Many parents struggle with getting their children to go to bed. Often it is a struggle and a source of stress and arguments and they have a hard time getting compliance. Hopefully these steps will help make the bedtime routine a bit easier.
Great Yoga videos by Anita Goa. She is preparing one for children.
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Usually it is more natural to think that children are the ones that need to grow up, not us :-). But you will be surprised to know, or maybe not, that children also allow us to grow up. You can read more about this in Dr Shefali Tsabary’s book on Conscious Parenting. It is simply a good read for all parents and she explains in more details how, while we parent our children, our old wounds tend to come up to the surface. And in the process this can at times taint our judgment when it comes to our interactions with our children.
When we accept that we too need to grow, and we open our eyes to the lessons our children place upon our paths, it actually strengthens our bond, and in the process we have a lot more compassion for our children.
Here is a video version of a previous Blog post. I hope you enjoy it.
It covers the multiple benefits of getting your children involved in chores from a young age. It is a mistake to only focus on academics…. then their self esteem is defined solely on academic success. What if your child struggles in school, then what? Too many times I see children’s self esteem suffer because they define their worth on externals, such as academics or sports.
Chores, among other things, allow children to build their self esteem, a sense of mastery, competency, responsibility, and many other skills and qualities. We need to shift our negative focus from chores being”chores” and rather opportunities to connect, take a break, be mindful while doing a task and thus disconnecting from complicated life issues or struggles.
Maybe after watching this video you too will see your household responsibilities in a totally different light… Enjoy!
Photo Credits: This presentation contains images that were used under a Creative Commons License. Click here to see the full list of images and attributions: https://app.contentsamurai.com/cc/2588
I have found on You Tube a series of inspirational short videos that I plan to share with you, one at a time.
When it comes to teaching children, schools have moved away from life skills, spirituality, home economics etc… the things that made us well rounded individuals.
Now school’s main focus is academics, to a point that arts and sports are no longer a priority, and teaching to read and math have taken priority over play with children as young as 4. I heard lately that we are the only nation (North America) that does not teach our children to meditate and live mindfully. It is quite a shame.
So now these teachings become the sole responsibility of the small family unit. We no longer have a village to raise a child, so it all depends on us, the parents. It all starts with US…. to heal our children, to teach our children, we FIRST need to live by the principles we want to pass down to them. We need to teach by example, not by lecturing here and there.
So, use these videos and watch them with your kids and start a discussion and make it a goal each day to live by these principles. You will see a shift in your family dynamics, but first, you will see a shift in you. It is a lot easier to teach something when we experience it rather than intellectually comprehend it. Our energy changes and it is contagious and our children change by osmosis. It is truly magical. Children are master imitators. Take advantage of it.
The first in the series is about gratitude. Here are a few quotes I have picked up from it…. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The pictures are stunning, you’ll see. Reminds us how amazing nature is and how much beauty surrounds us that we take for granted.
Life is about making choices and choosing what is important
Too many choices creates anxiety
Focus on what’s important, too often we take for granted the little things in life
Focus on what you do have, leaves little room for dwelling on what you don’t have
This fuels joy in your life and this turns it into gratitude
Look at the little things that surround you, the beauty
If you find your path you will never lose your way
Watch this alone, or with your children, and try to live by this principle. It will bring more joy and less anxiety or worry in your life, or despair.
From the time they are two, children can already help you around the house. Nowadays, all too often, parents struggle in getting their teenagers to help; it is an ongoing battle. Other parents worry that children should just focus on their homework and not be distracted by chores or daily routines, or they think children are too young and incapable of completing tasks such as chores, or finally, they feel guilty that they are using their children as child labourers.
The thing is that there are multiple benefits to teaching children to help out around the house from the time they are really small. It is of a great disservice to actually not do this. I thought I would simply list below those benefits, and maybe it will change your mind about getting your children involved in household chores and daily tasks:
It teaches them to be responsible
It teaches them to be organized and time management
It reduces clutter which causes a lot of stress
It teaches them to respect their belongings and thus respect the belonging of others
It teaches them cooperation
It teaches them how to live in community and how to be respectful of other people’s space
It teaches them organizational skills and various other life skills
It teaches them to live in a clean environment
It teaches them about life in a realistic way
It teaches them about rules and compliance : that’s just the way it is
It teaches them to become conscious individuals (of themselves, others and the environment)
It teaches children to want to help around the house and contribute, and later you don’t have to pay them to do chores. Do you get paid to clean, cook, fix the house? So why should they?
It instills rhythms in their lives, and rhythms foster safety and security
It prepares them for adulthood
They make better roommates and spouses
Little children especially do not see this as a chore and they love helping out
If you start when they are young it won’t be a battle later on
It is another way to bond and connect with your children
It greatly helps you out, and as they get older it frees up your time
It keeps your house clean and clutter free
It lessens your load and helps you out
Children love to help and they feel good about themselves for doing so
It develops empathy
They are proud of themselves when they accomplish a task and bring it to its completion
They become helpful children and help outside of your house as well
It develops different skills at different ages
They become well rounded individuals
You don’t need to worry when they go on sleepovers or visits that they won’t help out
It fosters gratitude
They appreciate you better, because they experience the efforts involved in taking care of a house, meals and people.
When you start young, not only do they learn it is part of life, later as teens, you don’t need to bribe them with money or threaten to take away privileges, which ends up backfiring on you anyways.
I am sure that there are many more benefits I could come up with that are offshoots of what I have already listed, but you get the point. In my sense there is no negative consequence to getting your child involved in chores or daily routines, at all ages.
I have included a chores list developed by Maria Montessori. I hope it helps, pin it on your fridge as a reminder. You can find the original here to print.
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