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Lighten Up!
by Lori Jo Kemper MBA,CPC, MIC, PCI Certified Parent Coach®, Founder of The Parenting Path®, A Parent Coaching and Positive Parenting Education Organization
Here is a great way to accomplish several positive parenting goals such as, building your relationships with your kids, and lightening up in order to lessen tension and increase a sense of peacefulness and happiness in your home.
You have heard the saying "a family that plays together stays together"? This parenting tip addresses that one also.
Be silly. Surprise your kids with the unexpected. This is fun, even for older kids.
Some examples would be; take your kids to a movie on a school night sometime. Or do things backward on Saturday and announce that everyone get up and hop in the car - we are going for a family picnic breakfast! You don't need to pack anything fancy, but you could if you wanted to. Even a drive through McDonald's on your way to a great picnic spot is a great surprise event. Then, enjoy a beautiful location, some great family down time together, maybe a short family devotional, and maybe even a walk. No agenda, just you, together.
Another idea, wake your kids in the middle of the night on a warm summer night, take them outside and lay on the grass on blankets and count satellites together. No special reason. Just because you wanted them to remember that experience. If you have never done that, it is fun. It is great to lay in the dark, all in a row, looking at the night sky.
We used to do something with our kids that we called "Clown around", after a favorite children's book when our kids were small. The "clown around family" did everything upside down and backward from the norm. They ate dessert for breakfast and all kinds of silly things. So we would have "clown around" mealtimes now and then. Our boys liked that. Once we roasted hot-dogs for breakfast while camping. Simple, but they were small and loved it.
Keep surprising them with lighthearted moments over the years and enjoy those memories.
Lori Jo Kemper is a PCI Certified Parent Coach® and speaker.
Copyrighted, Lori Jo Kemper, All rights reserved, 2008. www.TheParentingPath®
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A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if You can't make me a better boy, don't
worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am!"
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