Andrea Patten

How Are Those New Year’s Resolutions Holding Up?

Jan 152013
 
Cleanup in Times Square after New Year's celeb...

(Cleanup in Times Square after New Year’s celebration. Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

I often hear that it takes twenty one days to develop a new habit…  Sometimes, however, when learning that new habit, we forget to pair it with developing the discipline needed to continue to take action.  Consistency helps to develop our self-discipline ‘muscle.’

Although people have a variety of work styles, there are chores and activities that need to be accomplished every single day, not just once in a while.  Your dentist probably wouldn’t be happy if you ‘saved up’ and did all of your brushing and flossing just before your office visits!

Activities that may not be daily can still follow consistent patterns.  Take a look at the patterns and rhythms of life in your family.  What routines do you have for things like homework, spiritual practice, independent reading or family meals?  How about for saving money, grocery shopping or vacation planning?

Children can learn about consistency in a variety of ways, ranging from “we always take our shoes off when we come into the house” to “When Grandma sends a gift you write a ‘thank you’ before you use it.”

They also learn from our example.  What are you teaching in this new year?  Are you teaching your kids that they should ‘crash diet’ for a couple of weeks and then quit?  Or, does you example show them that with consistency and self discipline, small changes over time yield big results?

SOS: Share Our Supposes

Jan 152013
 

I’m a big fan of taking something that works well in one arena and trying it out in another.

Literacy advocate Esther Jantzen suggests that Think-Aloud is a great way to engage our kids’ thought process during story time, thereby supporting the growth of both their literacy and critical thinking skills. (You can go back and read that post here.)

What if Think-Aloud could be applied to improving and enhancing social and emotional literacy skills? What if we help our kids to ‘Share Our Supposes’ about things that we see on the news, at the mall or in our neighborhoods?

It’s a simple something that can be easily added to day-to-day routines: just stop occasionally to share your thoughts and feelings about what you observed together… and ask your child to do the same. When we do this our youngsters get to see and feel that talking about what’s going on in the world around is us a way to understand it better. It can also help them to connect to news stories and appreciate the ways that their own lives could be impacted by similar circumstances. I think that the ability to see things from another’s point of view is possibly more important now than it has ever been.

How do you talk about the news without scaring or overwhelming your kids?

When an event reminds you of a personal experience, stop and briefly talk about it. You might make a connection between what happened to you and what is happening on the news, or about the impact that a similar event might have had on you or someone you know.

Or, when you come across a story or event that puzzles you, stop and ask questions like, “I wonder why that person did that?” or “That doesn’t make any sense to me — I wonder what she was thinking?” or “Was that a good decision?”

Don’t be in a hurry — see if your child wants to add something. Listen carefully. Encourage your child’s observations.

While you may not come up with any big answers, you’ll help impart the value of asking questions AND contribute to your child’s sense of community and connection.

 

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