What a great evening we
"Witches" had!
Our Relief Society Activity was a Panel of all age witches.... I mean women wearing witches hats!
The panel was put together to give ideas and spur discussions on parenting through all ages.
We talked about parenting small children, teens, adult children and grandparenting.
The first thing that came out as the best
advice for parenting is
PRAYER,
PRAYER, PRAYER!!!
Of course!
Some of the questions were:
How do I get my two year old to behave out in public?
Answers:
*Don't take them out when they will fail. ie; when they are tired, hungry etc.
*If they start to throw a fit be prepared to immediately leave and return home even if it means leaving a grocery cart full of food that you will have to return and start over with.
*Make going home unpleasant, like a time out, age apropriate chore etc.
*One sister said its a good idea to "practice this". Go out to the store with no purpose other than to practice being good so its easier to leave immediately when a fit arises. It will be extreamly difficult the first couple of times, but it will teach quickly and you will have much fewer problems with this in the end, ultimately making your life easier.
At what age should I give my child a cell phone?
Answers:
*Each person found that they have a different need as to the age that they would give a cell phone to their child. There is no set age. But it was deamed of utmost importance to put parental blocks, moniter the use (not only of the phone but other technology) and be activly involved in all their social media. It was also brought up that with younger children you can give them a simple phone that cannot have apps or the internet.
How much involvment is too much with your adult kids?
Answers:
*Each child is different as to their needs. Some like contact everyday, other's are bugged by to much contact. So, contact them occasionally (once a week average) to let them know you love them and see what's happening in their life. Beyond that, it would probably be best to communicate with them what they would like as far as contact.
*Remember that they have moved on from your charge and that advice should be kept to when asked for or if a severe situation is at hand.
How do you teach your children to be respectful?
Answers:
*First and foremost, show them respect.
*Point out what being respectful is, like when you see someone open a door for someone else etc.
*Don't allow disrespectful talk by not ingaging in conversation that starts or escelates to disrespect.
*Some said that they say to their kids things like, "Would you like to try that again?", "I don't hear you when you speak that way", "I will listen when you can speak politely", etc.
*Demand manners, Always cue them to say please and thank you. The act not only creates a child with manners and respect but helps them not feel intitled to the world on a silver platter.
*Prep them for the proper manners before entering a situation. Like telling them how to behave before going to a resturant and letting them know that if they do not behave in the respectful manner you will need to leave. Be prepared to follow through.
*Praise them for showing their respect. "That was so nice of you to open the door for that lady", "Mrs. Smith said you were so polite at her house always saying please and thank you", etc.
What are grandparents boundries?
Answers:
*It was decided again that communication with your child about what they would like you to do as a grandparent is the best.
*Don't override the parents desire and rules for their kids.
*It was brought up that for the most part it is usually best to go through your own child and not the in-law when discussing issues.
*One thought that was brought up on discipline in your own home when your grandchild is allowed to do something you don't approve of was to say, "At Grandma's house we don't jump on the furniture" etc.
As a bonus!
We all made cute paper witches shoes to take home.
