RISK IS ESSENTIAL

Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use. –Ruth Gordon

“We are a nation of pushy helicopter parents, writes Kate Blincoe in an article in The Guardian, “project managing a schedule of activities and waiting below our children on the monkey bars in case they should slip. It’s no wonder that the simulated risk of computer games is so compelling and addictive– the real world seems tame in comparison. Yet humans are designed to experience a degree of fear-manage it out of their lives and they will seek it elsewhere, on the internet, or with self-destructive behavior.

So how can we put some of that danger and excitement back into the loves of our cosseted children? The answer is step-by step and in our age-appropriate way. First, the outdoors is key. Outdoor time every day is essential…encourage the toddler to poke around under hedges and permit your primary-age children to leave your sight. Unsupervised time…might lead to more cuts and scrapes, or fights between siblings, but it is what many of us did as children, and it teaches them how to make risk-related decisions for themselves. Risk perception is like a muscle that needs to be developed and flexed.”

from our chapel teacher

Spring break is just a couple weeks away and it’s one of my favorite times of the year to take a trip. I have one big rule when traveling. If the suitcase doesn’t have wheels, it doesn’t go with me. It doesn’t make the cut. My own kids don’t appreciate this attitude because they never knew the neck, shoulder, and arm pain of toting around heavy bags. But I do. Living through those experiences helped me become wiser. Actually, it wasn’t just living through pain that made me a more savvy traveler, it took a good amount of reflection, too and figuring out if there was a better way.

Instructions:

1. Cut your paper towel roll into five pieces, starting at 4″ and each one getting smaller as you cut
2. Paint four of them green and one of the smallest ones brown and let dry.
3. Hot glue your pieces together by stacking them from largest to smallest and saving the brown piece for the bottom.
4. Paint of a thin layer of mod podge or glue on the front of your tree and sprinkle with glitter.
   Now cut and glue your glittered elastic in sections at an angle starting at the bottom left corner and working your way to the top.
   Now hot glue your sequin balls (or any other small decorations you can think of) all over the tree.

We all have a small window of time where we can build good education at home.  It begins in infancy.  Brain studies show that children’s ability to learn depends largely on their experiences in the first years of life.  In short, the more you talk and read to your children, the better they can learn.

Getting your 3-year-old to behave can be a challenge. The trick is consistency and learning to pick your battles.