On those days

I love spending time with my children, but many times as a parent we have those days when it seems that all we say is "no, stop, don't do that" during these times I think it is crucial to remind ourselves and our children about the positive things they do, especially on day's like these. Children need to feel loved and appreciated which leads them to thrive for positive attention. Keep in mind that in order to help them to be successful at good behavior, we need to address the positive as well. Some words of encouragement are great job, nice work, I like how you are doing…, wonderful, you are doing better at …. Sometimes addressing the positive behavior is the best way to avoid the negative behaviors. Reminding them of what to do rather than what not to do is a positive as well. Praising your children will help them to blossom. When you and your children are having a rough day seek out that positive behavior and make it a big deal so your child knows that he/she is great, I mean isn't that what they are GREAT!!

Cell phone and texting

These days everyone has cellphones and although it may help us feel safe to know that we can contact our families anytime there are still potential dangers as well. One of my biggest concerns is the texting. When my preteen texts her friends I do ask her if she would allow me to read them (this lets her know that I trust her and respect her to ask) she allows me to, which than opens up the door to talking about being safe and what is appropriate to text and what is not. It is so important to tell your children immediately upon getting a phone what is expected of them and what it never allowed. It is also important to explain to them that if a friend does something inappropriate it is not ok to allow these types of incoming text and to stop them immediately upon recieving them. It is important to explain the consequences of these actions, which can linger for years, and how they can affect future life choices such as school, employment, and the social significance of what they display to others on their cellphones. Another potential risk is her texting myself, the reason I say this is because how do I really know this is her texting me?? I worry that with so many child abductions that a simple text to me is simply not enough to make me feel she is safe, I mean anyone can use her phone and text me, right? I let my daughter know that when I call that I need to speak to her so I know that she is ok.