Mike
Carruthers:
You've certainly heard it before; spending quality
time with children is so important. Yet still…
Diana
Loomans:
Grade school children get about 20 minutes of undivided
quality time per week with their parent, with each parent.
Diana Loomans, author of the book
What All Children Want Their Parents To Know, says in addition to spending
quality time there are other important keys to good parenting that we often overlook,
for instance… Teach
by example, because parents put all this energy into trying to give their kids
happy lives when what kids most want is for their parents to be happy. Because
a happy adult in the household is going to have a lot more to bring and is going
to be much more optimistic and caring than a parent that is unfulfilled and unhappy
but trying to make their kids happy. It's
also important, says Diana, to share laughter, play and affection with your children.
We have something
that's called the "30-day smile." And to just see what happens, how
much joy and laughter you can have just by realizing that life is far too short
to be taken so seriously. And
Diana says parents need to make sure that they're not always criticizing and finding
fault but also praising kids when they do right. If
you took a moment (one minute each day) to tell your child either something they're
doing right or telling them one way that you love or appreciate them, their behavior
would radically alter and maybe even their performance in school or at home.
You can link to Diana's website
from ours: somethingyoushouldknow.net
I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know. | 
