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The teacher asked the class to use the word 'fascinate' in a sentence.
Molly put up her hand and said, 'My family went to my granddad's farm, and we all saw his pet sheep. It was fascinating.'
The teacher said, 'That was good, but I wanted you to use the word 'fascinate, not fascinating'.
Sally raised her hand. She said, 'My family went to see RockCity and I was 'fascinated.'
The teacher said, 'Well, That was good Sally, but I wanted you to use the word 'fascinate.'
Little Johnny raised his hand. The teacher
hesitated because she had been burned by Little Johnny before.
She finally decided there was no way he could damage the word 'fascinate', so she called on him.
Johnny said, 'My aunt Gina has a sweater with ten buttons, but her tits are so big she can only fasten eight.'
The teacher sat down and cried.
Hi guys,
Well today has certainly been interesting but by far the most interesting thing happened this morning when an old friend asked me a question, it was a simple question but its answer for me needed depth, compassion and understanding. The question was "What do you think makes a good parent?"
Now this question isn't an easy one to answer but my first thought and reply was:
"For me a good parent is someone who accepts that they make mistakes, learns from them and moves forward. A good parent is someone who remembers that their children are little individuals and allows them to grow whilst nurturing and keeping them safe. A good parent knows that constantly yelling will not only give them a sore throat but will leave their child/children feeling upset and confused. A good parent can parent without anger BUT most of all a good parent can recognise when they need help and will ask for it!" . . Remembering that there is no reward greater than the love of your children/child and that there is NO shame in asking for help!
Our children are not machines and they do not come with an instruction booklet (sometimes I admit to wishing I had an instruction book, lol), parenting skills are a learned skill which we learn as we go and we as parents evolve and if we are open and honest we too learn from our children/child.
Most would be parents draw from their own parents parenting skills and take some of this to apply with their own children, this is a good start but its important to remember that as a parent yourself your own skills need to be allowed to develop and grow. It's great to have somewhere begin but its also important to remember that not everybody has good parents so for some of us its really a whole new experience.
I have three girls and I constantly say to my friends:
"My eldest Samantha was my L plates child, I made mistakes and plenty of them but I learned and moved forward. Danesha my second child was a breeze in the early years as I drew from my experiences with Samantha BUT she is different and has her own personality so I've had to adapt, recently she was diagnosed with Aspergers so we are really learning a whole new set of parenting skills. Then along came Sumara and everything I thought I knew about parenting has been chucked right out the window! Why? Because Sumara is so entirely different and she is growing into a very resourceful and confident young lady and at 4 years she know what she wants and needs and is very confident in asking for it"
Having children brings along a whole lot of thoughts and responsibilities such as: feeding, clothing, bathing, discipline, education, routines, love, compassion, being a good listener but one thing that is certain is that with each child you have you will grow and change and its important not to be scared but to face it all front on with excitement and joy.
I have a little list of ways that I think help maintain being a good parent and they are:
* Use your words! Important words are essential to being a good parent, words to your child such as "I love you" and "thank you" are a great start BUT you also need to show these on a personal level. (i.e. A hug with the words I love you or a simple touch on the shoulder when you say thank you)
* Prioritise! As a parent we often have to do things in a certain order so that things can run smoothly, learning how to prioritise certain things can help you to be a fair but open parent. This doesn't always mean putting your children/child first this means looking at the situation or event and assessing what needs to happen first, sometimes this may mean saying 'no' to your children/child and for many saying no is often hard but its an essential part of parenting.
* Discipline. This is where some people have difficulty, its important to remember that all children need a little discipline to help them grow, discipline is not just about telling your children/child off its about loving your children/child and helping them to understand what is acceptable and what is not. In order to discipline your children/child its also very important to maintain consistency, its very easy to say yes to a crying or nagging child but this could be a parents undoing. Consistency and discipline should go hand in hand with each other and both will bring happiness into your home when used properly. By far however the most important rule when disciplining your children/child is to keep the discipline age appropriate. (i.e. A 4yr-old will not understand being 'grounded' and 13 yr-old could care less about banned from the trampoline etc) Set yourself up a guide of what you expect and what your limits may be and if ever you are in doubt you can always go off to your bedroom and sneak at peek at your guide . . Finally NEVER ever discipline your children/child out of anger!
* Respecting your partner. Being a good parent isn't just about the children/child, its also about your spouse. Make sure that you've taken the time to talk about what it is that you both think is important to parenting and what you both feel about discipline, manners, schooling etc etc. Never assume that your spouse will just simply agree as this may not be the case and if both parents are not on the same page then the children/child can become confused and the things can really get complicated.
* Routines. Okay this can be a great key to parenting, children often thrive on routines and believe it or not routines help your child to understand what you expect from them. Routines can offer structure and they can also offer some great parenting opportunities for family fun. (i.e. Schedule a time in the week for a walk or a trip to the park) My husband has a two important routines with our children. Friday nights are 'movie night' with Danesha where they get comfy with popcorn and share a movie. Tuesday mornings are 'snuggle time' with Sumara, all chores are put on hold while hubby sits in the lounge-room with Sumara to either watch ABC, play a game or read a story. I too as mum have times set side for each one of my children which allows me to have that very important one on one contact (i.e. When Samantha was child we would do karaoke as she was obsessed with singing)
* Responsibilities. I believe that giving our children responsibilities is very important as they teach our children/child about life and what else is involved. My children all earn pocket money in return for completing their own tasks, as well as losing pocket money if they fail to do their responsibilities. All of my children are expected to make their own beds, the older the child the more neater the bed making is expected to be. Danesha (11) is also expected to bring the rubbish bins back into your yard on rubbish day as well as to help with the dishes on a daily basis at tea time, whilst Sumara (4) has the responsibility of checking our mailbox every day and of putting away the dishes after the washing up is done.
* Down Time. Every parent needs to take some down time for themselves, parents are not supermen or wonder women, we are humans and to expect super human qualities amongst ourselves is unrealistic and will set us up for failure. As good parents we often end up sleep deprived, isolated and in many cases self neglected, I schedule 'down time' for myself every week as does my husband and on top of that we schedule together-time 2-3 times a week. For our together-time we snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie or a tv program, we play a game of cards or we talk about how things are going. Making sure we schedule 'down time' keeps us happy and we believe well rounded and grounded parents.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and please share your thoughts and comments. Being a good parent is also about sharing idea's and thoughts with other parents, so are you a good parent?
For those of you that simply DID NOT know:
ALL women are ANGELs . . . . .
Then occasionally when someone comes along and breaks our wings....
We strong women simply continue to fly....
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On a broomstick....
ALL women are simply flexible like that!!
Learn from your elders
A lawyer and a senior citizen are sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer is thinking that seniors are so dumb that he could get one over on them easy. So the lawyer asks if the senior would like to play a fun game. The senior is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists saying that the game is a lot of fun. I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5. Then you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500, he says
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Well it's finally happened, some-one has finally solved the dilema on airport security and what's best is its EASY, its QUICK and it'll save heap and heaps of money and time . .
So what is it???
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One day a father gets out of work and on his way home suddenly remembers that it's his daughter's birthday. He pulls over to a Toy Shop and asks the sales person, 'How much for one of those Barbie's in the display window?'
The salesperson answers, 'Which one do you mean, Sir? We have: Work Out Barbie for $19.95, Shopping Barbie for $19.95, Beach Barbie for $19.95, Disco Barbie for $19.95, Ballerina Barbie for $19.95, Astronaut Barbie for $19.95, Skater Barbie for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $265.95
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Hi guys,
I just had to share this photo. Now if my hubby tried to do this there would be trouble, LOL . . I was emailed this pic by a friend.
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One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, her thimble fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My dear child, why are you crying?" The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family. The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with sapphires.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked. The seamstress replied, "No
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Imagine if major companies from all around the world started producing or sponsoring condoms. They would become fashionable and companies would probably advertise more openly.
* Nike Condoms: Just do it
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Comments (2)
Comment by Kellzacar
on Beer Bellies
Funny Corner
Thought's from a parent