Search Results for: blog encouraging kids to think for themselves

Healthy Websites for Kids: BAM.gov

Confession time: I watch a lot of cartoons. I do! And lately, I’ve caught a series of commercials on Cartoon Network that led me to a new healthy website I want to share. The commercials feature a big, kinda scary-looking guy talking about disease prevention — like sneezing into your sleeve or a tissue, washing your hands, and other tips. The commercials then suggest viewers find more health tips at BAM.gov. So I went to take a look! The first thing I noticed? No scary bald guy. I kinda miss him, actually! The images on the site are bright and … Continue reading →

What to do When They Put Themselves Down

We try to talk positively to our kids, or at least many of us parents know that we should be using kind and caring words and positive encouragement. It can be incredibly painful and disheartening then, when we hear them putting themselves down. Hearing a child refer to herself as “stupid” or “ugly” or talk about what a “loser” he is certainly can be upsetting. But, what can we parents do to nip the negativity in the bud and address the possible self-esteem issues? You might need to start by taking a good hard look at your own habits to … Continue reading →

Explaining Work “Benefits” To Your Kids

The benefits of work…actually, when I thought about writing this blog, I didn’t think of touting the importance of a strong worth ethic and how we can teach that to our children. In reality, I wanted to write about preparing our kids for work in the real world not only by explaining to them about salary and making an income, but also helping them to understand the value of the “benefits” that may or may not be included in a job they might take. I think we owe it to our children to help them to understand the often murky … Continue reading →

Encouraging Kids to Think for Themselves

My kids used to be masters at getting me to do things for them. As a matter of fact, sometimes we still fall into old patterns and I’ll step in to solve a problem, answer a question or offer up advice before I’m able to stop myself. But, in reality, I know that they will be better off if they continue learning how to think and problem-solve for themselves. The trick with encouraging kids to think on their own is that a parent has to let go of the need for things to be “right” and to let go of … Continue reading →

Promoting and Encouraging Curiosity

They say curiosity killed the cat, and any parent who’s been on the receiving end of a day’s worth of questions—why, how, where, when, and what—might understand the warning in this old saying. It can get downright aggravating to have your thoughts interrupted with “why?” for the 800th time! Still, curiosity is a good thing and as parents, there are things we can do to encourage curiosity and overcome our occasional unconscious instinct to thwart it. One of the best things we can do to encourage and promote curiosity is to answer those questions! I know how annoying it can … Continue reading →

The Field Marshal / Mobilizing Personality Type

The “Field Marshal / Mobilizing” Personality type, or the ENTJ personality type, describes a person who is an Extrovert (E), who perceives the world through their Intuition (N), who relies on Thinking (T) to problem solve and make decisions, and who views the world from the vantage point of Judgement (J). If you are an extrovert, you enjoy interacting with the outside world around you, as well as the people in it. You thrive from this interaction, and very much prefer it to being alone with your thoughts. You like to use your intuition to give you information that goes … Continue reading →

What if she wants to be a cheerleader?

As I’ve written, I enjoy the differences between my daughters and me. I’m even learning to enjoy outspokenness, extraversion and being a sports nut, all foreign to my own experience and leanings. But we probably all have some biases, don’t we? I know I really, really hope my kids will attend a four-year liberal-arts college like my husband and I did. I really don’t care what they do after that. (Actually, in this economy, I’m encouraging my oldest to learn plumbing and drywall. ) But there is something else, something which seems to symbolize everything that I was not, every … Continue reading →

Why You Shouldn’t Slide With Your Toddler

Parents, who try to get their toddlers acclimated to playground slides by holding them on their laps before taking off, are not doing themselves or their children any favors. According to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, moms and dads should think twice before placing toddlers on their laps and heading down the park’s slide. Researchers say you are not protecting your child by placing him on your lap; rather you are increasing the chances of him getting seriously injured. The study found parents, who sit and slid with little Johnny on their laps, doubled the … Continue reading →

No Teen Idols Allowed

There seems to be an uproar over Miley Cyrus’s pole dance performance at the 2009 Teen Choice Award show. People are appalled. People are astonished. People are surprised. I’m not. I appears that parents want teen idols to be pure and chaste and have squeaky clean images so that our kids might follow in their footsteps. Since our teens do imitate and emulate those they idolize, everyone wants to control the private lives and performances of teen stars in an effort to control their own kids. This is laughable. Historically, (for the last 50 years anyway) teen idols have always … Continue reading →

Let Your Child Figure Out How to Fix It

We parents seem to be biologically programmed to swoop in at the first sign of trouble and rescue our children. After all, we want to keep them safe and teach and guide them and we worry about what will happen if we are not there to make everything right. There is much to be learned for a child, however, in having to try to fix its own problems and mistakes. Instead of immediately telling or showing your child what to do when he or she has created a problem or is faced with a challenge—let the child figure out how … Continue reading →