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Parenting Tip
January 6, 2009
It’s Hard to Raise a Leader
Some children are born leaders. They want to control their parents, their siblings, their friends, and even people they don’t know. They have their own agenda and want everyone else to know what it is and how to fit into it. Leaders can be a real blessing in life but they sure are hard to raise.
One of the greatest gifts you can give to your budding leader is the ability to follow. To follow means listening to the needs and desires of others, submitting to someone else’s agenda, and learning how to work cooperatively on a team. All good leaders need to know how and when to follow.
Although you will nurture the leadership gifts your child possesses, it’s also your job to teach him or her how to work with others. The weaknesses of young leaders are demonstrated in negative ways like arguing, badgering, and being demanding or angry.
Don’t just brush off these weaknesses as inevitable. Take time to correct, but do it in a way that appreciates the child’s gifts. “Karen, I can tell you’re going to be a good leader someday, but remember that leaders think about the needs of others.” Or, “Jim, I like the way you take initiative with your brother. Remember, though, that a good leader is also a good listener.”
If you guide the development of your young leader you’ll not only make family life easier now, but you’ll also benefit many other followers down the road. Your hard work will be worth it in the end.
This parenting tip is from the book Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
• • • • •
Parenting Tip
January 6, 2009
It’s Hard to Raise a Leader
Some children are born leaders. They want to control their parents, their siblings, their friends, and even people they don’t know. They have their own agenda and want everyone else to know what it is and how to fit into it. Leaders can be a real blessing in life but they sure are hard to raise.
One of the greatest gifts you can give to your budding leader is the ability to follow. To follow means listening to the needs and desires of others, submitting to someone else’s agenda, and learning how to work cooperatively on a team. All good leaders need to know how and when to follow.
Although you will nurture the leadership gifts your child possesses, it’s also your job to teach him or her how to work with others. The weaknesses of young leaders are demonstrated in negative ways like arguing, badgering, and being demanding or angry.
Don’t just brush off these weaknesses as inevitable. Take time to correct, but do it in a way that appreciates the child’s gifts. “Karen, I can tell you’re going to be a good leader someday, but remember that leaders think about the needs of others.” Or, “Jim, I like the way you take initiative with your brother. Remember, though, that a good leader is also a good listener.”
If you guide the development of your young leader you’ll not only make family life easier now, but you’ll also benefit many other followers down the road. Your hard work will be worth it in the end.
This parenting tip is from the book Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
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Parenting Tip
Teaching Honor in The Bathroom
The bathroom is an excellent place to work on honor. In part, honor means that people do more than what’s expected. They look for things that need to be done and do them without being asked.
For a while, my (Scott) family had a sign by the light switch in our bathroom that read, “Is the bathroom ready for the next person?” All we were trying to do was get our children to turn around and look. Anyone else who walked by the bathroom could see what needed to be done.
Picking up the towel and taking out the dirty clothes were first on the list but we asked each child to think of one more thing to do to make the bathroom a little neater.
Did you remember put the new toilet paper on the roller? Is the sink clean? Are the towels hanging neatly? These are examples of ways that family members can show honor and they probably won’t get any credit or reward for them. This gave us the opportunity to teach our kids that if you do your acts of righteousness before men then you have received your reward, but if you do your acts of righteousness before God then God who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:1-4).
God loves honor. Children benefit from learning it, and the bathroom is a great classroom.
This parenting tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
• • • • •
Parenting Tip
Teaching Honor in The Bathroom
The bathroom is an excellent place to work on honor. In part, honor means that people do more than what’s expected. They look for things that need to be done and do them without being asked.
For a while, my (Scott) family had a sign by the light switch in our bathroom that read, “Is the bathroom ready for the next person?” All we were trying to do was get our children to turn around and look. Anyone else who walked by the bathroom could see what needed to be done.
Picking up the towel and taking out the dirty clothes were first on the list but we asked each child to think of one more thing to do to make the bathroom a little neater.
Did you remember put the new toilet paper on the roller? Is the sink clean? Are the towels hanging neatly? These are examples of ways that family members can show honor and they probably won’t get any credit or reward for them. This gave us the opportunity to teach our kids that if you do your acts of righteousness before men then you have received your reward, but if you do your acts of righteousness before God then God who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:1-4).
God loves honor. Children benefit from learning it, and the bathroom is a great classroom.
This parenting tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
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Parenting Tip
December 24, 2008
Christmas: Don’t Forget to Say Thank You
Gratefulness is an important life quality because it helps us to be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about what we don’t have. Gratefulness is a lifestyle but it starts by saying “Thank you” to others who bless us.
Begin now to prepare your children for receiving gifts. Talk about the importance of the giver, not just the gift. Teach children to look at the nametag first so they can be thinking of the person who gave the gift while they open it.
Encourage children to express thanks to the giver, even if that person is not in the room at the time. A phone call to extended family or a thank you note to a distant friend can mean a lot.
Gift receiving sometimes provides that awkward moment when we want to ask, “What is this?” or discover that we already have one of these. Play a “What if” game with children to help them anticipate how they might say thank you in those times.
Opening gifts can happen fast and then children are off playing with new toys and games. Helping them to take time to express gratefulness can extend the true meaning of Christmas past the few hours of Christmas Day. And don’t forget to take time to thank the Lord for his special gift in Jesus Christ for us.
To learn more about teaching gratefulness, take a look at the book Parenting is Heart Work by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
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Parenting Tip
December 24, 2008
Christmas: Don’t Forget to Say Thank You
Gratefulness is an important life quality because it helps us to be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about what we don’t have. Gratefulness is a lifestyle but it starts by saying “Thank you” to others who bless us.
Begin now to prepare your children for receiving gifts. Talk about the importance of the giver, not just the gift. Teach children to look at the nametag first so they can be thinking of the person who gave the gift while they open it.
Encourage children to express thanks to the giver, even if that person is not in the room at the time. A phone call to extended family or a thank you note to a distant friend can mean a lot.
Gift receiving sometimes provides that awkward moment when we want to ask, “What is this?” or discover that we already have one of these. Play a “What if” game with children to help them anticipate how they might say thank you in those times.
Opening gifts can happen fast and then children are off playing with new toys and games. Helping them to take time to express gratefulness can extend the true meaning of Christmas past the few hours of Christmas Day. And don’t forget to take time to thank the Lord for his special gift in Jesus Christ for us.
To learn more about teaching gratefulness, take a look at the book Parenting is Heart Work by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
