We all could use a bit of advise in raising our kids, and in full agreement of the author, Jenny Peters, I decided to send her an email:
Dear Jennifer,
Great article I have to say!
From my daily observation, I can say that parents (especially "dual-incomers") spend too little time talking to their kids.
I had the same problem when me and my wife had our first child, so my wife decided to stay at home. When our son was 2 years old, she wanted to start working again - and then, we had our second child.
This was when I realized that we had to change the way we were running our lives so that our kids could get the kind of parental enrichment that they rightly deserved.
My approach was to talk to my kids everyday - things that you mentioned about in your article, like describing daily routines as well as identifying the environment. Before our kids go to bed at night, we would always talk about what's bugging them that day and what they would like to do the day after.
I can say safely that my now 4-year old son would astonish his daycare teacher on a daily basis with his confidence in carrying out daily conversations and expressing his feelings.
The biggest reward however was that he instills the same characteristics in his little sister as well!
It is such a pity to hear stories from my friends about the only time they talk to their kids was when they were giving a scolding.
My firm believe is that kids give back in kind. You reap what you sow.
I wouldn't want to be the last person to know when my kids get into trouble! (I do hope they don't..) And a big part of that is having a clear and unobstructed channel of communication firmly established when they are still young.
Again, thanks for the great piece in today's NST.
Till your next article,
I remain,
Great article I have to say!
From my daily observation, I can say that parents (especially "dual-incomers") spend too little time talking to their kids.
I had the same problem when me and my wife had our first child, so my wife decided to stay at home. When our son was 2 years old, she wanted to start working again - and then, we had our second child.
This was when I realized that we had to change the way we were running our lives so that our kids could get the kind of parental enrichment that they rightly deserved.
My approach was to talk to my kids everyday - things that you mentioned about in your article, like describing daily routines as well as identifying the environment. Before our kids go to bed at night, we would always talk about what's bugging them that day and what they would like to do the day after.
I can say safely that my now 4-year old son would astonish his daycare teacher on a daily basis with his confidence in carrying out daily conversations and expressing his feelings.
The biggest reward however was that he instills the same characteristics in his little sister as well!
It is such a pity to hear stories from my friends about the only time they talk to their kids was when they were giving a scolding.
My firm believe is that kids give back in kind. You reap what you sow.
I wouldn't want to be the last person to know when my kids get into trouble! (I do hope they don't..) And a big part of that is having a clear and unobstructed channel of communication firmly established when they are still young.
Again, thanks for the great piece in today's NST.
Till your next article,
I remain,
It was a pleasant surprise this morning when she decided to reply:
Good Morning xxx,
Thank you very much for your email. I am glad that you liked the article in yesterday's papers and even more pleased that you and your wife have found the correct balance with your children. I completely agree with you, I too believe that children give back in kind and that we do reap what we sow.
Once again thank you.
:o)
Jennifer
Once again thank you.
:o)
Jennifer
