Nov 12 2019

Keeping Balance in My Daily Life

Last summer, I made a commitment to expand my own personal growth when I discovered that I would not have my college son living at home during the summer break. When reviewing the list of activities that I planned to complete during the summer, I found the following mixed results:

I increased my exercise routine by walking at least three times a week. Now I am focusing on moving and exercising daily. I am also committed to finding a friend to walk with to increase my exercise goals throughout the school year.
Although I read many work-related books, I still have not found the time to enjoy leisure reading. I plan to find more time for relaxing with books in the future.
As a commitment to make time for visiting friends, I walk every Saturday that I am home with my cousin. On Sundays, I started meeting a friend for coffee. I am also participating in a series of leadership seminars in northern California and plan to see friends when traveling.
I continue to take the time to be a kid for a day with my spouse. We traveled to Chicago and bicycled along Lake Michigan. We took leisurely walks along the Santa Monica Pier. We visited Northern California and Camarillo for added play dates this fall season.
Finally, I excelled at getting my house organized for another school year. I cleaned out my kitchen cabinets and one of my bathrooms. I gave away over 10 sacks of papers, brochures, and collectibles. And I donated over 100 professional books to the library or gave them to teachers.

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Nov 05 2019

Learning About My Grandson When Cleaning

A couple times a month, I help my grandson sort out school papers and clean his room. Although it looks like we are helping mom accomplish a difficult task, I love helping my grandson because I am able to learn more about his interests and what he is learning in school.

A Shared Experience

Our room cleaning project has provided the following insights:

We occasionally sort through his toys to identify what he wants to keep and what he no longer needs and would like to donate to other children.
As we sort the toys, we discuss happy memories playing and what we would like to do in future on various play dates.
We discuss various interests and how his toys can help him explore new interests. For example, Lego can be used for various science explorations.
My grandson is able to reflect on what he values and I can share my experiences.
We brainstorm new activities and outings we can share together to explore new and expanding interests.
Sometimes, we sort through his book collection and talk about our many memories of reading various books together. We may start reading the book together again and relive various interests and outings that are relevant to the story. My grandson may also decide that some of the books should be donated to other children.
When sorting artwork, we discuss how he felt when making the art piece and what it represents. My grandson may describe a wonderful adventure that he was thinking about when creating his masterpiece. Other times, he will share a silly story about how his art piece was developed and what it represents. We have wonderful laughs and discussions as he selects which artwork he wants to hang up in his room.

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Oct 29 2019

A Father’s Story About Teen Suicide

Jason Reid is a father who lost his 14-year-old-son to suicide 18 months ago. In response to this tragedy, Jason created a website for parents and their children to learn more about suicide help at www.chooselife.org. When learning about this website, I interviewed Mr. Reid to better understand how families can support his mission of ending teen suicide in the United States by 2030. The website contains basic information about teen suicide, the national suicide prevention lifeline phone number at 1-800-273-8255, and website resources at www.suicidepreventionlife.org. [Read more…]

Oct 22 2019

“Out-Growing Their Age” – How to Initiate Self-Reflection for Your Child

It is my firm belief that self-reflection can be nurtured in children while they are young. It’s different for each child since children mature at different rates, but in general, kids are independent enough around age five to start reflecting for personal growth and accepting responsibilities for their actions. Here is a strategy I have used with my children as they approached each birthday. In our home, we call it “Out-growing our age.” Even as my children are pre-teens now, we continue this practice to encourage self-reflection. [Read more…]

Oct 01 2019

Establishing and Maintaining a Relationship with Your Youth

Establishing and Maintaining a Relationship with

Your Youth

The preteen years are truly tricky for establishing connections with your youth! Not only is your child going through lots of physical growth, they are also starting to experience the emotional fluctuations associated with puberty. However, if you invest some time and have patience, you can continue to build a meaningful relationship with your child.

Make Time for Talking

First, you must devote some 1-on-1 time with your child. It could be as simple as taking that one child with you to run a quick errand, or even using a car ride to make a connection. Some bond over baking goodies, working on small home projects, or gardening in the backyard. Still, others families opt to do parent-child “mini-dates.” Pack a picnic lunch and head out for a hike, or have your child pick their favorite dessert hang-out or sushi place! The environment should be relaxed and chill so that you can carry a good conversation. The most important thing is that your child feels you value them and you love them. [Read more…]