As a child, I not only borrowed trouble, I used it to make mountains out of mole hills. Rain on the day of my school picnic, a "B" on an exam I thought I'd aced, a pimple on prom night; but life changes perspective and mountains get smaller - with one exception. Politicians continue to make mountains out of Capitol Hill.
Politicians, however, aren't the only ones who bite off more than they can chew. Projects, PTA functions, parties - we've all struggled taking on more than we can handle. Nevertheless, I'm glad some people did. If pilgrims, pioneers and most politicians didn't bite off more than they could chew, we'd have too much on our plates.
If you don't have an apple a day on your plate to keep the doctor away, a Chia Pet will do. It's not the terra cotta figurine that wards off illness. It's the hair-growing, chia seeds that you smear on the figurine that keep the doctor from your door. Chia seeds have the highest proportion of omega three fatty acids of any plant. They're high in protein, calcium and fiber. Ch-ch-ch-chia is ch-ch-ch-cheap health care.
Chia Pets to Chevrolets, Americans are good shoppers; but the availability of both products and credit can turn good shoppers into bad savers. In fact, the U.S. is almost last among developed countries when it comes to personal savings. If a fool and his money are soon parted, we must have more fools in the U.S.
No matter where you are, absence is meant to make the heart grow fonder - but of whom? After leafing through two People Magazines while I was waiting to see my doctor, it seems absence makes the heart grow fonder of the one with whom you're making a movie.
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today - that seems to be good advice for movie stars; but for compulsive personalities like me, those are words we live by. Like all other compulsive personalities, I compulsively want to change. I want to stop and smell the roses - I just don't want to pick them. But there I go again - borrowing trouble.
Have you ever heard yourself saying this to your kids "If you two don't quit fighting now, I'm going to have to....." It's my sincere wish that you do NOT have this habit set up between you and your children. Because if you do, it's stirring up a lot of unnecessary emotion and you'll need to break that bad habit. You'll have to put a new habit in it's place of meaning what you say, because idle threats don't work.
Let's talk about the word discipline. The word "discipline" sometimes makes your hair stand on end, but if we talk about it a bit here, I hope that we can show you a gentler meaning which is also the true meaning, because discipline is a good thing and children crave it.
Which one of these definitions gets your attention the most:
* the act of punishing
* the trait of being well-behaved
* a system of rules of conduct
* punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience
* train by instruction and practice; especially to teach self-control
I love Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary because it includes ideas from the past where I think morality and governance was not view through the liberal lens it is today. Here is what 1828 Noah uses as a definition:
*To instruct or educate; to inform the mind; to prepare by instructing in correct principles and habits; as, to discipline youth for a profession, or for future usefulness.
If you want your child to be "disciplined," you have to let him or her know what the rules are, that you expect them to follow the rules, and that if they don't follow them, there will be consequences. It's wise to establish the rules through a discussion with them. It's a great idea to let them name the consequences for their non-conformity. However, if they do not, that does not mean that you don't have to. One of the most wonderful gifts you can give your children is consistent discipline. Children love consistency and consistency takes work on your part.
You can totally destroy your loving discipline system - the one you view as "education" -?) of your children is to make threats that you have no way to follow through on. There was the hilarious time one of my kids broke a rule in a big way and I told her "All right, you are grounded for 35 years."!" We both started to laugh, because there was no way I could enforce that, but it did let her know how angry I was at her stepping outside the boundary.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Only say it once.
Just memorize those three sentences and by burning them into your mind, you'll save yourself long hours of unnecessary repetition and enforcement. If you mean "immediately come to the table" say what you mean; mean what you say; say it once; be ready to enforce a consequence. You'll only have to do this a few times and your children will get the picture fast. It will be much more harmonious for all of you if you can learn this loving skill and give up emotionally blasting threats..
Both Knight Pierce Hirst & Len Stauffenger are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Knight Pierce Hirst has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Humour and Internet Marketing. KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST takes humorous looks at life. at. Knight Pierce Hirst's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.
Len Stauffenger has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bathroom Home Improvement, After Divorce and Health. In his book "Getting Over It: Wisdom for Divorced Parents," Len Stauffenger shares his simple wisdom gleaned from his divorce with his daughters and with you. Len is a Success Coach and an Attorney. You can purchase Len's book and it's accompanying workbo. Len Stauffenger's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.