Parent Newsletters - Issue 1

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to your first issue of kidgoals.com Newsletter

Our aim is to help you help your child get the best possible start in life by sharing information and stories about successful parents and successful kids!

In the inspiring kids section this month we will meet Suzanna, a special child diagnosed at the age of 13 with Pervasive Developmental Disorder or PDD NOS a neurological disorder that affects a child's ability to communicate, understand language, play, and relate to others. Read one Mother's heartwarming story. We hope to bring you more stories about other children in future issues.

So please help us by emailing either Cassie or Monicka @KidsGoals.com with your questions, requests and suggestions for future issues

2. HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE CAN YOU MAKE?

"You can achieve anything you want in life, if you put your mind to it."

That one statement epitomizes and encapsulates the lessons we want to teach our children.

But how important is this really? Does it actually make a difference to how your child will live his life as he matures.

It certainly does. YOU must realise the importance of statement before you can begin to truly teach it to your child.

A valuable exercise is to think about the people you know that you believe are really successful in life. Try and talk to them, or if this is not possible research everything about them and find out what they have that makes them look at problems not as problems but rather challenges they need to overcome. Just imagine how different your life would be if you had that mindset instead of the "poor me" attitude that most of us have. More importantly think about how this kind of attitude would benefit your children. Teach your children well, tell them the importance of DREAMING BIG, and believing that you have faith in them that whatever they put their mind to will come to fruition.

3. IDEAS FOR SETTING NEW YEARS GOALS WITH YOUR CHILDREN

A fresh year and some fresh goals! What a great opportunity to set some exciting goals for yourself, and show your children how to do the same. Children learn by exampleand what beter example can you set than by showing them how to set goals?

Some things to bear in mind when helping your children set goals include:

1) Be careful when suggesting deadlines or time limits. When we get to the age where the months seem to fly by, it's easy to forget what time feels like to a child. Remember when two weeks seemed like an impossibly long time? Be sensitive to the age of your child when talking with him about time frames.

2) Have your children write their goals down – or help them with that if they are too young. Write down not only the goal itself, but also WHY it's important and what it will LOOK LIKE when it's achieved.

3) As much as possible, let your children be the ones to come up with the ideas for their own goals. If you need to make suggestions, be as sensitive as you can to their age and interests. Be especially sensitive about the "size of the goal". Children need to have big goals broken down into mini-goals so that they can see progress quickly, preferably on a daily basis. A goal to learn to spell five new words a week is better to focus on than winning the national Spelling Bee!

4) Work on the goal with your child – but don't take over! Make sure that your child can sense your interest and support, but be careful she doesn't think that you want to do it for her.

5) Set a good example by having written goals of your own and let your children see you working towards them regularly.

And finally, something different to consider. Why not start using "New Month" goals in your family instead of "New Year" goals? That way you and your children can have all the excitement, anticipation and motivation that comes with the New Year twelve times in 2006 rather than just once!

4. KID'S CORNER (COOKING AND CRAFTS)

Cooking together and making crafts with children:

• Provides quality bonding time with our children
• Builds positive self image
• Encourages self-discipline
• Rewards hard work and diligence
• Promotes eye-hand coordination
• Cultivates a love of learning
• Fosters cooperation with others
• Encourages their imagination

EASY CHEESY QUESADILLAS (*ages 10 and up)

What you need: Ready made tortillas, Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, chopped green onions (optional)

Heat tortillas in dry frying pan (let parent or supervisor help with that) on medium high heat for 10 seconds on each side. Take tortilla out of pan. Place about 1/2 cup-grated cheese on tortilla and sprinkle chopped green onion on top of cheese. Fold tortilla in half. Place back in pan. Heat until both sides are browned and cheese is melted. Cut in two pieces (cut up leftover cooked chicken can be added to the cheese and onions for easy Chicken quesadillas (*with adult supervision).

KID'S CRAFT PROJECT FOR EGG CARTON CATERPILLAR (*ages 3-7)

What you need: 1 egg carton; paint (bright colors); pipe cleaner; glue; for eyes, use white felt scraps and black marker; scissors.

What to do:

• 1. Cut the cover of the egg carton off and discard. Cut the bottom of egg carton in half lengthwise. Note: 1 egg carton will make two caterpillars.
• 2. Paint both halves with bright colors. You can paint each egg slot a different color if you like.
• 3. Cut the pipe cleaner and insert two pieces into the head end of the caterpillar for antennae.
• 4. Glue the white felt pieces (eyes) onto the head. Cut white felt into small circles for eyes and use marker to make black pupils in the eyes (*with adult supervision).

5. TICKLE YOUR FUNNY BONE

Why did the teacher wear sunglasses?
Because his class was so bright!

Did you hear about the cross eyed teacher?
He couldn't control his pupils!

Teacher: What family does the octopus belong to?
Pupil: Nobody I know!

6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION

Nobody whoever gave his best regretted it
George Halas

7. SUZANNA'S STORY

"Congratulations, it's a girl," announced the nurse excitedly as she held up the screaming miracle that I had just given birth to for my inspection. "A girl!" I gasped in disbelief as I had been assured by the ultrasound technician that that my baby would be a boy. Trusting in this certainty I had even come up with the name Devon for my son, derived partially from the first name of one of my best friends, Dion and my little Sister Yvonne whom I affectionately called Vonnie. In fact the majority of the gifts I had received at my baby shower such as baby blankets and baby clothes were blue. After a quick observation I came to the conclusion that this was indeed a girl and a healthy one at that, weighing in at 8 pounds 9 ounces and a full 22 ½ inches long. I should have had an inkling then that she would grow up to be a fighter looking by all appearances older and wiser than a baby should, her tiny fists clenched like a boxer, ready to take on the world.

I decided to name this new little bundle of joy Suzanna, after the heroine in a romance novel that I had been reading. I thought the name sounded very poetic not to mention I was in a panic to register her birth before I left the hospital. I had believed her to be a male for so long I had to totally change my thought process and accept the fact that Devon was now Suzanna. By the time I left the hospital I was deeply in love with my new daughter and was more than ready to show her off to friends and family.

For the first few months there was no noticeable difference in the behavior of Suzanna and that of her brother and sister at the same age. If anything she seemed to be much more aware than the other two and even seemed to want to communicate at a younger age. She spoke her first word when she was just over three months. I was bathing her one night and out of the blue she said "cookie". I had secretly hoped that her first word might be Mama or even Dada, so cookie was a total surprise.

I soon noticed that she had a very large attention span for her age. When she was about 8 months old she had shown interest in the children's television program Barney, so I thought it would be nice for her to have video. I could sit her in her baby chair and Barney would entertain her for half an hour while I caught up on a few chores. She seemed to love hearing Barney and the other characters on the tape singing and would gurgle along happily. I never realized how much she was picking up from the video until one day when I was visiting my parents. Suzanna was just over nine months at the time. We were all sitting in the living room watching television. Suzanna had been playing happily with one of her toys. I was not really watching her closely at the time but my Mother quickly got my attention as she noticed Suzanna trying to pull herself to a standing position for the first time as she held on to my Dad's foot for support. We watched mesmerized, as she stood there for a moment all on her own, very pleased with herself for what she had accomplished. Her happiness was short lived as she lost her footing and fell back and hit her head on the floor. I got up quickly to comfort her but was absolutely blown away when she didn't start to cry but instead started singing the theme song from Barney. "I love you, you love me." She was not even ten months old and she was singing a song and in the right key to boot. She did that many times after that too. Instead of crying she would sing. There was no doubt in my mind that this was no ordinary child.

Now read the rest of Suzanna's story at Inspiring Kids

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