Friday, October 22, 2010

PARENTING STARTS ON DAY ONE!

At 5th grade we already see:

... parents who have given up and say, "I don't know what to do anymore. You deal with it."
... parents who have finally got frustrated enough that they are now, "laying down the law."
... parents who have never plugged in and the child has no rules or boundaries

I have news for you....

......the minute your child was born, you became a parent and the day you brought your child home from the hospital was the day you needed to start parenting!

At 20 months Samuel...
... knows that when I say, "No," I mean it!
... doesn't always get his way and he's learning to deal with that fact
... has had his hand swatted when he knows he shouldn't be touching something and does it anyway...
... says, "Peeze" (please) and we are working on, "thank you"
... helps out around the house: puts his shoes away, knows where dirty clothes go, puts (plastic) dishes away, puts laundry in the washer, feeds the dog, carries (small) bags in from the car, picks up trash, and Richard has even started saying, "Hold the door for Mama," and Sam does it......and believe it or not, none of this is stunting his growth nor warping is pschy. He actually enjoys it.

You don't know how many times

...I've told a 5th grader, "no" and they do the act anyway and then will tell me that they didn't think I meant it....this only happens once with me because the consequences let them know that in fact I did "mean it."

...I'll give something to them and say, "And the magic word is?" They just look at me with this blank stare and sometimes, honestly, have no idea what I'm talking about.

...they leave trash on the floor, talk back and are rude and disrespectful.

I sound like I am very old with this comment, but....very few kids today...have empathy for others, can follow directions, do their best because it makes them feel good, are respectful and have a love for learning.

Do parents think respectful, educated, kind, giving children just MAGICALLY happen? If they don't teach them who will....that is very scary America.

1 comment:

Jacksmom said...

Amen sister! I was having this exact conversation at work the other day, and let me tell you something, I am 30 years old, and if my mom ever saw me acting with such disrespect and laziness that kids now do, I'd still be in really big trouble!