| WELCOME PARENTS |
| This page is meant to provide inspirational calm to parents who need that little bit of encouragement. |
| While some of the information and experiences contained on this page, are of a very personal nature, I welcome the opportunity to share with other parents, tools of the trade that I use to strengthen my resolve, in my greatest task of raising a well-adjusted, child. It is a well stated fact that "children" do not come with manuals when they are born. Although, parenting comes more naturally and easily to some, for others, it is an ever lasting, day-to-day battle of wits, between parent and child. As a single parent, the latter of the two, has been my constant motivation to remain strong in my will. For each day that we live in harmony, is another day to be blessed. As children age into their preteen years, or what parents today call "tweenie years", they seem to become more independent by their own choice, rather than by their parents' coaxing. It was surprising to me how all through my son's elementary years, I was the one who remained dogged about time constraints and heading out the door on time for school. I thought those days would never end. When Alex entered the 7th grade this year, he went through a remarkable transformation of independence. By the time my alarm clock goes off at 7:00am, he has already showered and dressed for school. Today, it is he, who is the keeper of the clock, and makes sure we are out the door on time. Of course, the exception to this rule, is when meeting the time constraint benefits only me. |
| GUESTBOOK |
| Inspirational Quotes: |
| Praise your children openly, reprehend them secretly. ~~~~~~ W. Cecil |
| Discipline doesn't break a child's spirit half as often, as the lack of it breaks a parent's heart. ~~~~~~ Annonymous |
| The most important thing a father can do for his children, is to love their mother. ~~~~~~ T.M. Hesburg |
| Did you know, that your child could be engaging in an illegal act of delinquency known as "Capping"? What is "Capping"? Capping is a minor, though popular, act of delinquency among school age children. Capping is the term children refer to, when describing the act of "stealing" valve caps off from the valve stems of tires, on unsuspecting citizens' vehicles. I learned of this behavior through my son, who explained to me this peculiar hobby, that kids have taken up. While it seems somewhat of a "harmless" act to commit, one would think that such behavior might encourage a more serious offense. If you notice your child has an unusual collection of tire stem caps, chances are, ("they were not found on the ground"). |
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| And so...it was a warm spring day in 2005. My son had been outside playing with his best buddy, who had joined up with some other kids, which my son was forbidden to hang with. In the midst of the groups' "horseplay", a couple of the boys, including my son, dared each other to throw rocks at a window, of a local tavern establishment. My son, came home with a look of intense forlorn, and admitted to me what he'd done. Although I was proud of my son that he took the initiative to explain to me what had happend, I still saw this event as an opportunity to teach my son about "the right thing to do". The local police department was called, and the dispatcher sent an officer to my home, where my son was given the opportunity to explain the sequence of events. The officer then took my son to see the owner of the establishment, whom was not available at the time. Later in the day, my son called the owner, at his home and explained to him what the boys had done. The owner told my son that he would assess the damage and would call him back if the damage was extensive enough to warrant restitution. It is likely that the other boys involved, "hit the road" and their parents remain oblivious to that event. Perhaps the owner felt sincere appreciation that my son had come forward, but, he never did call us back. |
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| Alex had been best buddies with this neighborhood boy for a number of years. It seemed as though they were an inseperable pair, even though they squabbled from time to time. Alex was eager to make friends, and even more eager to keep them, at any cost. It wasnt long into their steady friendship that I realized Alex's friend was the dominant buddy and at times it was hard for me to accept how much Alex allowed himself to be manipulated for the sake of a "friendship". Even though I disliked this friend's tactics, I often included him in our family activities, and tried invain to help the two boys build a healthier friendship. Alex and I had many conversations about "true friends" and what criteria should be met in order to maintain a solid friendship. My own attempts to sever the unhealthy friendship my son had with this boy were disheartening. Eventually, Alex determined for himself that this "friendship" was not a desireable one, and severed the relationship. |
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| While it is clear, that children are in desperate need of our guidance, in order to be able to make rational, appropriate decisions later in life, I think that sometimes they are not given enough credit when they are able to resolve some of their own issues. Although it is important for children to be able to accept responsibility for their actions, it is impairitive as parents, that our children are able to seek out guidance from resources that are available to them. As parents, we are ultimately responsible for our children's health and well-being, but when our children are in school, we have the expectation that teachers and support staff are our eyes and ears. |
| Midi music is "We Belong", provided by Classical Midi Connection. |
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