LCYG – Youth (Page 15)

• • • • • Parenting Tip December 29, 2012   The Stop Rule   Teasing and playing around can be amusing, but usually one person wants to stop before the other. Angry words and tears often bring an end to what started out as fun. Incorporating a “Stop Rule” in your family will help children, and parents too for that matter, know when to quit. The Stop Rule is simply this: When a child wants to be done with…

• • • • • Parenting Tip December 22, 2012 A Time to Practice Saying Thank You Gratefulness is an important life quality because it helps us to be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about what we don’t have. Gratefulness is a lifestyle but it starts by saying “Thank you” to others who bless us. Begin now to prepare your children for receiving gifts. Talk about the importance of the giver, not just the gift. Teach children…

Parenting Tip December 15, 2012   Being a Servant at Christmas Sometimes children believe that the whole world revolves around them. Parents, because they enjoy caring for their kids, may at times contribute to a child-centered mentality and further reinforce this misconception. Children can get the impression that parents, siblings, and even the family pets are there simply to make them happy. The result is demandingness and an unpleasant attitude. One of the ways to counteract this tendency is to…

• • • • • Parenting Tip November 24, 2012     The Heart is a Wrestling Place   The heart is where we wrestling with things. When experience, teaching, and values need to be integrated into life, it happens in the workshop of the heart. Information comes into our heads on a regular basis but much of it just stays there. Only when it moves down to our hearts does it become part of our lives. When eight-year-old, Jordan,…

• • • • • Parenting Tip November 19, 2012 The Gratefulness Principle Gratitude increases closeness in relationships. As you parent your children, look for opportunities to take advantage of gratefulness to draw closer to your kids. Give your children small gifts of love day after day. Be careful, though, that you don’t confuse the gratefulness principle with the overindulgence trap. Some parents, wanting their children to like them, recognize giving gifts opens the heart, so they overdo it by…

• • • • • Parenting Tip November 8, 2012   Teaching Cooperation We all want cooperation from our children. Many parents are disappointed when they don’t get it, but do we take time to teach it? Cooperation involves give and take. As parents, we are more than willing to give, expecting that our children will give sometimes too. Unfortunately, some children don’t know how to give; they only take. Any negotiation has to have something in it for the…

• • • • • Parenting Tip October 30, 2012 Group Offenses Around Character Qualities When you feel overwhelmed by the poor behavior of your children, here’s an exercise that will give you some direction. In fact, this activity is good for any parent looking for ways to help children grow, but it’s especially helpful when you’re confused and overwhelmed by a problem’s complexity or deeply rooted nature. Take out some paper and make a list of the offenses committed…

• • • • • Parenting Tip October 27, 2012   When Addressing Sibling Conflict, Discipline Kids Separately   One of the most challenging aspects of family life is sibling conflict. You want your children to have close relationships but differing personalities, competitiveness, and immaturity often gets in the way. Conflict between brothers and sisters is a child’s first class in relationship school. Your home is the classroom, you are the teacher, and a healthy plan for working on conflict…

• • • • • Parenting Tip October 21, 2012 Use Anger to Spark Creativity We say, “Anger is good for identifying problems but not good for solving them.” Once you become aware of a problem, look for a more creative and productive way to solve it. When parents choose to reflect only anger, they limit themselves dramatically. Families benefit when they experiment with other emotional options as well. Marilyn surprised her eight-year-old son after he put his feet on…