Read WITH your kids

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Thomas

As I wrote about in a previous post, reading with your kids and introducing them to “deeper” topics is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Darren Hardy, publisher of SUCCESS magazine, tells the story of Kevin Small, who read Darren’s book “The Compound Effect” with his young son. Go ahead and read his blog post. No, I’m not affiliated or associated in any way, but I’ve read “The Compound Effect” and I can testify that it’s a fabulous book!

Have you read “The Compound Effect”? Any other books you can recommend reading with your kids? Please comment below.

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Reading at the dinner table

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Thomas

Reading at the dinner table

How to engage him in dinner time conversation and not have him dismiss it as 'educational'?

My kids like to read while we’re eating. They won’t do it continuously, they’ll just have a book next to them and read a bit “in between bites”. I was the same when I was a kid, and my mother would scold me for it, just as I’m scolding my kids now.

But I’ve changed my mind a bit. Of course, reading a book at the dinner table means that you’re not taking part in the dinner time conversation and in the family time. But I thought about a way to allow them to read, while still taking part in family time. And I found a solution: I print out short inspirational, motivational, or educational texts and leave it on the dinner table. Just a few lines, a few paragraphs – no more than a quarter of a page. It’s short enough that it doesn’t take long to read, and long enough that it has enough thought provoking content to carry our dinner time conversation through the meal. Sometimes the discussion of the text will continue for several meals, sometimes it’s quickly assessed and we move on. Continue reading →

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A rebel with a cause? – it’s a healthy sign

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Thomas

stubborn child

Is he an indigo child or is he just a rebellious child?

Do you know the situation: Your kid is misbehaving. Not by screaming or shouting or making a scene though. No, he’s just being quite calm and very, very stubborn, insisting in an almost adult way that he get his will because he’s right and he knows it!
Some people react to a rebellious child by resorting to force. Either verbal, psychological, or physical force. But it doesn’t solve the problem. But is it actually a problem? Isn’t it a natural and healthy development we’re witnessing?

In the sixties, the concept of “indigo children” was developed. Some New Age gurus saw them as a manifestation of a new and better human race that would eventually free the world from hunger, war, and crime. Others contend that labeling as indigo child is a bad excuse for mental disorders. From Wikipedia: “Descriptions of indigo children include the belief that they are empathetic, curious, strong-willed, independent, and often perceived by friends and family as being strange; possess a clear sense of self-definition and purpose; and also exhibit a strong inclination towards spiritual matters from early childhood. Continue reading →

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