Should We Apologize To Our ChildrenWritten by Russell Turner
An apology is a sign of strength, not weakness. Sometimes we may believe that if we apologize to our children we weaken ourselves and rules we are trying to keep. We may also believe it will make our children think their behavior was okay. It is important to understand that this is not case. I have found myself at times reacting negatively to my daughter’s occasional inattention to her daily diabetes care. Not just negatively but loudly. What I discovered was that I could apologize for how I responded to her behavior, without condoning what she did. (Or didn’t do) Apologizing in this manner makes it clear that I am not relaxing rules. It does not undermine my authority or my ability to make rules and expect compliance. I found it does set a good example and encourages her to be open and apologize when she has done wrong. Apologizing shows empathy for what I may have done to her feelings and respect for her right to be treated fairly.Apologizing shows that you can admit error without loss of face. It shows that your self-esteem is strong enough to be left intact. It teaches your child to take responsibility and shows them that everyone makes mistakes. And finally it will prove to your child that you both can survive mistakes. Showing that we have strength to admit to and survive mistakes helps to encourage our children to have same strength in their dealings with others. It’s important to demonstrate that a relationship can survive errors. Our children need to know that it’s possible to make amends and give another person option to do same in return. Apologizing lets a person both give and experience forgiveness. If our children grow up with experience of apology and forgiveness within family, they will be far better equipped to deal with relationships they will develop as they grow up. There are few life skills we will ever teach our children that are more important than this. Different Ways of Apologizing We can apologize by saying it in words, by doing something for our child, or buying something for our child. Don’t start yelling at your computer screen, I’ll explain buying part in a minute.
| | Simplifying Your LifeWritten by Lorraine Curry
The simple life is a life lived with a single focus. The more responsibilities a person has, more complicated life becomes. For generations focus for women was their families. I have often longed for past, thinking how wonderful if we could turn back clock to a simpler time. But, here we are, in a 21st-century world, and now most of us have at least two major responsibilities in our lives: 1) homes-families and 2) homeschooling. Some of us have added responsibility of a home business. Others are involved in a ministry or a church that takes a good portion of their time. You may even be attending college, working at a job or doing something else that divides your focus.If you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities, here is a unique schedule that you might like to try. Since more can be accomplished when you concentrate on one thing at a time, do just that. Each week will have a different focus. That week most of your activities will be related to that major area, although there will be some things that will have to be done each day, whether or not they are part of that week’s focus. These daily activities will be few, and will include meals, dishes, Bible and devotions. Week 1 Homeschooling Week. This week, morning to evening you will focus on your children’s education. You will read homeschooling books privately, plan homeschooling, set goals, monitor progress, give tests, read aloud, hear narrations, do projects, research, give your children assignments and tasks for week(s) you will not be homeschooling. Having “Homeschooling Week” every other week for a year would give you sufficient hours “at task” but if your children can work independently, you could have this formal homeschooling week less often. Week 2 Cleaning Week. Yes you can clean for a week! I spent a whole month on our house one time! This is when you do major jobs— appliances, walls, scrubbing and perhaps even painting and sewing for home. See Easy Homeschooling Techniques for details on cleaning and organizing your home.
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