Kids and Bible Memory. . .

With the school crush beginning, and my work load increasing, I’ve really fallen down on the job of helping my kids to memorize scripture, and just making time for family devotions. In looking for some resources (and encouragement) to get me “back on track,” I came across this great website with some terrific resources and tips for parents in helping parents to help kids hide God’s word in their hearts. This one is targeted at younger kids, but I think the encouragement is there for us “older” kids too!

Bringing God’s Word into our Family’s Daily Life

Happy Parenting!

Betsy

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How clean is dangerously clean?

Hi friends - here’s a really interesting story that’s just out. Are we keeping our kids so germ free that we are increasing their risk for life-threatening allergies?

Hint: step away from the antibacterial hand sanitizers!

(And e-mail this to the parents of every “bubble wrapped/germ free” baby you know!)

Are Germ Free Kids a Petri Dish of Other Heath Problems?

Happy Parenting!

Betsy

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Check your cable or satellite TV programming. . .

Moms and dads, here’s a word to the wise: If you have a television in your house, no matter how sure you are that you don’t receive/have blocked out certain channels on your cable/satellite TV service, every so often flip around and make sure there’s nothing there you don’t want there. I recently switched satellite TV services, and unbeknownst to me, I received three “free months” of HBO and Cinemax. There is some good programming on these networks, and there is a lot of very explicit sexual content too. Fortunately, I was the one flipping around the first evening we had it, and I discovered - and got rid of - the problem. (Good programming from HBO you can pretty easily just get on Netflix.)

I’m told occsionally “free offers” and other promotions get through on our cable to satellite TV services, and we moms and dads just might not know. So every once in a while - just check.

Happy Parenting!

Betsy

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Letting our kids face a little adversity

Hi friends - here’s a piece I wrote which came out in Christianity Today’s on-line magazine yesterday. I thought I’d post it in today’s pareting tip in the hope you’ll find it helpful. It’s about building resliliant kids and letting them experience a little adversity!

Christianity Today - and. . . A Little Adveristy for our Kids

Happy Parenting!

Betsy

(Please continue to visit my on-line store, by clicking at the top of the page, where you can buy a signed copy of my book, “It Takes a Parent.” More fun items coming soon!)

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If I could save time in a bottle. . .

I marvel at how my children can drive me crazy, exhaust me, and yet make me cry because they are growing up way too fast - and all at the same time. As I watched my 6-year-old “scooter” ahead of me around the block this morning, eager to know when she could leave for school which doesn’t start for more than an hour, I thought of the wisdom of the sage who said, when it comes to our children. . .

The days are so long, but the years are so short.

That’s something for me to reflect upon the next time they are driving me nuts. Which I suspect will be in about 10 minutes.

Happy Parenting.

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A little encouragement

I saw a great sign today that helped me put things in persepctive as a mother:

To the world you may be one person; but to one person, you may be the world.

Happy parenting.

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A super easy breakfast your kids will love

The morning rush has begun, so I’m using one of my favorite morning recipes: egg nogg. Yep, egg nogg. Buy only pasteurized eggs for this. But now that such eggs are available at most grocery stores, you can enjoy this recipe. (My mother made it for us when we were little, thereby exposing us to salmonella in the raw eggs, but oh well.)

6 large eggs
about 2 cups milk
3 tbs sugar
a dash of vanilla

mix at high spead until frothy, pour into a glass with a little cinammon on top,and your kids will love it. It goes down fast and easy and full of nutrients and protein to start the day.

Happy parenting!

Betsy

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Love the skin you’re in. . .

For kids and parents, here’s a really good article in today’s New York Times. It’s about achieving a lifetime of skin health, not just skin “good looks.” I’m all for the latter, but this piece has tips for treating our skin like the life giving organ it is!

A Supple Casing, Prone to Damage

happy parenting!

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More on self-esteem

Friends, I couldn’t take notes fast enough during my interview with leading self-esteem researcher and professor of psychology at Stanford Dr. Carol Dweck on the “It Takes a Parent” radio show yesterday. Producer Lynne and I (with 9 kids between us) said after the show that we couldn’t wait to start incorporating some of Dr. Dweck’s great insights.

And so last night, per Dr. Dweck’s suggestions, I asked one of my kids “what was the biggest challenge you faced today, and what was one mistake you made - and learned from?” She had really good answers, and and she seemed to really appreciate the questions. Plus, she got the message it’s okay to fail - just learn from it!

Dr. Dweck had so many other great things to say - I can’t encourage you enough to scroll down to the next entry, click on the microphone and listen to the show. It’s only a half hour - I think you’ll be glad you did. Also, you may want to pass it on to other parents you know!

Happy Parenting! Betsy

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The self delusion of self-esteem

Hey be sure to listen to “It Takes a Parent” live today at 2:00 central, on AM1160/WYLL or streaming at www.wyll.com.

Producer Lynne and I will be interviewing Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford. She’s one of the country’s leading researchers on self-esteem, and she has really interesting things to say, like never tell your child “you are really smart” - why? Because her studies show over and over that such language makes kids fearful of taking on new challenges because they start worrying about failing - and losing the “smart” label.

Dweck says that with the self-esteem movement, we are raising a generation of kids who are both “entitled and fragile.” Find out what she means and how to do things differently in your own home! Tune in, or listen via podcast after the show. (The podcasts are up by the Friday morning.)

Happy Parenting! Betsy

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