Search Results for: blog telling them what to do with their leisure time

What is “Wasting Time” to you, May Not Be to your Child

Time management is a big topic of conversation here in the Single Parents blog. We seem to be constantly brainstorming ways to get more done in an average day and to do it was as little stress and pressure as possible. One of the side effects of our needing to get a great deal done in the course of a day is that we can push and pressure our children to stop wasting time and to keep up and multi-task along with us. This might seem like a reality of single parent family life, but it is not always fair … Continue reading →

Keeping Them Busy, But Not Too Busy

There is a pretty accurate theory that the child who does not have anything to do, will fill that void and find something to do. While our kids do need some unstructured time, too much unstructured time can make for trouble. When a child is trying to find something to do, he may find something we would rather NOT have him do to fill his time. Our job as parents then becomes to keep them busy, but not so busy they get overwhelmed and stressed. I think that there can even be some limits around unstructured time. There is nothing … Continue reading →

Who Gets to Choose the Activities?

Are you constantly trying to come up with fun family activities? Scanning the newspaper and web sites to find suitable and age-appropriate things for you and your kids to do? Have you ever thought of letting the kids find and choose the activities and being willing to go along with THEIR interests? As my children have gotten older, I have been learning how to let go a little on my activities director role. I may not always get to do something that I love, but spending time with my kids (whom I do love) is well worth it. I credit … Continue reading →

Telling Them What to Do with Their Leisure Time

How in control do you have to be as a parent? How much “say” are you trying to have with your children? Are you someone who is pretty laid back, or do you have your family life scheduled and everyone has their own copy of the activities calendar? Regardless of how fabulously organized you are, it might be worthwhile to think about letting go a bit on the leisure time and allowing your children to have some completely unstructured time to do “their own thing”… Sure, it might seem like your kids are “wasting time” or doing something silly and … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Sandra Worth, on Writing and Lecturing

Thank you for joining us for part two of our conversation with author Sandra Worth, who wrote “Lady of the Roses.” If you missed part one, click here to catch up. Sandra, may I compliment you on your writing — your tone is smooth, your descriptions are beautiful. Yet I notice your education is in economics and political science. You’ve obviously developed both the right and left sides of your brain. Do they ever war with each other? First, thank you for the compliment! I’m delighted you feel this way. I think my right-side has atrophied over the years from … Continue reading →

The Gift or Blessing in Each Day – Part 3

I hope you’ve been looking at you life and keeping a list of the gift or blessing from each day. As I look back at Sunday, it’s hard to pick just one. I ended up with a list. The morning started with a quiet time with the Lord reading Isaiah 43. I love the book of Isaiah. It is filled with promises and reassurance from the Lord. Isaiah 55:12 was the promise God gave us and reiterated often, as we waited for his timing for our move. I have something to share with you about that too, that hit me … Continue reading →

What You Didn’t Know About Central Park Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides

New York City officials say there’s a lot you don’t know about those seemingly innocent (and in my opinion pricey) horse-drawn carriage rides through famed Central Park. Namely, that the horses responsible for taking you on your leisurely rides aren’t being properly cared for. A recently published city report states that the animals are not getting enough water, shade or proper medical treatment. According to the report, city agencies “haven’t kept up with required veterinary checks and carriage inspections, and the horses work in sometimes shoddy conditions.” The agencies that oversee the carriage rides are being accused of “dropping the … Continue reading →

What Kind of a Baby Was I?

Children LOVE to hear stories about themselves when they were younger! Whether accompanied by a leisurely look through old photo albums or watching video of bygone days, part of a family’s story involves keeping those tales of babyhood and the younger days alive. I’ve found as a parent, that now that my kids are older, it’s interesting for me too to look back and see how much of their personalities have been with them from day one and how much they’ve changed in other ways. There was a period here a couple years ago, when my kids weren’t too interested … Continue reading →