Teaching Your Child To Lift A Car
|
|
Yesterday my husband Wade took the day off (that's one of the really cool things about having your own business!). The only bad thing about yesterday is that two of the kids are still sick-they have that cold with the horrible cough and congestion.
So, needless to say, I've been going a little stir crazy and was so happy for the extra help.
The kids were excited too. They love spending time with their Dad.
In fact, on days he does work, there's a terrible commotion when he comes home. As soon as the van pulls in the driveway, the kids run to the window and start yelling, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" in that familiar, excited child chant. Next, as Wade comes up the sidewalk, they all scramble to get to the front door-usually getting in trouble for pushing to see who gets to stand right at the opening. Finally, the front door opens, and everyone cries, "Daddy, you're home!" They jump up and down while they wait for their turn to be picked up and hug.
There's nothing my kids like more than spending time with their Dad, and I hope the same is true for you too!
So, on Wade's day home yesterday, he decided that he needed to get the garage organized. Of course, everyone wanted to go out and help; and I was just to eager to get some breathing space. Since the garage is heated, they could have a little fun without it slowing down their immune system.
They were probably out there for three hours, but it seemed like only three minutes before they were back inside and desperate for something to eat.
As I fixed them something, I listened to stories from the garage. One that nine-year-old Nathan told me really caught my attention.
Wade prefaced the story with the fact that he's teaching Nathan to be a problem solver. While they had been working, he told Nathan about a problem and how it was solved.
Afterward, Wade had asked Nathan, "Do you see how you can solve any problem when you want to?"
"Yeah," Nathan had answered, "well, yeah, except I know I can't lift a car?"
How like Nathan. He is so exact and tries to immediately think about any exception that may exist to any statement or principle.
But now Nathan picked up telling the story, "Yeah," he laughed, "I told Daddy there was no way I could lift a car!"
I was all ears.
"So, Daddy said I could do anything I wanted and took me over to the car and I lifted the car."
What! Nathan lifted a car? Did Wade tap into some type of mental super-strength for my child to lift the front of a car?
"So," I asked, wide-eyed, "how exactly did you lift the car?" I wasn't really sure I was prepared for the answer!
"It was easy," Nathan said with sparkling eyes, "I put a jack under it and pumped it up."
"That's wonderful!" I exclaimed, amazed at my husbands lesson. It was actually two lessons: 1. You can solve any problem, and 2. Think beyond the obvious.
I needed that lesson. When I was thinking about lifting a car, the only thing in my mind was someone putting their two hands under the bumper and lifting it up. But in actuality, using your mind to come up with a solution is more powerful.
That's the type of thinking that allowed a man to invent the steam engine. That's the kind of thinking that allows us to drive 70 miles an hour in vehicles of total luxury. That's the kind of thinking that got a man on the moon.
The lesson to use your mind to find solutions for the "impossible" is more valuable than I can describe. Take a moment today to reveal to your children the awesome power they possess!
Laura Bankston is author of Cooking with Kids Curriculum: "Homeschool Cooking in a Box" and the "Homeschool Cookbook". She currently home schools her three children, maintains home school support websites, and manages their family-owned service business. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
|
|
|
Family Meals: When Dinner Schedules Dont Match
Mealtimes together deserve an important place in any family. Around the table, family members connect, children learn the art of conversation, and a spirit of peace and thankfulness can flourish.But work, long commutes, sports, m...(related: Parenting)
Teenagers And Stress: What Parents Can Do To Help
More and more parents are expressing their concerns about how to support their teenagers who are complaining about the stress in their lives.What parents may not realiz...(related: Parenting)
The Classic Adhd Child Reminds Me Of Tigger
ADHD comes in differenty forms, or types. What has become known as "classic ADHD" is characterized by Inattention, Impulsivity, Hyperactivity, Restlessness, and Disorganization. This type of ADHD reminds us of Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh stories. Dr. Daniel Amen refers to this type of ADHD as "Classic ADHD" for good reasons. When you think about someone who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorde...(related: Parenting)
Don?t Make Fast And Furious Food Changes
OK, moms and dads out there, we hear you when you say, my children won't eat healthy foods. If we even say the word, they tune out and already decide they don't like it. Well, my first response to this is "who is running the house, you or the kids". If you say the kids, you have more problems than I can help you with. Put your foot down, you and your husband, spouse, significant other, (fill in the blank) are the ones making the living and doing the providing. I fully realize that children don't like the concept of healthy foods. However, most children don't realize that many of the foods they do like are healthy for them. Most kids I know love peanut butter, well t...(related: Parenting)
The Old And The New
During one "generation gap" quarrel with his parents young Michael cried, "I want excitement, adventure, money, and beautiful women. I'll never find it here at home, so I'm leaving. Don't try and stop me!" With that he headed toward the door. His father rose and followed close behind. "Didn't you hear what I said? I don't want you to try and stop me." "Who's trying to stop you?" replied his father. "If you wait a minute, I'll go with you."This is a joke doing its rounds on how the new generation gap has taken shape!The friction between the young and old exists for ages. The joint family concept had the elders putting the flame o...(related: Parenting)
7 Ways Busy Families Can Volunteer
Volunteering together is a fantastic way to spend time as a family. Volunteering--teaches kindness, compassion and respect.--deepens family relationships. --gives kids a sense of empowerment.--promotes learning about areas of interest, such as hunger, homelessness or human rights.--doesn't require a lot of time.--is fun.--changes lives.An excellent resource for finding volunteer opportunities is "The Busy Family's Guide to Volunteering" by Jenny Friedman (Robins Lane Press). Visiting www.volunteermatch.org can help you locat volunteer opporunities in your area.Here are my favorite family volunteering opportunities:1. PREPARE A MEAL FOR A HOMELESS SHELTER OR SOUP KITCHEN. Even young children can help with shopping, washi...(related: Parenting)
Film Industry And Our Youth
In the first premise, some films and video tapes which are released into the world market are doing more harm to the society than good. These films are full of various modes and systems of corruptions. Imagine a film in which a small boy abused and insulted the age mate of his parents for almost one and half hours and was punished in the film for only five minutes,much emphasis is laid on the insult and abuse than the punishment inherent in the social malady. When other children watch such a movie, they think withing them that it is no harm to do such a thing to ones parent or other elders, then they imitate such act and started to abuse their elders in the public. These children do not know that real life situations a...(related: Parenting)
School Holiday Survival Guide
The school holidays are a great time for the kids, all those weeks of fun and games, no school, getting up late??but not for their parents! Summer vacation time can be just as much like hard work as the rest of the year. Trying to keep the...(related: Parenting)
Five Ways To Build Super-strong Relationships With Your Children
One of the questions I ask in parenting presentations is "How do you show your children you love them?"Participants usually cite verbal and physical ways of showing affection as the most common means of showing love. These ways work well for children of certain age groups and children with those relational preferences, but how do you relate to a child or young person who becomes a 'conversational clam' or one who doesn't like physical closeness?Conversely, it is easy to miss the relational signs of children if their ways of relating fit outside our frame of reference. I remember Michael, behaviourally the most challenging child that I taught, would meet me in the car park each morn...(related: Parenting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | Baby Care Info | All Rights Reserved. | Parenting