3 Simple Tips to Have More Love in Your Family

February 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In This Issue

Personal Note from Connie

New Article: “3 Simple Tips to Have More Love with Your Family”

Connie Recommends: Parenting Solutions Teleclasses
Watch for more information next week.

Personal Note from Connie

My big news for today is my new Parenting Solutions Teleclasses begin in March. I’ve been planning these for several months, and I feel now is the time.

There will be one teleclass monthly that will teach you results-driven strategies and skills about a specific area of challenge or concern for parents. Each class will include both information and extensive time for questions.

In case you don’t know, a teleclass is a class given over the phone and is somewhat like a conference call. You dial into a number (not toll-free) and then enter a special pin code. Once on the call, you can share your observations and questions and listen to everyone else.

The first teleclass will be on Tuesday, March 12 in the evening. Be sure to save the date!

The topic will be the most-requested challenge in my survey last November. I’ll tell you what it is next week, and I’ll be sharing valuable f.ree information prior to the class itself.

Watch for my announcement next week!

Happy trails!

To your Joyous Family!

Connie

P.S. A big, warm welcome to all our new readers! I look forward to getting to know you.

P.P.S. Do you know someone who is passionate about being a good parent or who might like a little help to create a more harmonious, fun, and easy relationship with their child? If so, would you please forward this email on to her?

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New Article: “3 Simple Tips to Have More Love with Your Family”

In honor of Valentine’s Day tomorrow and because I know we can all enjoy a little more love with our family, here are 3 simple actions you can begin today to make every day Valentine’s Day.

Tip #1: Every day think of one quality or skill you appreciate in each person in your family. Then pause for a few moments to enjoy how delightful you feel to enjoy this special quality of this person you love.

It can be as mundane as “I appreciate that my husband does the dishes every day” to as profound as “I love seeing how comfortable my son is being himself.”

Whatever you think of, be sure it’s something that genuinely feels good to you and then enjoy it in your heart. Hint: You will notice a smile lighting up your face.

Tip #2: Do one thing every day that will please at least one other person in your family.

Be sure to do this without any expectation of what the response will be. Simply do it because it feels good to you to express your love through your actions.

Sometimes these actions may be simple, such as getting someone’s favorite flavor of ice cream when you’re at the store, and others more complex and involved, such as planning a surprise outing.

Tip #3: Most important of all, do one thing for yourself everyday that makes you feel good.

Maybe it’s dancing to your favorite song, a night out to see a move, or even a day adventure by yourself. It could even be 10 minutes admiring your garden or listening to the birds.

Often the most simple can be the most magical and fulfilling.

There you have it! 3 simple, totally-do-able actions you can take to create more love in your family. If tackling all 3 at once seems like too much, then start with one of these tips. Do it for a week or two until it becomes a part of your life and then add the second one of your choosing.

Having more loving feelings and interactions with your family is not really that complicated.

If you’re having trouble with any one of these, be gentle with yourself and begin at a simple level.

For example, if your teenage son has been frustrating and difficult for what seems like forever, it’s probably going to take some digging to think of even one thing you can appreciate about him. Choose something small like the color of his eyes or a memory from childhood.

Simple small actions can create amazing beauty and joy in your family. Simply look at the mountains to see what simple small actions can create.

Joyous Valentines Day to you and your family!

What are you going to do? Let me know in the Comments below!
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Connie Recommends: Parenting Solutions Teleclasses

Monthly teleclasses focusing on important parenting challenges and concerns.

The first one is Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 Pacific Time. Be sure to mark your calendars. I promise it will be on a topic of importance to every parent. You won’t want to miss it!

Watch for more information next week.

Filed Under: Children, Fun, Grandparenting, Parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Are You Missing Out on Heart-Felt Appreciation from Your Child?

November 2, 2012 By 1 Comment

Almost every parent I talk with in depth admits they don’t feel appreciated by their child.

Parents of young children don’t expect appreciation, believing their youngster is incapable of such awareness.

Parents of teens hate the lack of appreciation they receive for all they’ve done and are continuing to do for their adolescent, yet it is considered ‘normal behavior’ in teens.

Those parents with children between toddler and teen passionately hope their child will figure it out.

When my son was young, I committed to trying something different from what I saw parents around me doing…and with profound, amazing results. Now, observing my two grandchildren ages 2 and 5, I am continually blown away by their heart-felt appreciation, politeness and kindness toward me and others.

Watch the short video below to learn the most important part of developing appreciation in your child.

Filed Under: Children, Current Affairs, Education, Grandparenting, Parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

For Dads…and the Women Who Love Them

July 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’m delighted to talk with you again. Our home remodel is complete – new hardwood floors and new lovely, warm colors, and more of our incredible granite in the bathroom! You can tell I love it!! Now all that’s left is unpacking a few more boxes.

My husband Doug and I also took a 6-day camping trip in the Sierra Mountains of Eastern California two weeks ago, discovering spectacular new territory, hiking, and enjoying the breath-taking beauty and peace of Mother Earth.

I hope you’re spending time with your child in nature this summer. It’s good for you and your child. It’s the perfect place to have spontaneous meaningful conversations.

I have a new video for you that I am really excited about! Of course, I’m excited about all of them, and this one is especially dear to my heart.

The emotional connection between you and your partner makes a profound impact in your child’s life, probably more than you realize. I designed this short video to give you powerful insights to deepen your partnership and communication.

A dear friend and colleague Meryn Callendar is about to release a book in which my son Orion and I contributed “Why Dads Leave: Insights and Resources for When Partners Become Parents” that addresses this topic more deeply. I’ll let you know when it is released. It is a must-read!

Feel free to share the video with your partner and other dads you know. I especially recommend sharing it with your partner, whether male or female.

What do you do to keep your emotional connection with your partner strong and flourishing? Please tell us in the comments section below. You just might give someone else an idea that will make a big difference to them. That’s one of the values of community.

Filed Under: Children, Grandparenting, Loving Yourself, Parenting, Partnership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Children Get Smarter with Video Games

May 2, 2011 By 4 Comments

My thirty-something son Orion has played video games for many years, perhaps as many as 25; and he loves them. He’s often gravitated toward the violent ones, in which he competes against other players to see who goes down first or who makes it to the end first.

I’ve never worried about him becoming violent or aggressive in day-to-day living because that is not who he is. Children who are happy and mostly enjoying their life are not aggressive toward others. Perhaps he uses it to work out some of his frustration, which I believe is totally acceptable. It’s certainly an opportunity for him to have fun with his guy friends.

Beyond these reasons, I’ve always believed Orion was getting something more from video games that went beyond the ‘violence’ and social interaction, something that was not obvious to me as an outsider.

In fact, I believed an entire generation was gaining something valuable and developing unseen skills from these interactive games. Otherwise, why would so many young people and adults be drawn to them? There had to be something positive, not just the dumbing down of our society.

Fortunately, I have found an answer, one that makes sense to me and to Orion. My answer came from a book I just read Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson.

Since childhood, Johnson has been a strategic game player even before the advent of video games so he gets his unique perspective from his own experience as well as from his in-depth research and his willingness to think out-of-the-box.

The startling discovery he found is people are actually getting smarter since the introduction of technology, which includes video games, reality TV, the internet, and popular TV series, such as 24 and Lost. IQ test scores have not reflected this increase in IQ because they’ve been adjusted upward to account for the increased intelligence and companies are making the tests harder. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Children, Current Affairs, Education, Grandparenting, Parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Academic Pressure on Your Child – Most Common Parenting Mistake

September 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Whether your child is an ‘A’ student or is struggling to ‘pass,’ she daily experiences pressure to perform and meet academic expectations. If she honestly loves school and is relaxed and happy in that environment because school comes easily for her, then she’s probably doing okay.

This is not the case for most children. Most children struggle in one way or another with the pressure to get good grades, learn math and science, to pass the tests, to be the best in their class, to never make a mistake.

If you’re like most parents, the most common and biggest mistake you may make regarding the academic pressure placed on your child is to ignore it. That’s right…ignoring it.

The most powerful antidote to academic pressure to perform in school is a great relationship with your child. With an emotionally close, honest relationship with your child, your child will talk with you about her struggles, her feelings, and you’re there to listen with an open, accepting, loving heart.

From here, the problems of the world can be solved…

Are you struggling or concerned about a school-related issue? If you’d like some new ideas and strategies that will help you resolve these challenges, check out my new teleclass series:  “The Fast Track to Solving the Day-to-Day Challenges of Helping Your Child Succeed in School.”

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