family trapped inside.
Rather than asking the limo driver to go around the accident, they ask him to stop and they all ran over to help the family get out of the car safely.
Fortunately the family was not seriously hurt, and once the teens saw they were going to be ok, they got back in the limo and continued on to the Prom.
Imagine , here are six teenagers all dressed up for the prom and their attitude was not "let someone else help them, we're dressed up and don't want to get dirty" No, they put kindness and sympathy for that family first.
I take my hat off to those teens and to their parents for teaching them to be kind and to think of others.
Do you teach your children to be kind and think of others? And do you set an example for them by being kind yourself?
We need to teach our children kindness, and to help other from the time they are very small. And if we do they will always remember it and be better people as a result of it.
The world is so much better when we show kindness to each other, and especially if it starts at home.
Lets all be kinder than we need to be.
I recently heard a news story that warmed my heart .
There were three teenage couples on their way to their school prom, when they witnessed an automobile accident where the car was rolled on its side with a family trapped inside.
Rather than asking the limo driver to go around the accident, they ask him to stop and they all ran over to help the family get out of the car safely.
Fortunately the family was not seriously hurt, and once the teens saw they were going to be ok, they got back in the limo and continued on to the Prom.
Imagine , here are six teenagers all dressed up for the prom and their attitude was not "let someone else help them, we're dressed up and don't want to get dirty" No, they put kindness and sympathy for that family first.
I take my hat off to those teens and to their parents for teaching them to be kind and to think of others.
Do you teach your children to be kind and think of others? And do you set an example for them by being kind yourself?
We need to teach our children kindness, and to help other from the time they are very small. And if we do they will always remember it and be better people as a result of it.
The world is so much better when we show kindness to each other, and especially if it starts at home.
Lets all be kinder than we need to be.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Influence ( The power or capacity to cause an effect)
We are influenced by everything around us, by our families, our friends, what we watch, read or listen to.
As parents we need to be a good influence on our children by setting a good example and teaching them good from bad.
My mother always said " charity begins at home ", and to that I add good influence begins at home.
Do you show love to each other, do you show an interest and respect for each other ?
Do you really know each other ? Do you spend some time each day with your children? Do you
know who your children's friends are ? What their interests are ? Do you set an example for them to follow?
Do your children hear you swearing, using vulgar language ? Do you condone bad manners by having them yourself , and not teaching them good manners ?
Do you teach them to not cheat or steal or hurt others ?
When your children do something bad, do you tell them they are bad, or do you tell them what they did was bad ? If you tell them they are bad often enough and long enough, they will believe you and start to be bad because you are telling them they are. Children need to know the difference between being and doing bad.
When I was a little girl and would do something bad, my mother would tell me that doing bad things makes you look ugly. She knew all little girls like to be pretty and would rather do good things so they would look pretty. And boys like to be strong, so she would say," it's easy to be bad, but you show how strong you are if you are good, not bad".
Home is where all good things should begin. If our children are taught to be good at home, when they are away from home that good influence will help them be good then too.
Of course we as parents should show our children how to be good by being good ourselves.
Being a good parent is the most important job in the world. Teaching our children to be good, and showing them by our example will be the best influence we can give them.
As parents we need to be a good influence on our children by setting a good example and teaching them good from bad.
My mother always said " charity begins at home ", and to that I add good influence begins at home.
Do you show love to each other, do you show an interest and respect for each other ?
Do you really know each other ? Do you spend some time each day with your children? Do you
know who your children's friends are ? What their interests are ? Do you set an example for them to follow?
Do your children hear you swearing, using vulgar language ? Do you condone bad manners by having them yourself , and not teaching them good manners ?
Do you teach them to not cheat or steal or hurt others ?
When your children do something bad, do you tell them they are bad, or do you tell them what they did was bad ? If you tell them they are bad often enough and long enough, they will believe you and start to be bad because you are telling them they are. Children need to know the difference between being and doing bad.
When I was a little girl and would do something bad, my mother would tell me that doing bad things makes you look ugly. She knew all little girls like to be pretty and would rather do good things so they would look pretty. And boys like to be strong, so she would say," it's easy to be bad, but you show how strong you are if you are good, not bad".
Home is where all good things should begin. If our children are taught to be good at home, when they are away from home that good influence will help them be good then too.
Of course we as parents should show our children how to be good by being good ourselves.
Being a good parent is the most important job in the world. Teaching our children to be good, and showing them by our example will be the best influence we can give them.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Desensitized to Violence
Perhaps you saw the news where a couple of teenage boys stopped a woman who was taking her baby for a walk in it's stroller and ask her for money, when she told them she had no money they shot her in the leg and put the gun to her babies head and shot and killed it.
WHY? Have we become so desensitized to violence that we can kill innocent people, even little babies ?
What has happened to our society that a person can even think of doing such a thing ?
I believe there are a lot of reasons. One of course is all the violence we see in the movies, television, electronic games etc. Even violence in some of our own homes toward each other.
We see so much of it that we have become accustomed to seeing violence and some seem to think, that's just the way it is.
I believe the " acceptance " of violence starts with lack of parental guidance. Children need to be taught at a very early age to respect life and property. They need to be taught that it is not acceptable to hurt others or take or damage their property.
Teaching is easy if we take advantage of the opportunities. For example, if you see a small child pull it's dogs tail or pick up a pet and throw it, teach them right then by saying no, you will hurt the puppy ( or what ever it is ). Tell them it's not nice to hurt things and ask them if they like to be hurt, if they say they don't like to be hurt then tell them they shouldn't hurt others, even a puppy or kitty.
Unfortunately, too many parents are not teaching their children,( perhaps because they don't know how to) instead they are letting the media do that job, and we can see that the media has not done a good job of teaching good things.
I hear people say" Oh that's just the way it is now " Well it doesn't have to be, if we will treat others the way we want to be treated and teach our children to do the same it will be a better world to live in.
When we first started hearing curse words in movies and television we were shocked by it, now it is common to hear curse words and because we are so accustomed to hearing them we have accepted them as OK or normal.
Violence is the same way, we are seeing so much of it some are beginning to accept it as normal. Well it is not normal for humans to violent toward each other, and we must start teaching our children by word and example that it is not acceptable.
If we let our children watch violence and don't tell them it is wrong, how are they supposed to know it is not acceptable to hurt or kill someone ?
Parents and need to take the responsibility of monitoring what their children watch and who they associate with. If what your child is watching or if who they associate with is not a good influence, then the parents need to restrict that association.
We can make it less violent and a better place to live if we do our part to sensitize our children to bad things, teaching them bad things are wrong and set a good example for them to follow from the time they a very small.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
color the United States: Conversation ( informal talking)
color the United States: Conversation ( informal talking): I like the modern means of communication we have, cell phones, texting, e-mail, Face book, Twitter etc. But I am concerned that our " ...
Conversation ( informal talking)
I like the modern means of communication we have, cell phones, texting, e-mail, Face book, Twitter etc.
But I am concerned that our " verbal " skills may be being lost. It is so nice to just be together "physically" with family or friends and "visit". Talking about our days activities, work, school, someone we saw, our favorite food, favorite (or not) movie or TV show, something we read in a magazine or paper, music, books, news about family or friends, places we've been or would like to go or our hobbies or one we would like to learn.
I recently had my grandson John tell me he had been over to one of his friends house and they just
" hung out", no big deal, they just "visited", no planned thing, and how much he had enjoyed it.
It seems these days most things have to be "planned" or made into a "big deal". I'm not sure where that came from, but the everyday insignificant things make life pleasant and certainly less stressful.
When we go out to eat and I see families or friends sitting at a table together and they are all using their electronic devices instead of talking to each other I think why do they even bother being together, they may be physically sitting together but they are not " connected". I wonder why they don't put those devices away and make an effort to "be together" and verbally talk to each other. It is nice to see people's facial expressions and hear the fluctuations in their voices.
Conversation, is a very important part of our social structure and a pleasant way to stay connected to each other, we should try to practice it more.
But I am concerned that our " verbal " skills may be being lost. It is so nice to just be together "physically" with family or friends and "visit". Talking about our days activities, work, school, someone we saw, our favorite food, favorite (or not) movie or TV show, something we read in a magazine or paper, music, books, news about family or friends, places we've been or would like to go or our hobbies or one we would like to learn.
I recently had my grandson John tell me he had been over to one of his friends house and they just
" hung out", no big deal, they just "visited", no planned thing, and how much he had enjoyed it.
It seems these days most things have to be "planned" or made into a "big deal". I'm not sure where that came from, but the everyday insignificant things make life pleasant and certainly less stressful.
When we go out to eat and I see families or friends sitting at a table together and they are all using their electronic devices instead of talking to each other I think why do they even bother being together, they may be physically sitting together but they are not " connected". I wonder why they don't put those devices away and make an effort to "be together" and verbally talk to each other. It is nice to see people's facial expressions and hear the fluctuations in their voices.
Conversation, is a very important part of our social structure and a pleasant way to stay connected to each other, we should try to practice it more.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Being a Parent
You may wonder why I am writing about being a parent. I will tell you why, recently I say a news article showing a woman with several children, and she made the statement " someone has to be responsible for these children". Of course as a mother , I thought " they are YOUR children,therefore
YOUR responsibility". I am not hard hearted, the woman obviously needed help, BUT she needed HELP, NOT for someone else to be responsible for her children.
Being a parent is the single most important responsibility a person can have.
Think about it, a new baby has the most incredible "computer" inside it's little head ready to be programmed.
What we put into that little "computer" or brain will determine to a large extent what that baby will grow up to be as an adult. Big responsibility huh?!!
As I have said before I don't think a baby is ever "too young" to start learning. The first thing they should learn is love. They learn that by the way we talk to them ( the tone of voice we use), how hold them, feed them, bath them and take care of them.
I always say think of how you want to be treated if you were basically helpless and had to depend on someone to take care of you, because that's what a new born is.
Children have an inborn need to learn. They need guidelines, direction, and boundries. And they learn these things by being taught by word and example.
We advance our teaching as they grow, first we teach them the basics of how to feed themselves, how to talk, walk etc. As they grow we teach them manners, morals and resoponsibilities.
If you are a young person and think you would like to have a baby. before you let yourself get pregnant really think about the responsibility a baby is, because as the parent it is YOUR responsibility and a long term commitment.
If you are really young, say a teen, take the time to enjoy your time as a teen and young adult and when you feel you are ready to "sacrifice" things you want to do in exchange for the full time job and joy of being a parent. Only when you are ready to make a long term commitment should you think about having a baby.
Being a parent is one of the most rewarding but sometimes difficult endeavors you will ever under take.
Because it is such an impportant responsibility, be sure you are ready to be a parent and commit to that vocation.
YOUR responsibility". I am not hard hearted, the woman obviously needed help, BUT she needed HELP, NOT for someone else to be responsible for her children.
Being a parent is the single most important responsibility a person can have.
Think about it, a new baby has the most incredible "computer" inside it's little head ready to be programmed.
What we put into that little "computer" or brain will determine to a large extent what that baby will grow up to be as an adult. Big responsibility huh?!!
As I have said before I don't think a baby is ever "too young" to start learning. The first thing they should learn is love. They learn that by the way we talk to them ( the tone of voice we use), how hold them, feed them, bath them and take care of them.
I always say think of how you want to be treated if you were basically helpless and had to depend on someone to take care of you, because that's what a new born is.
Children have an inborn need to learn. They need guidelines, direction, and boundries. And they learn these things by being taught by word and example.
We advance our teaching as they grow, first we teach them the basics of how to feed themselves, how to talk, walk etc. As they grow we teach them manners, morals and resoponsibilities.
If you are a young person and think you would like to have a baby. before you let yourself get pregnant really think about the responsibility a baby is, because as the parent it is YOUR responsibility and a long term commitment.
If you are really young, say a teen, take the time to enjoy your time as a teen and young adult and when you feel you are ready to "sacrifice" things you want to do in exchange for the full time job and joy of being a parent. Only when you are ready to make a long term commitment should you think about having a baby.
Being a parent is one of the most rewarding but sometimes difficult endeavors you will ever under take.
Because it is such an impportant responsibility, be sure you are ready to be a parent and commit to that vocation.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Manners in a minute !
The other day A young woman and I were waiting at an elevator for the door to open, when the door opened she said to someone behind me " hurry it's here". All of a sudden a little boy probably about 4 years came running right in front of me ( cutting me off ). The mother scolded the boy and "said you could have made that lady fall, tell her you are sorry", which he did.
I thanked him for his nice manners and said " you are very lucky that your mommy is teaching you nice manners. He looked shy but the mother beamed with pride.
My point in telling you this is that it only takes a minute to teach a child manners, all you have to do is take advantage of an opportunity, and use it as a teaching time, that way you are not "harping" at them but they learn.
Another example might be if you are having a meal together as a family whether at home or in a restaurant and your child/children are on their cell, texting or playing a game, it is a good time to ask them to wait until you have all finished your meal, explaining that you would like meal time to be a "family" time. You could even make it a rule that there be no electronic devices at the table when it's meal time, ( very few things are so important that they can't wait until after a meal).
Good manners may not " change the world" but it sure makes it a more pleasant place to live.
And remember the younger you start to teach them the more it will become part of their way of life.
I thanked him for his nice manners and said " you are very lucky that your mommy is teaching you nice manners. He looked shy but the mother beamed with pride.
My point in telling you this is that it only takes a minute to teach a child manners, all you have to do is take advantage of an opportunity, and use it as a teaching time, that way you are not "harping" at them but they learn.
Another example might be if you are having a meal together as a family whether at home or in a restaurant and your child/children are on their cell, texting or playing a game, it is a good time to ask them to wait until you have all finished your meal, explaining that you would like meal time to be a "family" time. You could even make it a rule that there be no electronic devices at the table when it's meal time, ( very few things are so important that they can't wait until after a meal).
Good manners may not " change the world" but it sure makes it a more pleasant place to live.
And remember the younger you start to teach them the more it will become part of their way of life.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
The Media
I am a mother, grandmother and an old lady, yet I don't think in most ways I am " old fashioned ".
However I do like the " old fashioned "morals and family lifestyle"we once enjoyed in this country.
For example I am grateful for the Media we have, but like my mother always said " there's a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst of us .
I think the Media has shown us the Worst" in it since the 1960s and 1970s.
Why ? because it has been most influential in eroding our moral and family life, by introducing the ideas that smoking is "cool" and alcohol makes life more fun and drugs, well " getting high is the best".
They have suggested that it is OK to have a baby if you are not married , and if you are married , being faithful to your mate is boring.
Not to mention that it is OK to take what you want that belongs to someone else. And if you don't like what someone looks like or what they do, just kill them !
As a result we have a society who feel "entitled " to what ever they want regardless if it's right or wrong.
Is it too late to turn things around ? I hope not, but again as I always say we have to teach our children when they are young and set an example for them to follow.
Being a parent is the most important responsibility there is and if we don't take that responsibility seriously and teach our children , then we are failing as parents and contributing to the decay of our society.
History has proven that it is the break down of morals and family life that has caused the destruction of great nations.
I wish the Media would turn around and use it's influence to encourage more family togetherness and better morals because those are the foundation of a strong nation.
But ultimately it is our responsibility as parents, grandparents and family members to teach our children.
However I do like the " old fashioned "morals and family lifestyle"we once enjoyed in this country.
For example I am grateful for the Media we have, but like my mother always said " there's a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst of us .
I think the Media has shown us the Worst" in it since the 1960s and 1970s.
Why ? because it has been most influential in eroding our moral and family life, by introducing the ideas that smoking is "cool" and alcohol makes life more fun and drugs, well " getting high is the best".
They have suggested that it is OK to have a baby if you are not married , and if you are married , being faithful to your mate is boring.
Not to mention that it is OK to take what you want that belongs to someone else. And if you don't like what someone looks like or what they do, just kill them !
As a result we have a society who feel "entitled " to what ever they want regardless if it's right or wrong.
Is it too late to turn things around ? I hope not, but again as I always say we have to teach our children when they are young and set an example for them to follow.
Being a parent is the most important responsibility there is and if we don't take that responsibility seriously and teach our children , then we are failing as parents and contributing to the decay of our society.
History has proven that it is the break down of morals and family life that has caused the destruction of great nations.
I wish the Media would turn around and use it's influence to encourage more family togetherness and better morals because those are the foundation of a strong nation.
But ultimately it is our responsibility as parents, grandparents and family members to teach our children.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Where have you been ?
Many have ask
Where have you been ?
Well I have had a very busy summer. It started with Grandpappy Happy having a total knee replacement, which was successful but then we thought he had an infection in that leg so the doctor put him back in the hospital for observation and thankfully after a week they decided he was fine.
We came home from the hospital and he was recovering very well with "NURSE Grandma Joy"
taking care of him. But then in July he had terrible stomach pains and once again he lands in the hospital this time with a gallbladder problem and had to have that removed.
He was back home and recovering well again with the same " Nurse", when we got a call from grandson John who had to go into surgery to repair an old elbow injury.
About a year and a half ago he was riding his bicycle when the wheel hit something in the road and threw him off the bike right onto his elbow and shattered it.
The Doctor was very pleased that he put the elbow back together with screws and plates.
But then about a month or so ago he started having lots of pain in that elbow so he went to the surgeon to have it checked and the doctor said all of the " hardware" in his elbow had come loose and was literally floating around in his arm. Needless to say he had to have a lengthy surgery to try to repair it. And of course Grandma Joy and Grandpappy felt they needed/wanted to be there as moral support, so we made a trip to where he lives.
The doctor said he thinks there is an infection in the arm so he is home receiving intravenous antibiotics for a couple of weeks, then they will address how to repair the elbow again.
So you can see I have been busy.
In the meantime , I was able to do some of the drawings for more of my coloring books, and I am happy to say I only have seven more states to finish the art work for, and then all 50 states will be ready to compile and go to print. I am hoping by the end of the year they will all be ready for print.
Thank you all for your patience and continued support.
Be kind to each other.
Where have you been ?
Well I have had a very busy summer. It started with Grandpappy Happy having a total knee replacement, which was successful but then we thought he had an infection in that leg so the doctor put him back in the hospital for observation and thankfully after a week they decided he was fine.
We came home from the hospital and he was recovering very well with "NURSE Grandma Joy"
taking care of him. But then in July he had terrible stomach pains and once again he lands in the hospital this time with a gallbladder problem and had to have that removed.
He was back home and recovering well again with the same " Nurse", when we got a call from grandson John who had to go into surgery to repair an old elbow injury.
About a year and a half ago he was riding his bicycle when the wheel hit something in the road and threw him off the bike right onto his elbow and shattered it.
The Doctor was very pleased that he put the elbow back together with screws and plates.
But then about a month or so ago he started having lots of pain in that elbow so he went to the surgeon to have it checked and the doctor said all of the " hardware" in his elbow had come loose and was literally floating around in his arm. Needless to say he had to have a lengthy surgery to try to repair it. And of course Grandma Joy and Grandpappy felt they needed/wanted to be there as moral support, so we made a trip to where he lives.
The doctor said he thinks there is an infection in the arm so he is home receiving intravenous antibiotics for a couple of weeks, then they will address how to repair the elbow again.
So you can see I have been busy.
In the meantime , I was able to do some of the drawings for more of my coloring books, and I am happy to say I only have seven more states to finish the art work for, and then all 50 states will be ready to compile and go to print. I am hoping by the end of the year they will all be ready for print.
Thank you all for your patience and continued support.
Be kind to each other.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Self Esteem
I read an article about a high school graduating student who was ask what problems she felt were facing young adults today, and she answered that she believes the key issue is the personal battle of SELF ESTEEM.
" Esteem" ( a favorable opinion or judgement or respect). So that means young people coming out of high school do not have a favorable opinion of themselves, Why ?
I do not think this happened " overnight ", I think it is the environment we live in today and the way they were raised.
In my opinion, to change the environment we have to do it one person at a time.
I don't remember ever having a problem with low self esteem and I believe it is because my mother taught me from a little girl that I am as "good" as anyone BUT not "better" than anyone. I might have a talent for one thing but I can't do what another person can do.
For example is a doctor better than a farmer ? I don't think so because the doctor my be able to save your life in some cases, but if the farmer did not grow food for you to eat you would die. So one is as important as the other.
I believe we need to instill in our children the belief that they can do
" anything" if they want to badly enough and work to accomplish whatever it is they want to do.
I often tell the true story of when I was a little girl about 9 years old I became very sick, doctors did not have all the knowledge they do now so it took several doctors some time before they diagnosed my problem.
By the time they decided that I had Rheumatic Fever, the rheumatism in my knees was so bad I could not stand and had lost so much weight I almost looked like a skeleton. When they admitted me into the hospital
( which turned out to be a years stay), I overheard the doctor tell my mother they were not sure they could save me, and if they did I would probably never walk again. I remember thinking to myself " Oh yes I will walk again".
After a years stay in the hospital I was transferred to a Convalescent Home for about six months. It was there that I thought I might be strong enough to make myself walk again.
I would sit up on the side of my bed at night after everyone else was asleep. Eventually I would just stand beside the bed, then gradually I would take one step at a time, holding onto the bed until I could finally walk. It took what seemed like a long time of doing this every night but I finally was able to let go of the bed and walk on my own.
You can imagine the amazement when I showed the doctors, nurses and my mother that I could walk, it was like a miracle to them. But I will always believe, along with the good medical care I got , it was me believing I could do it and the hard work I put into it.
From then on I have believed that a person can do anything if they set a goal and work hard toward it
I don't like arrogance and I think there is a thin line between arrogance and self confidence. It is self confidence that we want to give our children.
Once again, I think we should start teaching them when they are very small. Ask them something they would like to do and if they don't know how to do it, show them, but don't do it for them, let them do it themselves and once they learn they could do that then let them try something else.
This will teach them self confidence and with self confidence comes self esteem.
Let's start NOW and help build self esteem in our young ones.
" Esteem" ( a favorable opinion or judgement or respect). So that means young people coming out of high school do not have a favorable opinion of themselves, Why ?
I do not think this happened " overnight ", I think it is the environment we live in today and the way they were raised.
In my opinion, to change the environment we have to do it one person at a time.
I don't remember ever having a problem with low self esteem and I believe it is because my mother taught me from a little girl that I am as "good" as anyone BUT not "better" than anyone. I might have a talent for one thing but I can't do what another person can do.
For example is a doctor better than a farmer ? I don't think so because the doctor my be able to save your life in some cases, but if the farmer did not grow food for you to eat you would die. So one is as important as the other.
I believe we need to instill in our children the belief that they can do
" anything" if they want to badly enough and work to accomplish whatever it is they want to do.
I often tell the true story of when I was a little girl about 9 years old I became very sick, doctors did not have all the knowledge they do now so it took several doctors some time before they diagnosed my problem.
By the time they decided that I had Rheumatic Fever, the rheumatism in my knees was so bad I could not stand and had lost so much weight I almost looked like a skeleton. When they admitted me into the hospital
( which turned out to be a years stay), I overheard the doctor tell my mother they were not sure they could save me, and if they did I would probably never walk again. I remember thinking to myself " Oh yes I will walk again".
After a years stay in the hospital I was transferred to a Convalescent Home for about six months. It was there that I thought I might be strong enough to make myself walk again.
I would sit up on the side of my bed at night after everyone else was asleep. Eventually I would just stand beside the bed, then gradually I would take one step at a time, holding onto the bed until I could finally walk. It took what seemed like a long time of doing this every night but I finally was able to let go of the bed and walk on my own.
You can imagine the amazement when I showed the doctors, nurses and my mother that I could walk, it was like a miracle to them. But I will always believe, along with the good medical care I got , it was me believing I could do it and the hard work I put into it.
From then on I have believed that a person can do anything if they set a goal and work hard toward it
I don't like arrogance and I think there is a thin line between arrogance and self confidence. It is self confidence that we want to give our children.
Once again, I think we should start teaching them when they are very small. Ask them something they would like to do and if they don't know how to do it, show them, but don't do it for them, let them do it themselves and once they learn they could do that then let them try something else.
This will teach them self confidence and with self confidence comes self esteem.
Let's start NOW and help build self esteem in our young ones.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Kids Allowance
For the last couple of weeks I have been talking about money and making change.
This thought process made me start thinking the many things we have been teaching( or not ) our kids, like responsibility.
For example who or what gave parents the idea that they should give a child money (allowance) for doing chores around their home ?
Think about it, as a mother and/or wife do you get an allowance for all the things you do in and around the house ?
When you clean house, cook, do laundry and do all the other things you do to keep your home nice, do you get an allowance ? Probably not, that's what responsibility is.
When your husband mows the lawn, blows the leaves, or helps with chores around the house does he get an allowance ? Again that is part of the responsibility of being part of the family.
When I was a kid, I was expected to be part of the family and share in some of the chores (without pay), that was just being a part of the family, you learned to share some of the responsibility.
To make money we would ask the neighbors if they had some job we could do to make some money.
We would ask to mow their lawn or help with whatever chores that needed to be done.
We learned to share the responsibility around own home and if we wanted something extra we had to work for it.
We have been teaching kids " entitlement" instead of responsibility, and then we wonder why they are the way they are.
I have watched the decline of, or lack of teaching responsibility, commitment, accountability, loyalty and morality for at least the last couple of generations and I shudder to think what our world will be like if we as parents and adults don't start to turn things around and do it NOW!
One last thing, we complain about the "kids" but guess what it is not the kids that are the problem it's we adults and parents that are the problem.
Lets take our responsibility and teach and guide our young ones before its too late.
This thought process made me start thinking the many things we have been teaching( or not ) our kids, like responsibility.
For example who or what gave parents the idea that they should give a child money (allowance) for doing chores around their home ?
Think about it, as a mother and/or wife do you get an allowance for all the things you do in and around the house ?
When you clean house, cook, do laundry and do all the other things you do to keep your home nice, do you get an allowance ? Probably not, that's what responsibility is.
When your husband mows the lawn, blows the leaves, or helps with chores around the house does he get an allowance ? Again that is part of the responsibility of being part of the family.
When I was a kid, I was expected to be part of the family and share in some of the chores (without pay), that was just being a part of the family, you learned to share some of the responsibility.
To make money we would ask the neighbors if they had some job we could do to make some money.
We would ask to mow their lawn or help with whatever chores that needed to be done.
We learned to share the responsibility around own home and if we wanted something extra we had to work for it.
We have been teaching kids " entitlement" instead of responsibility, and then we wonder why they are the way they are.
I have watched the decline of, or lack of teaching responsibility, commitment, accountability, loyalty and morality for at least the last couple of generations and I shudder to think what our world will be like if we as parents and adults don't start to turn things around and do it NOW!
One last thing, we complain about the "kids" but guess what it is not the kids that are the problem it's we adults and parents that are the problem.
Lets take our responsibility and teach and guide our young ones before its too late.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Arithmetic and making change
Last time we visited I gave the experience of a twenty-something young man working at a check out register who had a very difficult time making the change the register said was due the customer.
I said we could teach our children to count money and make change
by playing " store" with them.
Someone ask me how to do that.
My suggestion is this:
Get a few things together that your child likes, and put a price on each one. Keep it simple, let's say nothing over $10:00.
Of course you will need $ 10:00 in change to play the game . I would suggest 1-Five dollar bill, 4- one dollar bills and one dollar in change, 2 quarters, 3 dimes, 3 nickles and 5 pennies.
Let your child choose the item/items they want ot buy, give the child a $ 10:00 bill and let them make the change, counting it back to you.
This will teach them how to count money and make change.
Another thing it will teach them is if they want more things than they have money for they can't have what ever it is until they save enough money for it.
They will learn they can't have everything they want if they can't afford it.
Do NOT give them the idea of a credit card, let them learn to save for what they want.
If you start young enough with this it will be a natural thing and not a burden.
I said we could teach our children to count money and make change
by playing " store" with them.
Someone ask me how to do that.
My suggestion is this:
Get a few things together that your child likes, and put a price on each one. Keep it simple, let's say nothing over $10:00.
Of course you will need $ 10:00 in change to play the game . I would suggest 1-Five dollar bill, 4- one dollar bills and one dollar in change, 2 quarters, 3 dimes, 3 nickles and 5 pennies.
Let your child choose the item/items they want ot buy, give the child a $ 10:00 bill and let them make the change, counting it back to you.
This will teach them how to count money and make change.
Another thing it will teach them is if they want more things than they have money for they can't have what ever it is until they save enough money for it.
They will learn they can't have everything they want if they can't afford it.
Do NOT give them the idea of a credit card, let them learn to save for what they want.
If you start young enough with this it will be a natural thing and not a burden.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
How much change ?
Grandpappy Happy and I were checking out at a register in a store, the casier was a young man who looked to be into his twenties.
The customer ahead of us gave the cashier a twenty dollar bill and the register read that his change was $ 2.89.
The cashier took 2-one dollar bills out of the cash drawer, then he looked at the eighty nine cents and looked at the cash drawer completely bewildered. After looking several times at the .89 cents on the register and looking again at the change in the drawer he finally took 3 quarters out , again looking at the register and the change drawer finally took a dime out and repeating the same thing took 4 pennies out and gave the man his change, looking very relieved that he had done it right.
The cashier was obviously not sure how to select the change to equal the amount on the register.
I am telling you this true story as an example of one of the ways ( in my opion) we are failing our youth.
don't get me wrong, I love all of the electronic, didgital and modern conveniences we have, I just think we are failling to teach the BASICS first.
Just imagine, God forbid, our electonic system was shut down even temporially what would happen.
This is just a small example of what we need to teach our little ones and teach them when they are very young.
The lesson is so easy because we can play "store" with the little ones using real money and teach them how to count money and make .change.
They say some day we may not even use "money" as an exchange, but until then I think we are doing our youth a disservice by not teaching them the very basics of everyday life.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident, i have seen it several times before.
It might be too late for some of the older kids (I hope not), but Please lets teach our little ones so as not to perpetuate this ignorance.
The customer ahead of us gave the cashier a twenty dollar bill and the register read that his change was $ 2.89.
The cashier took 2-one dollar bills out of the cash drawer, then he looked at the eighty nine cents and looked at the cash drawer completely bewildered. After looking several times at the .89 cents on the register and looking again at the change in the drawer he finally took 3 quarters out , again looking at the register and the change drawer finally took a dime out and repeating the same thing took 4 pennies out and gave the man his change, looking very relieved that he had done it right.
The cashier was obviously not sure how to select the change to equal the amount on the register.
I am telling you this true story as an example of one of the ways ( in my opion) we are failing our youth.
don't get me wrong, I love all of the electronic, didgital and modern conveniences we have, I just think we are failling to teach the BASICS first.
Just imagine, God forbid, our electonic system was shut down even temporially what would happen.
This is just a small example of what we need to teach our little ones and teach them when they are very young.
The lesson is so easy because we can play "store" with the little ones using real money and teach them how to count money and make .change.
They say some day we may not even use "money" as an exchange, but until then I think we are doing our youth a disservice by not teaching them the very basics of everyday life.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident, i have seen it several times before.
It might be too late for some of the older kids (I hope not), but Please lets teach our little ones so as not to perpetuate this ignorance.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Connected but so dis-connected
While Grandpappy Happy and I were having dinner in a local "family" restaurant , sitting at a table near us was a family of four mother, father, son and daughter.
The kids were either texting or playing a game on their phones and the father was talking to someone on the phone and the mother was just sitting there. I couldn't help but think " the family is "together" but completely dis-connected". I also thought what a good time it would be for them to visit as a family.
I personally think that today more than any other time we need to build our family relationships and have a genuine interest in each other.
Our children inherently crave our love and attention, they also need our guidance. One of the best ways to give them that is to communicate with them.
I know it may seem old fashioned, but meal time is a perfect time to visit with the family. You may ask yes, but what do you talk about ?
How about who you saw during the day, or what you did at work or school or maybe on the way to or from there.
It might be something you saw, an example is one day Grandpappy Happy and I were driving somewhere when we had to stop for a red light, there was a man on the side of the street with a sign that said
" HUNGRY" There was a van ahead of us at the light and the driver jumped out of his van, opened the back and took two sandwiches and a cold drink out of a cooler and ran it over to the " hungry" man. Then when the light turned green drove off to where ever he was going.
I thought what a compassionate thing to do.
You may not see anything like that, but perhaps something that you would like to share. You might think nothing interesting ever happens to me, well maybe what you see or do is interesting to someone in the family. You know it's the little things that can bring us together, it doesn't have to be a big thing.
The important thing is that we are "connected" as a family and friends.
Ask yourself how well do I really " know" my family.
I am not opposed to all the electronic things we have today, I think they are wonderful but I do think being "connected" as a family is more important .
That's my thought, what is yours on the subject ?
The kids were either texting or playing a game on their phones and the father was talking to someone on the phone and the mother was just sitting there. I couldn't help but think " the family is "together" but completely dis-connected". I also thought what a good time it would be for them to visit as a family.
I personally think that today more than any other time we need to build our family relationships and have a genuine interest in each other.
Our children inherently crave our love and attention, they also need our guidance. One of the best ways to give them that is to communicate with them.
I know it may seem old fashioned, but meal time is a perfect time to visit with the family. You may ask yes, but what do you talk about ?
How about who you saw during the day, or what you did at work or school or maybe on the way to or from there.
It might be something you saw, an example is one day Grandpappy Happy and I were driving somewhere when we had to stop for a red light, there was a man on the side of the street with a sign that said
" HUNGRY" There was a van ahead of us at the light and the driver jumped out of his van, opened the back and took two sandwiches and a cold drink out of a cooler and ran it over to the " hungry" man. Then when the light turned green drove off to where ever he was going.
I thought what a compassionate thing to do.
You may not see anything like that, but perhaps something that you would like to share. You might think nothing interesting ever happens to me, well maybe what you see or do is interesting to someone in the family. You know it's the little things that can bring us together, it doesn't have to be a big thing.
The important thing is that we are "connected" as a family and friends.
Ask yourself how well do I really " know" my family.
I am not opposed to all the electronic things we have today, I think they are wonderful but I do think being "connected" as a family is more important .
That's my thought, what is yours on the subject ?
Monday, April 9, 2012
Missed Opportunity
A while back I was pushing a grocery cart down one of the main isles in our local grocery when all of a sudden from a side isle zooms a cart out, almost hitting my cart. A boy probably about 10 or 11 was pushing it, his mother was right behind him and seeing what happened, she looked at me shrugged her shoulders and just grinned.
I thought what has happened to common courtesy which makes life more pleasant.
First of all the boy should have known better than to be "zooming" a cart in the store where he could have hurt someone and the least he could have done was be polite enough to say excuse me.
His mother had a perfect opportunity to have taught him common courtesy ( which he should have already known) but she missed the opportunity.
On another day Grandpappy Happy and I were coming out of a store and a mother with a little girl probably about 5 or 6 were walking ahead of us, the little girl saw us and she waited and held the door open for us.
We of course praised the little girl for being so thoughtful and polite and praised the mother for teaching her daughter common courtesy. I believe when a child learns things like that at a early age, they will always practice what they learn through out life, it just becomes part of who they are.
It is amazing how small common courtesies add pleasure to our lives.
I wish we would all be a little more thoughtful of others, it makes life so much more pleasant.
I thought what has happened to common courtesy which makes life more pleasant.
First of all the boy should have known better than to be "zooming" a cart in the store where he could have hurt someone and the least he could have done was be polite enough to say excuse me.
His mother had a perfect opportunity to have taught him common courtesy ( which he should have already known) but she missed the opportunity.
On another day Grandpappy Happy and I were coming out of a store and a mother with a little girl probably about 5 or 6 were walking ahead of us, the little girl saw us and she waited and held the door open for us.
We of course praised the little girl for being so thoughtful and polite and praised the mother for teaching her daughter common courtesy. I believe when a child learns things like that at a early age, they will always practice what they learn through out life, it just becomes part of who they are.
It is amazing how small common courtesies add pleasure to our lives.
I wish we would all be a little more thoughtful of others, it makes life so much more pleasant.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Setting an example
When my daughter was a very little girl ( not old enough to go to school yet)
I had a bad habit of calling someone that I thought did something bad or made me angry " an ole sum bi..h" I guess I thought it didn't sound as bad as the usual statement.
One day we were visiting my mother-in-law, she and I were having a cup of coffee and visiting sitting at her round kitchen table, when all of a sudden I realized my little girl who was skipping around the table and quietly singing a song which was " sum bi..h, sum bi..h, sum bi..h,
sum bi..h, ooole sum bi..ch.
I quickly told her it had not been nice of mommy to call people that and she should never call anyone that, and that mommy had been wrong to call people that. Well let me tell you that incident broke me of calling people bad names or using bad words.
I recently read a poem the jest of which was what someone learned while their mom thought they were not looking. And it drove home to me how vitally important it is that we adults set a good example for children. We all KNOW that we should be an example, but are we ??
I may be old fashioned, but I remember the good role models we used to have and I hope we will all try to be good role models for young ones. What better way to show them than by setting a good example ?!
What do you think ?
I had a bad habit of calling someone that I thought did something bad or made me angry " an ole sum bi..h" I guess I thought it didn't sound as bad as the usual statement.
One day we were visiting my mother-in-law, she and I were having a cup of coffee and visiting sitting at her round kitchen table, when all of a sudden I realized my little girl who was skipping around the table and quietly singing a song which was " sum bi..h, sum bi..h, sum bi..h,
sum bi..h, ooole sum bi..ch.
I quickly told her it had not been nice of mommy to call people that and she should never call anyone that, and that mommy had been wrong to call people that. Well let me tell you that incident broke me of calling people bad names or using bad words.
I recently read a poem the jest of which was what someone learned while their mom thought they were not looking. And it drove home to me how vitally important it is that we adults set a good example for children. We all KNOW that we should be an example, but are we ??
I may be old fashioned, but I remember the good role models we used to have and I hope we will all try to be good role models for young ones. What better way to show them than by setting a good example ?!
What do you think ?
Friday, March 9, 2012
Color Colorado
Come visit Colorado with Grandma Joy, Grandpappy Happy and the grandchildren.
Denver is the capital of Colorado.
It is called the " mile high city".
If you climb thirteen steps up the capital building you will be able to see exactly one mile above sea level.
The National Western Stock Show is the world's largest rodeo which is hosted in Denver. Here the cowboys drive cattle down the street.
Colorado has lots of natural beauty.
The well known Pikes Peak mountain is one of them. It is 14,115 feet tall.
Some say from the top you can see
four states.
Today you can take a Cog Train to the top of Pikes Peak. A cog train uses a gear, "cog wheel" to power the train.
It can climb much steeper grades than is possible with a standard locomotive with friction type power in most trains.
In 1893 an English Professor from Wellesley College, Katherine Lee Bates took a horse drawn wagon to the top of Pikes Peak and was so impressed with the beauty of our country, she wrote the song
" America the Beautiful ".
Can you sing " America the Beautiful "?
It is a beautiful song about how beautiful our country is.
Zebulon Pike was an Army officer and explorer.
Pikes Peak was named for him after an 1806 expedition he led up the mountain.
The Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park has the steepest mountain descents in North America.
The drops average 43 feet per mile through the entire canyon.
Garden of God has beautifully formed red rocks.
Among them are Balanced Rock, which teeters on top of another rock, and steamboat rock which resembles a steamboat.
The minerals in the soil is what makes the pretty colors in the rocks.
Mt. Evans Highway is the highest paved highway to drive, from 8,700 feet to 14,240 feet at the summit.
In Denver the temperature can be 90 degrees, while at the top of the drive it can be 40 degrees.
The city of Boulder owns Arapahoe Glacier. It may be the only city to own a glacier.
A glacier is a river of ice. The ice melts and Boulder City uses the water.
Royal Gorge Bridge was the highest suspension bridge in the world until 2003 when China built the Beipanjiang River Bridge.
Royal Gorge Bridge is still the highest one in North America. It is 955 feet over the Arkansas River.
The Colorado mountains are known to have some of the best skiing in the world.
John and Jeffri love to ski.
Grandpappy Happy likes to take Leslie and Evan on a sled ride and build snowmen.
The gold rush of the 1850s brought lots of people to Colorado.
After the gold and silver mines were gone, the towns that sprang up as a result of them, became ghost towns.
There are many ghost towns in the mountains of Colorado.
The U.S. Mint in Denver produces half of the coins distributed in the U.S.
First an engraver has to engrave what is on each coin before it is printed.
The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, is an accredited college for the education of officer candidates for the U.S. Air Force.
The Colorado state flower is the Rocky Mountain Columbine.
It comes in different colors, but Colorado adopted the color blue-violet with a white cup and yellow center.
The state tree is the Blue Spruce.
Colorado school children voted to name it the state tree in 1892. But it did not became the official tree until 1939.
The state bird is the Lark Bunting.
The males are black with white wing markings during the summer but in winter they are grey-brown like the females.
They migrate into Colorado in April and fly south in the fall .
Colorado state insect is the Hairstreak Butterfly. It is small, only 2 inches in width. It has purple wings with black borders, orange accents in the corners and blue on the underside.
The state reptile is the Western Painted Turtle. It looks like it has been painted,
especially it's under-shell, feet, neck, head and tail. The colors are yellow, orange, red and gray.
It lives in ponds, lakes and calm water with muddy soft bottoms.
It hibernates in the winter.
The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is the state animal.
They are named for the big curved horns that the males have, and for their agility and perfect balance.
They live very high in the mountains.
They are a grayish-brown color.
Grandma Joy and Grandpappy Happy always stand and place their hand over their heart when the American flag passes to shoe respect and love for what the flag represents.
The Colorado flag has a blue background.
The stripe in the center is white with a red c with a golden circle.
The Barbie doll was created in Denver by Ruth Handler in 1959.
Just about every little girl in America wanted a Barbie doll.
The Eisenhower Tunnel is 11,000 feet high and is the highest auto tunnel in the world.
It is fun to visit the Dinosaur Beds in Colorado and see all the old dinosaurs and plant and insect fossils.
Colorado has 26 species of dinosaurs .
Native Americans were the first residents in Colorado.
At Mesa Verde National Park you can see homes which the Indians built from
1 AD. to 1300 AD.
You can visit the ancient Anasazi Indian Cliff Dwellings.
Many had to use ladders to enter their homes.
Four Corners Monument marks the only spot in the United States where four states come together in one place. The marker is the exact spot where you can stand in all four states at the same time.
Visiting other places is always fun, but there's no place like home.
If you would like to buy this or any book in their series, each book is $ 4.95 plus shipping & handling
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Thank you
I want to thank all of you for your comments on my blog and website.
I really enjoy reading them and appreciate hearing from you.
Since I last posted my computer got a terrible virus which wiped everything out of it.
I now have a new computer but I have to scan all the books I have finished into the new one ( thankfully, I printed each book as I finished it) which hopefully won't take too long.
Then I can add new books to the site. And now I can answer or reply to your comments personally. So as they used to say " keep those cards and letters coming folks" :-).
I really enjoy reading them and appreciate hearing from you.
Since I last posted my computer got a terrible virus which wiped everything out of it.
I now have a new computer but I have to scan all the books I have finished into the new one ( thankfully, I printed each book as I finished it) which hopefully won't take too long.
Then I can add new books to the site. And now I can answer or reply to your comments personally. So as they used to say " keep those cards and letters coming folks" :-).
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