"You've Got to Walk the Talk!

I can remember the first time. I tried to hide the fact that I was smoking from my Mother by putting the cigarette on my stomach and placing a hard cover book that I was reading at the time on top of it, thinking albeit stupidly, that the weight of the book would eventually put the cigarette out. Consequently I burned my stomach quite bad and I still have the scar to this day. My Mother sat there giving me a lecture on smoking and why it was so bad for me when she herself smoked. I accused my Mother of being a hippocrate but she never saw that side of it and grounded me for a month.

Luckily I gave up that discusting habit in my twenties and not one of my four children ended up being a smoker as of yet......

Remember as a parent you have the biggest influence on whether your kids decide to try smoking. Talk to your kids about smoking at a time when you are both comfortable and relaxed such as during a television program or on the ride to soccer practice. Your kids are going to be pressured by their peers to smoke and sometimes it can be a little tempting to try it if the so called "cool kids" are doing it. Remember kids learn best by example and if you tell them that you disapprove of smoking while you are are still smoking, you will be giving them mixed messages. It is also important to keep in mind that kids who feel good about themselves have a better chance of not becoming a smoker especially if they are involved in activities that require cardiovascular fitness like sports or other physical activities.

You can also help your kids to develop their self esteem by letting them know when they do something that pleases you as opposed to when they do something you disagree with. Positive reinforcement is a parenting tecnique that works really well in helping your children develop more self confidence so the next time they are asked to try smoking by the so called cool kids, they can say NO and really mean it!!!

Happy Parenting

Monicka

The Power of Love

While I was half watching America has Talent the other day I happened to hear the heartwarming story of one of the performers an 11 year old boy named Casey or "Little C" who had been in the foster care system for most of his young life. He was not doing very well and rarely spoke. It was not until a woman decided to adopt him and give him the love and security he truly needed and the boy thrived. Knowing he was loved made all the difference and you could tell. He was happy and confident and a talented dancer to boot. Just shows you what love can do.

Happy Parenting

Monicka

"The Right Way"

Happy Wednesday Everyone
The cleaning campaign has been put on hold for a bit because a very special project just fell into my lap that is going to take priority over everything else for the next few days. No worries, I found out that my kids are very capable of helping and I am going to make sure that they have a lot more responsibilities around the house. It seemed to be easier to just do it myself than try and get them to do things the way that I wanted them done. For instance my son offered to help me fold some towels and when he started folding I started to show him how to do it the way I would. I had to stop myself in mid explanation and say "No, I am going to let you fold them the way that you feel is best, and I am thankful that you want to help me" I think because I was brought up to believe that there was a right way to do certain things and nothing else would do. As Cassie would say BOLLOCKS!!!! How can we expect our children to ever have any confidence in themselves if they are constantly being shown the so-called "right way" to do things and who said it was the right way anyway? Maybe they would come up with a better way if given the chance, but we will never know unless we let them try.

If we don't have confidence in our children's abilities how are they ever supposed to have confidence in themselves? Think about that when you suggest that they do something the way that you would instead of letting them try to do it all on their own. It takes a bit of practice not to want to correct but it is so worth it when you see a child start to realize his potential.

I know I said in Monday's blog that I would explain how I made cleaning fun for my kids but that will be in a future blog or maybe even an article for the newsletter.

Happy Parenting

Monicka

5 Minutes for Mom Ultimate Blog Party

Hello all!

Today Monicka and I have something very exciting to share with you - a Blog Party! It's hosted by a wonderful blog called "5 minutes for Mom" (but EVERYONE is welcome to the party) - just click on the cool logo on your right to visit the party.

We're looking forward to mingling with lots of other bloggers (Moms and others) so please join in the fun.

We also thought it would be a great opportunity to launch our new "Affirmations for Kids" CD, and give away 10 copies as part of the party. Watch out for more details about this awesome CD, Monicka's little boy Justin has been using it and it has given him a great boost to his self-esteem and confidence at school. We'll post more about that tomorrow!

cyberhugs,

Cassie