Thursday’s TeleSeminar, “Sibling and Friend Relations” isn’t just for parents. Many of us grew up with siblings and have questions that still linger. The research on birth order is fascinating and ofters insights into family dynamics and our own development.
Some of the ways that parents can help young siblings get along together also hold insights about the relationships among siblings once they’re grown. We’ll focus on improving sibling and friend relationships and understanding the role that friendships play throughout the childhood and teen years.
The questions participants have submitted reflect many adult questions, along with the immediate concerns about how young brothers and sisters are interacting today. Great questions. If you’d like to join in on the next Hearthside Chat, you still can. Ask a question or share an anecdote and it’s free.
Tags: birth order, grown, relations, siblings
The printer/copier/fax/scanner (Canon MX850) is up and running. Just wanted to follow up - it does seem like a real winner. The cable was stashed inside with the ink. Reminiscent of an Easter egg hunt.
How satisfying to have a manual to answer questions and describe exactly how to make everything work perfectly - unique to the concrete side of communication.
Tags: Canon MX850 Office All-In-One Printer, copier, fax, printer, scanner
I approach yarn like a photographer approaches a deer grazing in an open meadow. Respectfully, knowing who has the power, who’s in control.
I see the natural beauty in the yarn and fear that, whatever I do with it, will not honor its intrinsic nature. I am stuck with my intuition, operating a bit in the dark, without the benefit of years of experience. Instead I have the thrill of surprise. I hope for the best. My skills are primitive.
I understand the pull to have a lot of yarn. The possibilities are seductive. Does that make it feel like less of a leap to work with one particular ball of yarn? Somehow not. That would be like asking if you worried less about your cats or children if you had several. Or if you loved them less.
Having yarn in a basket is such a classically warm image. A somewhat psychotic sense of enormous wealth creeps in at the site of the colors and textures, the possibilities. Surely others would perceive it similarly. On the news they talk about Wall Street and banks and Main Street. No mention of the basket? Where’s the commercial that asks, “What’s in your basket?”
Re. Whose Homework, someone pointed out that actually Merriam-Webster did become rich and famous for being a good speller. “But no problem” she said, “I just tell the kids that I already passed the 4th grade and now it’s their turn.” (This mom knew that her kids were doing fine.)
Keeping a sense of humor is good all the way around.
Tags: sense of humor
How hard it is to let our kid’s homework just belong to them.
If you were the kind of student that cared about how many words you missed on the spelling test, how hard it is to have your child be unconcerned, or satisfied with a ‘C-’. Or conversely, if you weren’t concerned about your spelling test score, and your child comes unglued if they even miss one word, it may be hard to be empathic.
Sometimes parents can get so involved in whether or not a child/teen does their homework that it becomes an issue between the parent and child rather than between the child and their homework. How hard it is not to have the focus shift to the child rebelling against the parent’s control and becoming all about the anger rather than the learning.
Of course all of us want our children to succeed in school, and guiding and encouraging is an under-rated art. Providing the space, the materials, the family routines, the interest and the involvement in the school, all go a long way. Modeling being a learner oneself is invaluable. Occasionally, we have to ask ourselves if we are getting in the way or helping. We have to be aware of what we bring from our own lives into our interactions around homework.
I personally took spelling tests far too seriously as a child, but was fortunate to have had my first child offer some perspective, ‘Have you ever heard of anyone becoming rich or famous because they were a good speller?’ I had to say no.
Tags: child, homework, spelling test
During the TeleSeminar tonight we said that the link to “The Medicine Wheel” was here for the participants to download if they hadn’t already. So, here it is! I hope it will be useful to you, along with the story about Heather.
One of the books I mention in today’s TeleSeminar, Seven Arrows, is unfortunately out of print. However, I promised to put a link here to a place where you can still get a copy. Click here to go there now - Seven Arrows by Hyemeyohsts Storm.
Tags: seven arrows
This week’s TeleSeminar starts off with a great story that participants will likely find endless opportunities to pass along. The thing about a really good story is that it delivers a message under the defensive radar. Also, the material this week will, once again, have broad application, well beyond school.
Thursday, Sept 25, 2008 - 8PM ET / 5PM Pacific
Succeeding in School (and Life)
Thursday, Oct 2, 2008 - 8PM ET / 5PM Pacific
Sibling and Friend Relations
You can listen to last week’s Hearthside Chat, Challenging Behavior, and sign up for the next two at the same time here.
Be sure to read the email you get from Timely Talks after you sign up so that you can ask your question and download the worksheets. Questions that participants are submitting helps keep the Hearthside Chats REAL, and I hope that you will join us!
If someone doesn’t want to submit a question or anecdote, we’ve added the option to just pay for the TeleSeminars. But I hope you’ll ask a question or anecdote, thereby participating in “The Wisdom of Caring Parents” series.
While I’ve been working on the Timely Talks website in my office, I realized that I needed a new printer. After much much much research, I found one that is perfect and a great price. The Canon MX850 Flatbed Inkjet All-In-One Printer was PC Magazine’s Editor’s Pick for 2008. This time, I also researched the cost of ink as well, having learned about that extra-ongoing cost the hard way. So, I’m getting this Canon printer and will post a follow up. With the scan, fax and copy functions, I will be in good shape for communicating in a concrete way.
Even people that meditate might need a fax machine now and then!
As I was talking with some women before a class I was doing for beginning knitters, I was touched by how articulate they were about why they were there. They each worked in places that were involved with frequent crisis in families with young children.
As we were talking about the ups and downs of their days, and the benefits of mindful knitting, one said, “Well, of course, we have to keep the calm inside. You certainly can’t count on it being out there.”
Both of the women were extraordinary and very committed to being able to bring a calm to their work in otherwise hectic or upsetting situations. As is often the case with teaching, I learned a great deal from these students.