Children’s – oops — I Mean Parents’ Good Manners Month

Sep 012009
 
Tea Party

Tea Party (Photo credit: annagarcia)

 

 

Did you know that September has been declared Children’s Good Manners Month?

OK. Everybody else will tell you that it’s Back to School Month or even Backpack Safety Month (please, please, please don’t overload the little guys. The Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that 4,928 emergency room visits each year result from injuries related to book bags and back carriers. It’s bad for both their posture and their long-term spinal health.)

Did you see that I said ‘please’? Thank you for noticing.

I try to set a good example – and encourage other parents to do the same. I believe that it is the most important way that we teach our children anything.

What comes immediately to mind is the embarrassing stories that so many of us have to tell. You know, the ones in which our toddlers use “language”? The kind we didn’t know they’d overheard from us? Thank goodness they so often do it when they’re small and cute — and we still have the option to clean up our language before they go to school!

So, how will you take advantage of this special month to improve your family’s etiquette? I must admit that I am far less concerned with which fork to use in a restaurant or who holds the door for whom than I am with the concepts behind them.

Our modern code of conduct is based on thoughts and actions designed to make others feel more comfortable. For example, long ago men started extending their right (generally dominant) hands to one another to show that they were unarmed. We teach our children to offer snacks or toys to their guests first, largely for the same reasons: to promote hospitality, peace and harmony!

Do you teach the rules, the concepts or both? Do you have any favorites?  Thanks for reading – and for sharing your comments. It’s a really nice way to let us know that you’re checking in. (See? ‘rule’ AND ‘concept’!)

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And, to thank you for being a reader, we have a special back-to-school offer…. two (2) copies of What Kids Need to Succeed (with free shipping in continental US) for $30. One to keep and one to share. (A great way to thank someone???) Please click here to access this special offer.

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Daylight Spending Time?

Jul 282009
 

 

Some of my neighbors on an after-dinner outing!

Some of my neighbors on an after-dinner outing!

This summer sure has made me feel like a little kid.  First of all, it took forever to get here.  It wasn’t the end of school we were waiting for, instead we had to bide our time and wonder just when Mother Nature would start to cooperate and stop raining on us all!  Until that occurred, it just didn’t seem like summer, no matter what the calendar said!

 

Now that we are experiencing glorious New England summer days, I find myself thinking about ‘summer things.’  I’m fortunate to live in an area where kayaking, swimming, hiking, biking, campfires and dinner straight from the garden are the ‘norm’ this time of year.

On a recent trip to visit a friend (who lives in a more urban area) I passed by a drive-in movie – – in progress!  (Haven’t seen one of those in awhile.)  And if that wasn’t enough, during my visit we bought ice cream from a ‘ding-a-ling’ truck, splashed in a kiddie pool and heard an outdoor concert.

Summer’s longer daylight hours can be a great incentive to “lighten up” on your family’s schedule a bit and try some new things.  Or maybe return to some things you ‘used to’ do.  Re-connect.  Change your perspective.

Late afternoon and early evening, after the heat of the day, is a great time to take an extra-long walk or bike ride.  You may go as far and fast as you can for exercise – or take a more social route, stopping and chatting with neighbors along the way.

Camping is another great choice – even if it means making a tent out of the kitchen table and a bed sheet!  (It still allows kids an opportunity to read by flashlight when they’re supposed to be sleeping!)

You could invent a summer holiday, develop a ‘tour’ of your town or surrounding area, read bedtime stories under the stars…..

Tell us, please, how is your family spending these lovely ‘extra’ daylight hours?

Max Meets the Fur Foundations

Jul 122009
 
German Shepherd Dog Eyes.

German Shepherd Dog Eyes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Once upon a time there was a young German Shepherd Dog who lived in an apartment.   Looking back, his family probably loved him but, did not seem to understand him.  They worked all day and left him home alone.   As happens with German Shepherd pups, he grew.  A lot.  And he had a lot of energy to burn.  It was frustrating, I’m sure.  One day, he ate a couch – or dug up a neighbor’s lawn.  I don’t remember.  It doesn’t matter.

When I met Max he was living in a shelter.  He was a little reluctant to come to me – after all, so far his experiences with humans had been frustrating and confusing.  But Max was a bit of a “foodie” — the liver training-treats won him over.

If he could tell the story, I’m sure he’d tell you that I fed him cookies and we went outside to play.  In my version, I was delighted that he saw it as play.  It didn’t seem to be  a good time to tell him that I had a checklist in my pocket and was there to evaluate him for a friend who ran a training program that might get him out of ‘doggie jail’ AND give him a career as a police dog.

Max passed his initial evaluation with flying colors.  His name was changed and he entered a rigorous training program where he experienced his share of ups and downs.  Upon graduation he became K-9 Ox and a member of the Middletown (CT) PD.  During an almost nine-year career, Ox was responsible for many felony arrests.  But his real strength was with “live finds” — reuniting numerous lost, confused or distraught individuals (children, adults and seniors) with their loved ones.

Hmmm….  let’s see…. a high-achieving adult who overcame early adversity (surrendered to the shelter) through hard work and discipline…. and contributed more than expected to his community.  Sound familiar?  Sure sounds like the life story of all the successful HUMAN adults we wrote about in What Kids Need…..

Maybe we should re-name our success principles the FUR foundations????

p.s.  if you want to see this handsome guy this link will take you to his final K-9 Olympics competition  — on the day he retired, at age 10!   Atta boy, Ox.

 

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