How do I Raise Happy and Successful Goal Setting Kids?

Parent Newsletters - Issue 29

No Limits Learning
kids goals Ezine

Issue 29, February 24th 2007

IN THIS PARENT NEWSLETTER

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

2. POSSIBILITIES
3. LOVING COMMUNICATION
4. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS
5. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)
6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION
7. SPONSORS

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to the next issue of kidsgoals.com Newsletter. Cassie and I celebrated the third anniversary of our friendship on the eighteenth of this month. The technology out there is amazing and makes it possible for two people across the ocean to continue growing an amazing friendship and business partnership. We communicate everyday, and with web cams and audio chats, it is almost like she is here in the flesh. Had it not been for this incredible technology none of this would have been possible and since we met online it is very unlikely we could have met any other way. Just shows you what can happen when someone conceives of an idea and follows through with it. I am sure our parents couldn’t even fathom the idea of so many amazing possibilities. Someone out there had a tiny seed of an idea for a way to connect the world through a computer and it became a reality. Now I am not even sure exactly how the Internet works but I do know that without it my life would have been sooooo very different.

Our first article deals with helping our children to learn to dream big. They need to know that nothing is impossible and only the sky is the limit….or is it?? It is fine to have small goals that are attainable but deep inside every child is an incredible possibility and it is our duty as parents to help them to realize their magnificence. Children look to their parents for their self worth and it is so important that they know at a young age just how amazing they really are. How you talk to your children is crucial and the next article deals with how to communicate with your children in as loving a manner as possible.

My goodness the Elmo contest is a popular one!!! It winds up on March 2nd so make sure to get your entries in. I will give you a big clue if you are having problems answering the skill-testing question (It starts with a D and ends in a Y) Thank you so much for all of your amazing comments about kidsgoals. It really makes Cassie and I feel like we are on the right track. Please keep in mind if you have any negative comments about kidsgoals please feel free to tell us. We are always striving to improve and your comments and suggestions are very much appreciated.

Monicka

2. POSSIBILIITIES

It is only natural that we as parents want a better life for our children, especially if our childhood did not quite measure up. We may have been lacking the optimum amount of love and support from our parents in order for us to thrive and reach our own potential; but alas, the past is the past and maybe things could have been different but it does not mean that we cannot have that for our children. I am not talking about living vicariously through your children as they discover their potential, but rather to find and nurture that which is in every child. The creativity and hidden gifts that every child possesses, the incredible possibilities that lie waiting inside these amazing little beings.

I know this sounds like a monumental task and you are thinking - how can you possibly help your child to discover their true potential? You may be surprised at just how important a part you play in all of this. If you are helping your children to explore their creativity and offering lots of encouragement than you my friend are already doing it and you can relax. If not, this article will hopefully enlighten you on what you need to do to help your child learn about who he really is and just what incredible things he is capable of.

Take the time to really get to know your child. Find out what excites him and encourage him to build on his God-given talents. You may think your child is wasting time by drawing cartoon pictures or writing silly stories when he could be doing something more constructive; but what is really happening? Right before your eyes your child is discovering his inner gifts and with your love and support you can help him to bring them to fruition.

One way to bring the creativity out in your child is to get down to his level and spend time with him doing the things that he enjoys. My ten-year-old is very artistic and one of his favorite things to do when he was small was to have me make a squiggle on a page and he would make it into something. Now that he is older I am amazed how those squiggles have become something that boggles the mind. He has an amazing imagination and it comes out in his drawings and I encourage him to draw as much as possible. Sometimes at night he will choose to draw before he goes to sleep instead of reading a book and I have no problem with that.

Other ways you can support and nurture your child’s creativity:

* Find out what excites your child. If it is not apparent what skills your child has at this time, have a talk with him about what he truly loves to do and what his dreams are - no matter how unattainable they may seem to you.

* Try not to be critical about what your child may create by saying things like, “That should be bigger or a different color.” Instead let him thoroughly explore his imagination by making things the way that he thinks they should be.

* Encourage your child's creativity by doing creative activities with him and by sharing ideas.

* Children honestly believe that anything is possible until they are told differently. When they are allowed to continue to create from that perspective, anything is possible.

Finally, listen attentively to all of their ideas no matter how “far fetched” they may be. It is your job as a parent to support and encourage your child’s creativity and not to judge it or make it your own. Showing you are interested in what they are doing is showing them that you truly care about the choices they make and that speaks volumes about what you think of them and more importantly how they will view themselves.

By Monicka

3. LOVING COMMUNICATION

The other day I was on the phone with my dearest friend Monicka, and as we were chatting away she was also telling her 10-year-old to get ready for bed.

I said to her, "I love listening to you when you talk to your kids!”

"Why's that?" asked Monicka.

"Well you are always so polite, patient and kind with them, unlike some parents who if they have to tell a child to brush their teeth twice might sound a bit annoyed or rude the second time, you always ask them nicely. It's no wonder they are so kind, thoughtful and polite back!"

The thing is, Monicka talks like that to her kids all the time without thinking about it. She says that she wasn’t always like that – when her first two kids were small and she was less experienced, she would sometimes snap or get impatient. But she figured out that it just didn’t work! She found out what DOES work to get kids to listen:

* Physically get down on their level, so you can look them right in the eyes instead of towering over them

* Practice speaking quietly to them – if you say the right things, there is no need to speak loudly – save this for the odd occasion when you need to get their attention urgently

* Ask politely – say please and thank you just like you would with another adult

* Talk about stuff that means something to them – get on their mental wavelength if you want to connect lovingly. This doesn’t mean “dumbing down” – but rather, finding out what interests them and displaying a genuine interest yourself. You might not see the attraction of pirates, computer games or My Little Pony, but if you show that you care enough to listen and ask about your kids’ interests, they will learn to listen to you in return.

Being loving with your children pays dividends – probably in more ways than any of us could count – and talking lovingly and thoughtfully, and listening carefully, are very important ways of expressing love, that we should remember every day.

By Cassie

4. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS

CHEESY CHICKEN BURRITOS (with adult supervision)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 med sized (300 grams) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup tomato salsa
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 processed cheese slices halved or if you prefer the real deal ˝ cup grated cheese, whichever kind you prefer
• 8 flour tortillas, warmed
• ˝ lettuce washed and coarsely shredded
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 avocado, sliced (optional)

1. HEAT the oil in a pan, fry the onion and ground chicken until browned, stir through the spices, beans, salsa and tomato paste, simmer 10 minutes or until cooked through.

2. PLACE processed cheese halves (or equal portions of grated cheese) onto each tortilla and top with the hot chicken then lettuce, tomato and avocado. Roll to enclose the filling and serve immediately.

5. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)

Q. Why did the scientist install a knocker on his door?
A. To win the no bell (NOBEL) prize

Q. How much do pirates pay for their earrings?
A. Buccaneer (buck an ear)

Your amazing mind—See if you or your kids can read the following paragraph apparently only 55% of the population can :-)

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but teh wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION

“Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” --Les Brown

“Everything actual must also first have been possible, before having actual existence.” --Unknown

“I am neither an optimist nor pessimist, but a possibilist.” --Max Lerner

“How many hopes and fears, how many ardent wishes and anxious apprehensions are twisted together in the threads that connect the parent with the child!” --Samuel Griswold Goodrich

”Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which, if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.” --H.F. Hedge

“All men of action are dreamers.” --James G. Huneker

7. YOUR FEEDBACK

If you would like to request any topics for the newsletter for 2007, please email Cassie or Monicka at kidsgoals.com.

Thank you, from Cassie and Monicka

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