Character Building from KidsDiscuss.com

Parenting with Baby Brain Insights: What Your Newborn Really Wants

 

"My Baby Brain Craves Your Loving Touch!"

Developing your baby's brain is easy with Deborah McNelis' fun activity cards, Love Your Baby: Making Connections in the First Year. Deborah, the creator/owner and author of braininsights, is a presenter and a brain development specialist. Let's look at the advice from Deborah, our parenting expert for today.

"Did you know that a large part of your baby's brain development will happen after birth? And were you aware that much of the development will happen based on the experiences that child has in the early years?"

What Your Baby Would Ask for If He Could Talk:

"My brain wasn't fully developed when I was born. Loving interaction is what I need most to help it grow best."

CARING CONNECTIONS ~ Instructions from Your Newborn - 0-3 Months:

"Gently feel, rub, and caress my hand while feeding me. Give my hand soft kisses. Always hold me during feedings. Look lovingly into my eyes."

******

Deborah McNelis as an early brain development specialist, has just shared an activity you may be doing out of love for your baby but did you know it helps with brain development too? What a bonus for you and your baby!

******

Make Caring Connections a Habit!

Whenever you feed your baby caress her hands and kiss them. Hold her and look lovingly into her eyes. This means putting yourself in a relaxed state and taking the time your baby wants and needs.

Deborah created 40 beautiful cards with loving activities and advice like the ideas above.  Pick up her Brain Insights Cards entitled Love Your Baby: Making Connections in the First Year

Let's APPRECIATE Deborah McNelis for her excellent work in brain development and for sharing the ideas we need to give our babies what they really want. 

     Deborah McNelis

******

Please support today's author and share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the COMMENTS link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on the icons or  Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

Character: Here's How a Lawyer Got Kids to Think about Moral Reasoning

Getting Kids to Think about Character

Most kids need character training to elevate their moral reasoning. Our parenting expert, author, and lawyer, Michael Sabbeth, discussed moral reasoning with classroom kids. Here's an excerpt from his book, The Good, The Bad, and the Difference, where he's discussing 'standing up for your convictions' with students.

 

Take the Con' Out of Convictions 

Jason said that character meant standing up for your convictions. An alarm bell rang in my mind. Is it always a virtue to stand up for your convictions?

Ask your child that question and see how long it takes to slash through this cliche-driven thinking. Probably not long. I've had many such discussions. Without fail, they began with the students extolling the virtue of standing up for one's convictions.

"Why," I asked? I share the remarks of typical class.

"It's important to stand up for what you believe in!" the students roared.

"I disagree," I said with a challenging tone. They looked at me with narrowed eyes, like the torch-bearing villagers going after the beast in Beauty and the Beast.

"You're wrong," Samantha retorted. Her words sliced the air like a saber. "You always tell us to stand up for ourselves. You don't even listen to yourself!"

That was the unkindest cut of all!

Softly, as if on the verge of total defeat, I asked "Is it a virtue to stand up for your convictions if you believe people of a certain color should be slaves?"

Silence.

Less softly, is it good to stand up for your convictions if you believed that people should be imprisoned or executed without a trial or without evidence against them? If your convictions demand that you fly jets into office buildings or shove people into gas chambers? Are those examples of character?

"Well, what we meant, obviously," Julie harrumphed as if it didn't need to be stated, "was that you should stand up for your convictions if your convictions are good ones. That's what we meant."

Well, good versus bad, that's a rather important distinction, don't you think? The students agreed. Distinguishing between good and bad should be stated again and again. Yet, by George, I think they got it!

They  learned not to leap to a conclusion based on emotion but to reach conclusions based on reason and facts. This is how we can elevate the moral reasoning of our children.

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein (This excerpt is from pages 186-187.)

******

I love how Michael gets kids to think as he stretches their ideas to a higher level. It would have been fun to be a student in these lively discussions. I'm sure Michael loved his part too.

Pick up his book, The Good The Bad and the Difference: How to Talk with Children About Values

 Available at Amazon.com 

******

Let's APPLAUD Michael Sabbeth for his book filled with stories on how to talk about values with kids.

 

Michael Sabbeth

*******

Please support today's author and share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the COMMENTS link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on the icons or  Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

The Power of Imagination: How to Ease Your Child's Stress

 

Now You Can Teach Your Child How to Use His Imagination Well

Your child's imagination is a powerful place to reduce his stress. Our expert parenting author, Dr. Charlotte Reznick, is sharing how to help your child find his own special place where joy and success exist. This excerpt is from her book, The Power of Your Child's Imagination. Read this exercise to your child each night. Then notice the difference. Let's find out how it works.

Tool 2. Discovering Your Special Place

There are private places within your child's inner world where he can work out problems or take mini-vacations from the stresses of life, where he can relax, regroup, or just hang out in a healthy way.

Use the following script to guide your child toward whatever Special Place he would like to create. He might find himself in a garden, a castle, a cave, or outer space.

One child discovered "a room that can turn into anything;" another made frequent visits to the "Land of Far." It doesn't matter where yours goes or what he creates, as long as he feels protected. Once he finds safety inside, he is more likely to feel it outside, and he'll be more adaptable to challenges and change.

To introduce this Tool, say, "Let's take some time to find a place to relax." Or "Let's take a little vacation." Or simply present it as a game. Start with the Balloon Breath, then use this script to invite your child into a gentle inner journey. Combining the Balloon Breath and a Special Place is an excellent start for most situations.

Discovering Your Special Place

"Imagine yourself walking on a beautiful path. You might hear the sweet song of birds in the distance, feel soft grass under your feet, or brush past fragrant flowers along the way.

"In front of you is a carved wooden door with all your favorite colors. It has your name on it. Open it and step through. Good.

"Notice if you're indoors or out. You might be in a cozy room, a large, open meadow with trees and flowers, or somewhere else wonderful. You decide.

"This is your Special Place, where you can feel good about yourself. You deserve a peaceful place of your own. Here you are safe. You can play, study, rest, talk with whomever you wish, or do absolutely nothing.

"Surround yourself with everything and everyone that brings you joy. Invite people or animals you'd like to be with you. Whenever anyone walks through the door, they love and accept you just the way you are.

"If you've decided to be on your own, you can enjoy that, too. Let your imagination have a grand time. All this is for you. Remember who you really are: unique and important to this planet."

(Note: Close this imagery here or continue onto another Tool. To end now, say: "When you're ready, come back here feeling refreshed and open your eyes."

To end at bedtime, say: "Now breathe deeply and allow yourself to fall asleep naturally.") (This excerpt is from pages 25-26.)

******

Children have wonderful imaginations. According to Dr. Reznick, they often go to "Flights of Fancy." She is teaching parents how to develop this gift in ways to help your children reduce stress and anxiety. Pick up her excellent book full of useful tools, The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success.

                Available at Amazon.com

Let's HONOR Dr. Charlotte Reznick for writing a book that helps us, who are parents, teach our children find joy and success through the power of their imaginations.

 

Dr. Charlotte Reznick

*******

Please support today's author and share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the COMMENTS link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on the icons or  Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

Teen Suicide Risk: How Parents Can Assess Their Grieving Children

 

Assessing Grief

If your child or teenager is overcome by grief, how serious is it? Our parenting experts and authors, Drs. Heidi and Gloria Horsley, have important ways to assess the signs. Here is an excerpt from their excellent book, Teen Grief Relief.

Let's look at a few questions that could help you sort out a person's real risk for ending his or her life.

Assess their risk levels - and yours  -  by honestly answering the following questions:

1. Have I thought about or mentioned suicide?

(There are references to teens' stories from previous pages.)

Admad's response of wishing he'd been with his father doesn't necessarily put him at high risk for suicide. It's not unusual for people who have suffered losses to say that they wish it had been them or that they don't want to live.

However, wishing you had gone with your loved one and having thoughts of killing yourself, like Jay, are very different thoughts.

2. Do I have a plan?

Jay has a loose plan. He could drive his car off a cliff or into a tree. If your answer is "yes," you need to tall someone now.

Tell a parent, a teacher, a therapist, a minister or a friend, or pick up the phone and ask information to give you the suicide-prevention hot line. You may even be put through to one especially for teens.

3. Do I have what I need to carry out the plan?

Jay has access to a car, so he does have the means to carry out the plan. If you do, get rid of it.

Flush the pills, toss the rope, turn in the gun, give up the car keys. Don't do anything spontaneously right now. Call someone whom you know can help you, or call the suicide hot line.

WARNING SIGNS

Feeling

. Hopeless

. Helpless

. Worthless

Thinking or Saying Things Like

. I wish I was never born.

. I wish I was dead.

. Nobody cares if I'm alive or dead.

. Everyone (or certain people) will be better off if I'm dead.

. If I kill myself, nobody will have to worry about me anymore.

Doing Things Like

. Skipping school and getting poor grades.

. Giving away your clothes, jewelry, sports equipment, books, CDs and other personal things.

. Eating and /or sleeping a lot more or a lot less than you used to eat or sleep.

. No longer caring about personal hygiene.

*******

To find out more risky behaviors and how to create a safety net go to page 40 of Teen Grief Relief: Parenting with Understanding, Support and Guidance.

             Available at Amazon.com

This is such a serious subject and parents need to know how to assess their teens' suicide risk. Let's give Drs. Heidi and Gloria Horsley our DEEPEST THANKS for their help.

 

Drs. Heidi and Gloria Horsley

 *******

 Please support today's authors and share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the tiny comment link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

How Can An Angry, Depressed or Guilty Parent Survive and Thrive?

 

How Parents Survive and Thrive

All parents feel angry, depressed, and guilty from time to time. Today our parenting expert and author, Katherine Gordy Levine, is sharing her emotional fitness training from her outstanding book, Parents Are People Too.

Katherine and her husband have been foster parents to over 360 children. They know the good, the bad, and the ugly feelings all parents can have. Katherine, a professor, psychotherapist, and parent knows how to help you deal with your emotions.

Emotional Fitness Training

You'll find wonderful techniques to help you deal with negative feelings and prevent them from colliding into the danger zone. Here are a few strategies she'll share with you along with real life stories to help you realize all parents have difficult feelings.

1. Breathing exercises

2. Realizing the importance of your feelings

3. Doing a body scan

4. Naming the negative feeling

5. Observing the feeling

6. Dampening the feeling

7. Soothing yourself

8. Visualizing

9. Developing a feeling thermometer

10. Creating a safe place.

Katherine even gives you a STOP plan, helpful slogans, and distraction techniques if you have a colicky baby or an angry disrespectful teen.

Here are some of Katherine's rules for slogans:

"The shorter and snappier the slogan, the better. In keeping with the concept of layering, I try to keep my slogans short enough to say while exhaling during a calming breath. Some people find one slogan is enough. I think it is more helpful to have lots of slogan to use. Some situations call for one slogan, other situations for another.

Here are some examples of slogans:

. Life is learning

. Caring works

. Let go

. Doing my best

. Doing his best

. Now is not forever

. I don't control everything (From page 112)

******

I recommend Katherine's emotional fitness training. It will help you survive, thrive, and become an effective parent. One more thing, her writing is conversational, easy to understand, and full of caring.

Pick up Katherine's book, Parents Are People Too: An Emotional Fitness Program for Parents.

Available at Amazon.com

******

Let's give a special THANKS to Katherine Gordy Levine for understanding the emotional toll parenting takes on us and for giving us the tools to turn our negative moments around. Her strategies will help us to raise emotionally healthy children too.

 

Katherine Gordy Levine, MSS

******

Please support today's author and share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the tiny comment link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

Character Building: How To Have Conversations with Kids That Promote Integrity

Parenting Succeeds When Children Learn Integrity!

If building character in your kids and promoting integrity are importing parenting skills to you, keep reading. Our parenting expert and author, Annie Fox, is sharing an excerpt from her brand new book, Teaching Kids to Be Good People.

 

Real World Assignment: Integrity

When kids get the message that their best isn't good enough unless they take home the gold, how can we be surprised when they break the rules to get what they want (including our approval)?

Fuel for Thought

Where did you learn your values regarding personal integrity? When a cashier or waitperson makes a mistake in your favor, how do you typically respond? Would you respond differently if your child were with you? Think about a recent time when your integrity was tested? What happened? What did you learn?

Conversations That Count

Discuss the concept of "personal integrity" (adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty). To make the concept real, share examples with each other of when you stuck with your principles as well as instances when you let your principles slip. Discuss what you learned when you did and did not live up to your own standards. Together, explore the connection between integrity and trust and what can happen when we find out someone we trusted hasn't been trustworthy.

Teach

Check in regularly with your child about tests of his/her personal integrity at school and online. Creating a safe place to talk about ethical challenges helps kids gain confidence in processing options and doing the right thing.

*******

Annie Fox encourages us to really talk with our children about issues in their lives. She tells us to make our homes a safe place to share their moral dilemmas and concerns. You'll find top-notch advice in her book with real life problems and solutions. She is a nationally respected character educator with 30+ years of experience.

Pick up Annie Fox's book, Teaching Kids To Be Good People, Progressive Parenting for the 21st Century

Available at Amazon.com

*******

Let's give our heartfelt THANKS to Annie Fox for giving us the information we need to build character in our children.

 

       Annie Fox, M.ED.

******

 Please share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the tiny comment link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please support Annie Fox and write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

Homework: Why Don't My Kids Learn from Mistakes?

 

Homework Mistakes Frustrate Kids and Parents

Do your kids do their homework without mistakes? If not, and you've showed them over and over, why do they keep making the same errors? Our expert parenting author, Neil McNerney, is sharing an excerpt from his book, Homework: A Parent Guide. He’ll give you the answers you need with 3 solutions.

They Don't Learn from Their Mistakes

This seems self-evident, but over and over again we assume that our kids have some basic wisdom about life. They don't understand how much work it will require to be successful in life. Our kids don't have the wisdom to think about learning from what worked in the past and applying it in the future.

"I keep telling him to start projects early so he doesn't have to wait until the last minute, but he doesn't and I have to bail him out by helping the day before it's due. Why can't he just learn to get things done early?"

This is a question I hear quite a bit. Why can't he learn how to do it easier?

I think a big reason is that our kids haven't gained wisdom yet.

How do we gain wisdom? Usually by dealing with difficult situations over and over. It is the rare person who can learn a lesson the first time something bad happens. For most of us it takes a few of the same bad decisions before we "get it." Our kids are the same." They will not learn from their mistakes-at least not at first.

Let me repeat that: Our kids will not learn from their mistakes-at least not at first. This is important to remember. It's much more difficult for children and teenagers to generalize about their actions and learn life lessons from them.

They sometimes seem to make the same mistake repeatedly. But from their perspective (and limited frame of reference), each mistake is different. Thus, they have difficulty developing generalizations about their behavior. It takes a certain level of maturity and self-confidence to be able to say to ourselves: "Yep, that was my fault, and I've made that same mistake before."

What Should We Do?

a. Realize that learning from mistakes takes a very long time for many students. It won't come as quickly as we think it should.

b. Be patient. When we get frustrated with our kids when they are not "getting it," they will either just shut down or argue.

c. Be a Tentative Consultant (Chapter 5). This excerpt is from pages 93-94.

*******

Pick up your copy of Homework: A Parents Guide to Helping Out without Freaking Out

 

Outstanding Help for Parents and Kids

Available at Amazon.com

Let's show our APPRECIATION for Neil McNerney, an excellent educator and counselor, by checking out his book.

Neil McNerney, M.Ed., LPC

   

*******

Please applaud Neil McNerney by posting a comment. Just click on the tiny comment link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

 

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on 'Share This' right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

How to Bring Out the Genius in Your Child: The Story of Helen

 

Baby Genius - "If I cry, I get fed!"

Bring out the genius in your child! Our expert parenting author, Rick Ackerly, is sharing an excerpt from his remarkable book, The Genius in Every Child. He'll show you what he means. Let's find out.

Put yourself in the position of a child and look at the world from a child's point of view. You are newly born. You have been thrust into the world and have one purpose. You don't name it, because you don't yet have the words, but if you could, you would say something like:

"I am determined to make it in this world, and that means learning how it all works-and I will figure all that or by finding out how I work in it."

To that end you are physiologically driven to learn, and you spend the next five years using the scientific method to know the world and how to operate in it. You develop hypotheses ("If I cry, I get fed." "If I put my arm over my head, I can roll myself over by pushing on the floor with the opposite foot.")

Every day gets more complicated. Notice the sophistication that can be achieved by age three.

 

              "Make Yourself Happy by                   Making Others Happy."

 

The Genius in 3-year-old Helen 

One Sunday I received the following e-mail from three-year-old Helen's father:

"Helen was playing in the sandbox when a brawl between a brother and sister on the other side of the sandbox attracted her attention.

Helen looked up as they knocked each other to the ground, arguing over a shovel. She watched intently for a while, then calmly looked around, found two more shovels, walked over, and handed one to each of the siblings.

The fighting stopped. They handed Helen the shovel they had been fighting over, and all went back to playing happily together. No words were exchanged.

Helen observed a conflict, deciphered the dynamic, figured out a solution, and implemented that solution. She did it on her own and with the utmost confidence. She didn't even look up at me. This is what we want you to do for Helen, (Headmaster Rick Ackerly), and it sure looks like you are doing it."

******

If Helen Could Explain Her Genius

Rick Ackerly goes on to tell us that from her 26,280 hours of life, Helen probably made some genius hypotheses like these:

1. "Sometimes people fight because of conflicting interests, and one way to get the fight to stop is to give everyone what they want."

2. "...you make yourself happy by making other people happy." (This excerpt is from pages 24-26)

******

Rick Ackerly's whole book is dedicated to the best meaning of genius. Pick up:

The Genius in Every Child: Encouraging Character, Curiosity, and Creativity in Children

Available at Amazon.com

*******

Let's give a BIG THANK YOU to Rick Ackerly for sharing his excellent information from his forty-five years of experience working in schools.

*******

Please share your opinions about this blog post and give Rick Ackerly the great big boost he deserves. Just click on the tiny comment link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

 

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

 Click on Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

How to Build Character with Stories that Make Children Think

 

Building Character and Strong Families

If you'd like to raise children with good character but hate nagging, yelling, and lecturing, keep reading.

Amazon and I are giving my character building kindle book away for free today, Monday, October 29th and tomorrow the 30th. I'll show you how to get it whether you have a kindle or not.

Good character includes being honest, talking with respect, caring about the feelings of others, and being responsible. All children starting from babyhood are self-centered. It's normal for kids to want center stage. Good parenting means opening their eyes and helping them realize that others are important too.

Pulling them out of the stickiness of self-absorption and helping them become civilized caring people isn't easy. That's why, as a parent, teacher, and family counselor I have looked for easy ways to help parents like you build character in your children. I believe this kindle book is a fun way for you to raise children with character.

Amazon encourages you to take advantage of this offer by giving you three ways to take advantage of this offer.

First Way:

Pick up Character Building: Problem Stories for Family Discussions

At   Amazon.com

Second Way If You Don't Have a Kindle:

You can easily get my free kindle book (readable on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android phones/tablets, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7, or your Web browser with the Free Kindle Reader app).

Third Way If You Want to Borrow It:

If you're an Amazon Prime Member, you can borrow this book for free from your kindle device at Amazon.com

I hope you'll take advantage of this gift.

With warm wishes,

Jean

Jean Tracy, MSS

Please share with your family, friends, colleagues, and social media sites. Just click on Share This right next to the Green Triangle below to open up your social media sites and send. Thank you so much.

The Best Parenting Question to Ask Kids for Promoting Empathy!

 

Promote Empathy with This Special Question

 

Point Out the Effects of Your Child's Behavior on Others

 As you wait in the courtyard to pick up your eight-year old from school, you hear him taunting one of his best friends. "No wonder you always get picked last. You're such a spaz. Even I wouldn't pick you to be on my team."

Mortified, you hustle your son into the car and in exasperation demand, "What's the matter with you? James is one of your best friends." Your son looks back at you with something resembling blind incomprehension.

While none of us likes to hear our kids being cruel, there are reasons for your young son's lack of tact and you're in the perfect position to educate him. Children are naturally self-centered. If a friend, even a good friend, blows a catch on the ball field, then he's fair game for humiliation. Why? Because young children have difficulty standing in the shoes of other kids. Often the best they can do is stand in their own shoes. And their own shoes tell them just that they're not about to win the game, because someone else bobbled the ball.

The Special Question

Kids learn how to be empathic because we teach them how to be empathic. We can't ask enough, "How would you feel if..." Empathy is a skill like any other. We need to provide opportunities for our children to practice it and we need to "catch" them being good at it. At this age, your being proud of your child's behavior is typically motivation enough for them to become kinder.

Talk about Moral Issues

One of the many reasons that it's important to have dinner with your child most nights of the week is that this is a great time to discuss issues. Research shows that parents who encourage their kids to think about how people feel in different situations help kids become more empathic and more moral.

Hopefully a good moral compass is a strong part of your life. Talking about good morals regularly and seriously lets your kids know that you think this is an important part of life, a part they should pay attention to.

These kinds of discussions are most helpful when they relate directly to your child's life. At this age, talking about the responsibility of Wall Street is nowhere near as compelling as talking about the responsibility of the kid who copied your child's answers on his math test.

Supportive, back-and-forth discussions and encouraging your child's independent thinking is the best approach. Simply providing information or lecturing is far less effective.

******

Dr. Levine's advice to discussing poor behaviors, dilemmas, and asking, "How would you feel if..." is a splendid way to build character. It's so much better than yelling, nagging, and lecturing which don't work anyway. To learn more of Dr. Levine's advice, pick up her excellent book, Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success.

Available on Amazon.com

Let's APPRECIATE the valuable work and advice from Dr. Levine.

Dr. Madeline Levine

*******

Please share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the tiny comment link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

For engaging family discussions that build character in your children, pick up my kindle book Character Building: Problem Stories for Family Discussions

Available at Amazon.com

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

Next to the green sideways triangle below click on Share This  to open up and send to your social media sites. Thank you so much.