What children need most......

Six personality attributes of emotional wellness (Part 2)

Apart from confidence, being true to yourself, and adaptability, the following attributes have shown to be characteristic of emotional well individuals:

4.  Kindness

Most of us are familiar with the golden rule Jesus gave in Matthews:  "Do unto others what you would like them to do to you."  Being kind to the people around you is a sign of emotional wellness.  Our children also learn by our example.  It doesn't matter whether the person you are dealing with is important to you or not, you treat everyone with dignity and respect just as you want everyone else to treat you.  This is one of the most important life skills we can teach our children.

5.  Being grateful

Emotionally well people know how to appreciate the good things that come their way.  The are slow to criticize or complain.  These people focus on the good of others and will thank you every chance they get for the things that they should be grateful for.  Let us live with thankful hearts - what we are is pure grace, what we have is only borrowed.

6.  You know what to value

Finally, emotionally sound people know their priorities.  They know that they should value people before material things.  Most of us are stressed out worrying about how to earn more money to spend.  But if you know what to value, you will put spending time with the ones you love at the top of your list of to-do things each day.

Six personality attiributes of emotional wellness (Part 1)

Happiness and contentment are something we all would like to have, not just for ourselves, but also for our children.  The beginning of new year is always a good time to reflect and set goals for the new year.  Let's have a look at six personality attributes of emotional well people, while at the same time pondering how we can develop these attributes in our children.

1.  Confidence

Do you need other people's approval to be happy?  People who are emotionally secured do not need the approval of other people to be happy.  As long as they know that what they are doing is right, they stand for what they believe.  This kind of attitude brings confidence to the person to face anyone and anything that comes to their life.  Building our children's confidence through praise and encouragement, therefore, has far-reaching consequences even into their adulthood.

2.  True to Self

Do you hide so-called negative emotions such as anger, grief or envy?  To be emotional stable, it does not mean you are free from negative emotions.  In order to be called emotional sound, a person has to stay true to himself or herself by acknowledging emotions and expressing them freely.  The sooner negative emotions are realized, the easier they can be dealt with.  Don't deny your child's feelings of anger or sadness, but instead acknowledge your child's emotions and help him/her to deal and cope with the emotions.

3.  Adaptability

Adapt or die? :-) Yip!  Change is part of life, and an emotionally sound person is flexible to the changes that happen around him or her.  People like this can face any event that comes their way and acts appropriately without losing their sense of self.  They can be who they truly are but are willing to compromise for the sake of what is best for everybody.  By approaching changes with a positive attitude, our children will learn from us to embrace change and not fear it.

To be continued .................

Welcome 2014!

The stages of grief

Understanding the stages of grief may help you understand your colleague or a child in your class who lost a loved one's behavior better.  Let's have a look at the stages of grief:

Natural depression treatments

Depression is a reality and can affect young and old.  How do I help my child if I detect depression?  Here are a few natural depression treatments:

1.  Get in a routine:  A daily schedule can help to keep your child on track and feel more safe.

2.  Set goals:  What can your child look forward to?  A family holiday at the end of the year?  Dinner and a movie after a tough test?  Goals an rewards are a wonderful way to keep your child motivated and on track.

3.  Exercise:  Apart from the feel-good chemicals (endorphins) released during exercise, it is also one of the best ways of coping with day to day stresses.  Exercise done in groups will also aid a child's social connections.

4.  Eat healthy:  A healthy diet is crucial in helping your child's body cope with day to day challenges.  There's also evidence that foods with omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon and tuna) and folic acid (such as spinach and avocado) cold help ease depression.

5.  Get enough sleep:  Let your child go to bed and get up at the same time every day.  Take all the distractions out of the bedroom - no computer or TV.

6.  Try something new:  A new hobby or activity is a great way to get out of the rut of depression.  Go to a museum, take swimming lessons, read interesting books etc.

Challenges our Gr. 4 - 7 kids are facing

Dear Parent and Teacher,

Here is some insight on the most common challenges our intermediate phase children are facing:

1.  Self-esteem:
Children tend to compare themselves to their peers at this age, and he/she may decide that she just doesn't measure up to others who he/she believes are smarter, prettier and more popular.  Help children to focus on their talents and to find activities which they enjoy.

2.  Academic Pressure:
The jump from foundation phase to intermediate phase are quite big for most kids.  Resist the temptation to push a child to the point that he/she can't enjoy the intermediate school experience, because he/she are so concerned about success or failure.  They still have a lot of growing up to do.  Save the college/university talk for high school.

3.  Drama: 
Bullying and other antisocial behaviors tend to peak in the intermediate phase. Be on the look out for mean children, enemies and bullies, and arm children with ideas on how to deal with them, who to turn to for help, and how to move on.

4.  Temptation:
Having frequent conversations on what's right and wrong, what's dangerous and why, and what you expect and hope for the child, is a good way to start in helping children resist the temptations of smoking, drinking, drugs and other dangerous behaviors.