acceptance / judgment / tolerance Tag | Page 37 of 38

Wonderful Things to Say to My Daughters

Amanda and I sat together and wrote 100 things she could say to her daughters in a positive way. The first step to saying good things to your kids is to start with yourself. Take a sheet of paper and write 100 good things about yourself. Yes, I know it is not easy, especially if you have not heard it from your parents, but remember, you need these thoughts in your tank if you want to easily say them to your kids.

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Do Unto Others What Works

The quote “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” is widely used by people as a “rule of thumb” for treating others. I must have heard it spoken to kids by their parents hundreds of times in different settings. But I am here to tell you that this way of thinking can get you into all kinds of strife and that if you review your relationships, you will find out how.

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Losing Your Teen 101

Teenagers have been asked about the attitudes of their parents that are the source of their bad relationships. It was amazing that they all expressed the same frustrations, same difficulties, same attitudes they hate. To them, all parents were the same. Here is a list of things parents do or say that teens find frustrating.

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Things I Want My Kids to Know: The Door is Always Open

This week, I had a talk with my 19-year-old daughter about leaving home. Because some of her friends had left home and then had to come back due to financial difficulties, we talked about the emotional aspect of “going back home”. When we talked, she told me about the feelings of shame, failure, disappointment and many other negative feelings that would be associated with having to go back home. It was after this talk that I realized there is one more thing I want my kids to know.

This post is part 3 of 7 in the series Things I Want My Kids to Know

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The Marriage Institution

Happily married couples say that marriage has taught them to accept each other’s strengths and possibilities. They argue that by doing that, they transform themselves from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Therefore, marriage is an “enabling” situation, providing the freedom for each person to be who they really are, to reach for the stars and discover what they are meant to be without ridicule or rejection.

“I got gaps; you got gaps; we fill each other’s gaps” – Rocky

After all, it is a question of attitude. When you are happy, you are able to grow and evolve. With the right attitude, every honeymoon excitement can last longer.

Many of us have read reports, which drive home the message that married people are healthier and happier, and therefore live longer than single or celibate individuals do.

For one, there is the emotional support they receive when the going gets tough, and the fact that married life provides the opportunities to sustain communication between two people, even if one of the spouses just wants to vent. In fact, one of the reasons people say they like being married is the assurance there is someone they can come home to at the end of a hard day.

Then there is the comfort of having stability and certainty in life from sharing a journey together. Some say that having someone who knows them best, understand their needs, fears and is there for them is the best friendship there is.

This post is part 4 of 33 in the series Save Your Marriage

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5 Common Parenting Mistakes

When I decided to write the post, after many requests, I was not sure what to write in the title. You see, calling something a mistake is a form of judgment, like saying there is a right way to do something, and I do not believe there is a right way. I think there are many ways and they need to suit the person who implements them.

When I studied my Special Education degree, I learned hundreds, if not thousands, of education and psychology theories. It may sound surprising to you, but some of them were in contradiction with others. For me, what we needed to do was to examine each of them and adopt the ones that match our personality, our goals and our desires. This is why no two teachers are the same and no two parents are the same (and I think this is good).

So, please, when you read the following mistakes, bear in mind that they are what I consider mistakes. I do not believe any parent does anything on purpose to hurt their kids. On the contrary, I believe all parents do the best they can. The purpose of my entire blog is to bring you information and help you make new choices where the ones you have made thus far have not worked for you.

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Little MacGyvers – Kids Who Talk to Themselves

When I sit in my car, driving the kids to school or just on my way to the supermarket, I like watching people in their cars. Some funny people talk to themselves. Yes, I know it may look like they are on the phone, but I am talking about the crazy people that actually talk to themselves.

I call these people “MacGyvers”. Do you remember the TV series with this guy who was narrating the whole time? We heard his thoughts all the time wherever he went.

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Your Self-Esteem Checklist

For people to think highly of themselves, they need to be aware of every aspect of the self and identify their own personal scale to measure their performance. Most people are so used to defining themselves based on others around them that I can understand why this is not an easy task. Easy it may not be, but it is possible and, I believe, essential.

Last week, in Service Your Self-Esteem, we talked about essential rules to increase self-esteem. To increase our self-esteem, we need to look at ourselves carefully and examine each part of what creates the self.

Last week, we met Eli, my mechanic, and talked about his checklist for car maintenance, the one he uses before returning each car to its owner. Well, here (at last) is a self-esteem checklist – your very own list of the parts of your self-esteem.

This post is part 6 of 20 in the series Self Esteem Mini-Course

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Are Your Ready?

It all started when our daughter Eden was a year and a half old. She had Pneumonia and high fever and she whizzed all day. After one dose of Antibiotics (by the way, 18 years ago, it was every 6 hours, even if it meant waking her up at night), we had about a week or two off and the whizzing started again. First kid, young parents, we went straight to see our baby specialist. He was the head of the Paediatric Ward at our local hospital and we went to his private clinic every time something happened.

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Teen(r)age: In Search of Love and Uniqueness

Many parents report frustration and doubt regarding their parenting when their wonderful children reach teen age. They dread this period and express tension and even fear. Instead of getting closer to their growing children, their child’s first teen birthday marks the formation of “the generation gap”. Teens become emotional, irrational and mysterious. Parents ask themselves “Why do teens behave the way they do? Is it hormonal? Why are they so emotional? Is it normal?”

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