Watch What You Say
|
|
"Now don't you go getting any ideas, Harold."
"Don't you get any ideas either, Terry."
"Don't you two get any ideas."
The young mother's words to her small children echoed in my head for several days. While I realized she was probably warning them to not do something against her wishes or something that could harm them, I can't help but wonder about the effects that a situation like that, heard over and over for a period of years, will have on their lives and their ability to realize their potential.
Flash forward - It's 20 years later and now little Howard and Terry are all grown up, sitting in a conference room where they both work as marketing managers, having graduated at the top of their classes in college.
The CEO is pacing back and forth saying, "Okay gang, what we need now, if we want to save this company, are some really good ideas." As their bosses words trail off, Howard and Terry are jolted back in time to that day at the Eagle Diner. All they can hear is their mother's voice telling them not to get any ideas. The conflict that this is causing has blocked their creative abilities. The contribution they might have made has been stifled by a poor choice of phrasing some 20 years ago.
I know this sounds a bit extreme but if you stop and think about it, this happens all the time. We are constantly being conditioned by the messages we hear, especially in our formative years.
We use phrases like "don't get smart" and then wonder why children are doing poorly in school. There is a connection. Whatever is repeated, over and over, will be absorbed into the subconscious mind of the person listening, in this case your children. McDonalds knows this, as does every other successful advertiser.
In my seminars I ask people to complete this phrase. Winston tastes good like a ____. Even audience members in their 20's can complete this advertising slogan, though it hasn't been used for more than 20 years.The words you choose and the phrases you use repeatedly will have a lasting impact on your children. Why not choose words that will help them realize their potential as unique, creative, bright, loving, powerful and successful human beings?
Imagine what could happen if you made a habit of using positive, empowering, self-esteem building messages every day? Imagine all your children could become!
Decide right now to create some positive messages you can implant in the young minds of your children. Make a daily habit of using positive messages when speaking to your children.
For example, you might say, "You know (childs name), every day you're getting better and better in every way." (This is a take off on a phrase from Claude Bristol's classic self help book, The Magic of Believing).
© 2004 Jim Donovan - PO Box 1147, Buckingham, PA 18912 - (215) 794-3826
Jim Donovan is the author of "Handbook to a Happier Life, a motivational speaker and coach. For a no cost bonus product & more, visit http://www.JimDonovan.com
If you had all the information and tools you needed to live your dream life, would you use them? Yes?Click here > http://www.jimdonovan.com/ebookoffer.html
|
|
|
Cooking With Your Kids Helps Develop Motor Skills For Preschoolers
Did you know that cooking with your kids is a natural way for them to develop motor skills? If you've never looked at cooking that way before, think again. There's a reason why kids have a universal love for cooking - just like for stacking blocks and banging!Cooking is especially good for preschoolers and here's how:1. Two year olds are developing large muscles in their arms: They will enjoy stirring and stirring and stirring :-). My two year old is always asking to stir; and her subconscious knows why! At 2 years old, a child naturally imitates circular strokes as part of their normal physical development. So, let them stir at every opportunity.Here are some ways to encourage arm muscle development through cooking:...(related: Parenting)
The 411 On Natural Colic Remedies
Any parent whose baby has suffered from colic can tell you that colic is one of the most excruciating experiences ever imaginable. Nothing is worse than seeing one's baby in pain and not being able to help take it away. Finding relief for colic quickly becomes a top priority. There are many different colic remedies that may come to the rescue for your particular baby. Each baby is unique and may only respond to some or a combination of colic remedies. Unfortunately, parents may have to use the old trial and error method to determine which provide the greatest amount of relief for their ...(related: Parenting)
Diagnosing Adhd In Your Child, An Introduction
Everyone in a private practice setting who works with children or adults is going to have their own opinion on how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD or ADHD - should be diagnosed. Some clinics take the perspective that "more is good," and will recommend a large battery of tests, often costing many thousands of dollars. Other clinics, typically with hurried physicians, will simply give a b...(related: Parenting)
What You Can Learn About Life From Your Children
You can learn a lot from children.The best part of all is the advice is priceless.Walls looked so much better when they are decorated with artwork. Markers and crayons work best.The living room is so much better for running around and making noise than your own bedroom. A couch is the best trampoline.Money may not grow on trees, but it sure is always in your parents' pockets.Real life, including your love life begins in kindergarten.Parents are confusing. They tell you not to speak to strangers, then when you meet a stranger, they tell you to say hello.
Parenting Your Teenager: How To Respond To Manipulation
Q. My daughter has gotten very good at manipulating us, and sometimes we do not even know it has happened until much later. How can we tell if we are being manipulated, and how can we stop it, or at least handle it better?A. Here's the thing about teens and manipulation:The average 15-year-old is 15 going on 25 and 15 going on 5 al...(related: Parenting)
Keeping The Stress Out Of Single Parenting
Researched through personal experience!Budget Your Money. Even if you are living paycheck to paycheck like most of us, knowing how much money goes to where can be a big help. This gives you the relief that the bills are being paid, with a feel of how much you can spend on allowance, school photos, birthday gifts, entertainment or just You!Keep a Daily Schedule. Time is important, so teach that to the kids by i...(related: Parenting)
5 Simple Steps Guaranteed To Allow You To Spend More Time With Your Children This Summer
Look around: Your kids are counting sleeps until the last day of school, the local outdoor swimming pool is open, and the temperature has sky-rocketed. Summer is here! Are you still stuck in your winter routine? The one filled with rushing around to after school programs, play dates and endless birth...(related: Parenting)
How To Get A Good Diagnosis To See If Your Child Has Adhd
Your child's teacher says that you need to find out if your child has ADHD or not. What do you do? Here are some tips from the ADHD Information Library.
First, find a clinician, a Psychologist, or Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist, or Psychiatrist, who has a good working knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD or ADHD. Most mental health professionals do NOT know much about the disorder, even if they tell you that they do. During my formal training in psychology at both the Master's level and the Doctorate level I received about 15 minutes of training on ADHD. Find an expert in your community.
Ask parents at your local CHADD meeting about who the best doctor and the best thera...(related: Parenting)
7 Ways To Know Your Child
How well do you really know your child?There is so much information at our fingertips to learn more about a child's personality, 'behaviorisms' and intelligence. Of course, we want to be the best parent we can, and so we read all the information. And some of it is great! Take the four different temperaments . . . I can see my child in one, but then I turn the page and I see him in ano...(related: Parenting)
A Place For Everything: Its Childs Play
What parent hasn't gone into a son's or daughter's room and wondered, "Where did I go wrong? How could I have created someone who creates such a mess?"At this point it is essential to recognize that not everyone is born organized, just as not everyone is born with a talent for art or mechanics. But anyone can learn the basic principles of organization given sufficient motivation and instruction....(related: Parenting)
Dinner Table Drama
It has been a long day. Home from work, you put together a nice, healthy dinner for the entire family to enjoy. Gathering the family around the table, you sit down to eat and within a minute, a voice pipes up, "I don't like anything." Encouraging, you say...(related: Parenting)
When Kids Hurt Parents
The cruel callous remarks made by our offspring can sometimes wound us deeply, to the very core of our soul. The hurtful words of our children can scar us like no other. They are capable of hurting us with the deepest kind of hurt. When the words "I hate yo...(related: Parenting)
Will My Doubts And Fears Affect My Child?
"Will my doubts and fears affect my child?" This father is concerned about his son, a high school athlete with a vision of playing professional sports. The father's fear is that his son won't be accepted into the 'right' college to be scouted by the professionals. He wanted to know:How does your vibration, as a parent, affect your children?Can your ...(related: Parenting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | Baby Care Info | All Rights Reserved. | Parenting