Being there for your kids

Tools for Academic Success

You wouldn't start a DIY project at home without the proper tools, would you? Of course not. Some parents, however, just let their kids do homework and home school willy nilly, whatever. There's a saying that applies here: For anything worth doing, you get out of it what you put into it. To help equip your child for academic success, give him the proper tools to get the job done. To create the habit of homework and home schooling, equip your child with structure and routine. Application of these tools consistently leads to their ultimate tool, muscle memory. Muscle memory enables your child to get it done without hassle, distraction, or excuses. It leads to greater efficiency on task and greater retention come test time. Structure, routine, and muscle memory are tools for academic success

 

Add Transition Time to your Home Schooling

Quick changes in activity level tend to throw a child off kilter. While this might save time, such quick changes actually extend the fussing and delaying before getting into the rhythm of the activity. Double for homework and home schoolers. To make the most of difficult situations, active listen your child's foot dragging and frustration about doing schoolwork at home. Make sure ahead of time that the time alotted for study is consistent and dedicated. Add a 5-10 minute transition time both to address stall tactics and excuses, and also to help your kids gear up for the task of schoolwork. Finish school time with another transition of 15-30 minutes where you can heap praise and positive reinforcement on them. Transition sets the tone for home schooling.

Awlays start where your child is

Having to deal with all of this pandemic stuff and we also have to help our kids stay on top of their schoolwork? Really?? Yep, that's a sign of our times. How you get started with this task will set the tone for how it's achieved. Use your active listening to hear your child's upset and frustration. When you see the emotional fever subside, start problem-solving. Plan ahead and stick to your plan. Set parameters. Alternate fun with work. Be with him in the moment. You've got this. You can get through it together.

Stay at home school made easy.

So, you don't have enough to do? Now, with stay-at-home orders, you have to collar your kids to do their on-line schoolwork as well? Can we get back to normal yet? If you have these questions, you are not alone. I've compiled a list of my top ten tips for parents helping kids with schoolwork, whether its just homework, online, or full out home schooling. Keep these things in mind as you make the best out of difficult circumstances, while also building a positive relationship with your forever child.

Managing Stress & Encouraging Resilience in Your Family

Whew! We are all under the gun. This COVID-19 pandemic has each one of us scrambling to stay safe and trying to do our part. Stress management strategies are at a premium in these tentative times. As parents, we all need to model effective stress management and promote resilience with our kids. Included in this podcast are four suggestions for dealing with our current crisis. Also, remember, find the blessing in the tough times. What a great time to really meaningfully connect with your kids. How are you gonna do that?

Budget Needs First, then Wants

Many of us, sadly, tend to live beyond our means. That's a problem for two reasons. First, it's an easy way to find trouble. Second, it's a poor role model for your children. If you start keeping a budget early in your marriage, then when kids come along, it's easier to keep the budget going. Kids learn to manage their money as well. To avoid living beyond your means, budget your needs first. Then, and only then, factor in your wants with the money left over. If you are living hand to mouth, practice saving, scrimping, and planning ahead. Where you come up short and wants are out the window, use a family meeting to let the kids know the circumstances, active listen their frustrations to lower their emotional fever, and then brainstorm options for living within your means.

Expanding Your Parenting Resources

News flash!! You don't have to do this parenting thing alone. Even if you are not lucky enough to have a village, even if you are a single parent, the buck may stop with you, but there are lots of options along the way. As you are able to expand your parenting resources, both you get relief and are able to manage your stress better, and also your children learn new things and experience new relationships. Of my top 10 tips for parenting success, tip number 10 is this: Draw on and draw in other resources in your children's lives.

Failure? Or Blessing in Disguise

You know what? Stuff happens. It happens to you, to me, to your children. It's not the stuff, but rather, what we do with the stuff after it happens that matters. As parents, we are constantly teaching our kids about how to be good people. Most all of those lessons come from helping them turn failures into blessings in disguise. Many parents kneejerk their reaction to their child's pratfalls. Instead, I encourage you to take a breath, comfort, active listen, and then help her problem-solve to turn that failure into a blessing in disguise.

Pandemic? Don't Be Discouraged

With the current stress of pandemic on all of our lives, and possibility for discouragement as our routines are disrupted, I'm breaking into my top 10 parenting tips to help out. Our new normal, shelter-in-place, can lead to parents and children going bonkers! Or we can adapt, do our part to stop the spread of this killer virus, and make the most out of difficult times. In this podcast, I give you 4 suggestions for keeping stress and discouragement at bay, while also finding quality time with your family. What a great opportunity for emotional intimacy and teachable moments!

What You Pay Attention to Grows

That old parenting adage is true. What you pay attention to grows. If you focus only on the bad behavior, it will grow. If you reinforce the good behavior, it will grow. When helping your child get over the rough spots, use their strengths to help them overcome their weaknesses. Use your active listening to understand their feelings. Join with them where you can. Supervise their efforts. Some how make the tough stuff fun. Who knows, you might find a teachable moment in there somewhere.