Resolving Conflicts Creatively

I take the following from Jacqueline Haessly, from her book "Learning to Live Together." I couldn't say it any better so here is what she shares.

"I am fond of the motto, 'Conflict is neither right nor wrong. It just is.' Conflict exists because we are each uniquely different people with diverse likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and life experiences. Conflicts frequently occur because of opposing needs, limited supplies or resources, or because of real or perceived value differences between us. Yet for most families, few areas trigger a more emotional response.

"If we experience conflict as a test of who is right and who is wrong, who will win and who will lose, we then experience conflict as threatening t ourselves. Here are some stepping stones to creative conflict resolution, using some of the ideas we've already talked about:

"Make people feel loved and affirmed, and they'll want to work together to resolve problems.

"Acknowledge that conflict exists; this is the first step to resolving it.

"Find win-win solutions. Too often conflicts are resolved by determining who is right (and, of course, who is wrong) by blaming and labeling. There are winners and losers, and the winner is often the person who is biggest, oldest, meanest, or the one who can hit the hardest, run the fastest, or stay silent the longest.

"Invite everyone in the family into the decision-making process in ways that allow them to express their ideas and feelings about a conflict honestly. Problem-solving and decision-making--key to good conflict resolution--can be nurtured from a very young age, by encouraging children to choose what to wear, how to spend part of a day or what the family should do after dinner.

"Help children consider the widest possible range of solutions to a problem, not just the 'right' solution. Even consider impossible solutions, so they can learn that sometimes the improbable can become possible.

"Help children understand which solutions are morally unacceptable because they are harmful to another person. Encouragement of violence toward a minority group in a neighborhood or school conflict is one example of unacceptable behavior.

"Give children practice with decision-making and problem-solving in non threatening situations."

Here are a few activities that may help teach problem-solving:

"Animal Sculptures"
Purpose: To encourage decision-making and problem-solving skills, even in very young children. To foster group work on a common project.
How it works: 1) Two people sit out to be "guessers." If more than five players, form two groups. Guessers work together to solve the puzzle. 2) Begin with the youngest player. Think of an animal and tell its name to the group without letting the "guessers" hear. The youngest person then arranges the members of the group to form the animal named. (Five players form on e elephant or dolphin, not five different elephants or dolphins.) 3) "Guessers" try to guess the animal. 4) Rotate so little and big people can take turns being decision-makers and group planners.

Variations: Do same for farm machinery, forms of transportation, small appliances.

"Search for Alternatives"
Purpose: To allow children to practice creative problem-solving in a simple, non-threatening setting.
How it works: Each person thinks of three ways to solve the following problems. Adults can help children understand the problem and identify possible solutions.
1) Toys are always left on the floor at bedtime.
2) One child is always late for dinner.
3) Dad or Mom is always late paying allowances.
4) Dirty laundry is often left lying on the floor.
5) Two people are having a conversation, one is watching TV, one is listening to the radio.
6) Uncle John, who is in a wheelchair, is coming to visit for a week. You want to make his visit pleasant and comfortable for all.
7) The family has decided that Mom and Dad must both work full time to save for a special family need: braces, medical expenses, a trip. What are three necessary changes?
8) Mom is going on a ten-day business trip. Dad and the children will be home alone.

Think of other applicable problems your family may have and write them down. You may consider these problems as possible conversation starters around the dinner table. Be careful, however, you would never want to sour dinner by having heated discussions on solving problems.

"Puppet Theater"
Purpose: To help children act out potential and real conflicts. Young children love puppets and can use them to take on words and behavior that they would otherwise find difficult to communicate.
How it works: 1) Make puppets from old socks or paper bags. Even young children can help to decorate with scraps of fabric or yarn. 2) Use puppets at times when battles emerge about household chores, play activities that exclude the youngest or oldest, sibling rivalries, and other recurring family struggles. Have children alternate roles.

"Instant Replay"
When a seemingly senseless conflict is getting out of hand because parent and child are over-reacting, the phrase "time-out and replay" lets both parties take a time out, then replay the scene. Both parties are then more open to hearing the other person's point of view. This usually leads to a mutually satisfying resolution of the conflict. Everyone's needs can be met, the task can be accomplished, and freedom of choice can be respected and preserved.

Touch--It's a Wonderful and Needful Thing

I promised some activities for families that would contribute to peacefulness and affirmation. I think the following two ideas would be very helpful:

"Touch Me Gentle"
Purpose: Soothing and relaxing activity at the end of a family meeting or end of day.
How it Works: 1) Everyone sits in a circle facing the back of the person in front of them. 2) Gently massage shoulders and back of this person for two or three minutes. 3) Reverse position by turning around and massaging person who had been massaging you.

"Touch Green"
Purpose: To encourage laughter and gentle touch while affirming members of the group. To discover and affirm differences.
How it works: 1) Have all family members stand in a circle. 2) Have players take turns calling out a particular item ("Touch someone wearing...a blue shirt...green tennis shoes...red hair.") 3) Everyone touches the person wearing the named article or having the named quality. 4) Callers continue to call out items, trying to include at least one or two things about every person playing. Even very young children will have the opportunity to decide the group's action. Remember they will need more time to consider what to call. Allowing this time gives the whole family a chance to practice patience in small, caring ways.

Learning Peacemaking Skills with Activities

"The 'peacemaking' skills of affirmation, respecting differences, cooperation, and creative resolution of conflicts, learned early within the security of their own families, give children the foundation of lifelong values. Where love and acceptance are expressed in the home, children can risk testing out new ideas, tying new patterns of behavior. They can risk failure. They can dare to hold beliefs that may differ from the accepted norms of their neighborhoods, schools, and the marketplaces where they will spend their days as adults. And they can learn to respect others who are different." by Jacqueline Haessly in Learning to Live Together

For the next few days, I will be sharing Activities that may help families with the Gifts of "Affirmation," "Cooperation," "Respect for Differences," and "Resolving Conflicts Creatively.

Today I will start with a couple of Affirmation Activities.

"Naming Myself"
Purpose: To allow each member of the family to make positive statements about themselves.
How it works: 1) Family members gather together around a table or in a circle on the floor. 2) Give each person a sheet of paper and a crayon, pen, or pencil. 3) Each person writes the letters of his/her name downward on the paper, for example:

L
O
R
I

4) Write one positive word about yourself or one activity you like to do for each letter of you name. 5) The letters can begin the work, end the word, or be in the middle of the word, for example:

L oveable
h O nest
R eads
pol I te

Variation: Pass a paper with your name on it around the circle and have everyone add one positive word for each letter of your name.

"Family Sharing Time"
Purpose: To allow family members to share with one another some of their likes and dislikes, their hopes, dreams, and fears.
How It Works: 1) Family members gather together around a table or in a circle on the floor. 2) Each person in turn answers one of the following questions or statements. (Be sure to vary the questions after everyone has responded to the first question.) 3) Allow a different child or adult to choose the sharing question each round. 4) Use these questions at meal time, for car conversation, or for family meetings.

Suggested Questions and Statements:

1) Tell about one of your favorite things and why it is your favorite. Let everyone get a chance to speak. Choose one idea for each round--colors, animals, books, music, sports, time of day subject in school, season of the year, place in the house, etc.

2) What is one thing you really like to do in winter, or summer? Why?

3) What do you really like to do when it rains or snows? Why?

4) Tell how you made someone happy today.

5) Tell how someone made you happy today.

6) Tell about one time when you were afraid.

7) Tell about something that made you sad.

8) Tell about one time when you felt shame for something you did. Did you do anything to resolve it?

9) Tell each person in the circle on thing you really like about them.

10) Tell each person in the circle one thing you really like about yourself.

The Adventures of Yellowstone

We've been having a lovely time in Yellowstone. I would recommend this trip to anyone who has a love of outdoor life and the animal kingdom. Also, if you want a chance to get to know your family better, confinement in a car for 8 or more hours gives you that chance. That's my suggestion today. Plan vacations with your family often.

Thus far, we have enjoyed seeing many bear. One sighting on Sunday with Grandpa and Grandma Bennett (before Joey and Michelle arrived) we saw a mother grizzly with 4 cubs. A man told us that this is only the 4th known quad births since 1945. Wow! That day we saw black bear and cubs twice and another grizzly.

Of course, we have seen elk, moose, deer, buffalo, mountain goats, marmot, squirrels, muskrat, geese, pelicans, cranes, osprey, and much scenery. The weather has been cooperative with snow, rain, sun, wind, and cooler temperatures.

We were sad when grandpa and grandma announced yesterday morning that they were going home in time to see Roger before he leaves on his trip. I think grandpa just can't sit still for many days before he gets antsy.

Best wish to all. The vacations teach you a lot about loved ones and it certainly helps teach one how to open up and communicate more. Love to all.

Scavenger Hunt a Room

My purpose in writing, so often, is to give ideas that are quick and easy and that can add to spontaneous family interaction. I don’t know that it matters how quirky the idea may seem, the important thing is that time be spent together as a family having fun, being silly, and never too critical. Just laugh—have fun—be together. Keeping these things in mind here’s today’s idea.

This could be instigated by a parent but I’ll bet your children will soon be wanting to create their own scavenger hunts in different rooms of the house (and I can picture some of my sweet, great nephews creating them at the cabin, in the chapel [but let’s be reverent], or at Grandma’s).

Here’s a list of things to look for in a room. (You may wish to adapt it to your room.) Challenge each child to find at least one answer to every question:
1) What is made of wood? 2) What is made of plastic? 3) What is made of metal? 4) What is taller than you are? 5) What is shorter than you are? 6) Can you find something that starts with the letter “J?” 7) Find something that is orange. 8) Can you name something that has corners? 9) What has wheels? 10) Can you find something that is too heavy for you to lift by yourself? 11) Is there something in the room that you can see through? 12) Can you find something that locks? 13) Can you find something that buttons? 14) Can you find something that is rough? 15) Can you find something that is round? 16) Can you find something that hangs?

Parents, be sure to help younger children participate. Also, be sure to allow time for everyone to share what they found at the end of the activity. Older siblings could certainly create their own scavenger hunts—even out doors in the yard.

— “What’s in Your Name” Game for families with children that can read and write.

Start out by asking your children, “What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?” The answer: "Your name!"

Now, write down all participating family member’s names (first and last) on the top of individual papers. Mix them up and pass one name to each participant. If someone gets his own name, trade it with someone else. Now the fun begins.

With a set time period, challenge participants to create as many words as they can from the letters in the name at the top of their paper.

After the set time period has elapsed, have each participant read the words he was able to find.

If you wanted to, you could then talk about names and your family name and how important it is to live so that the name is always thought of “for good.”

A Book Of Their Own In No Time At All

I have few regrets concerning my life. Today, however, I do wish to share one thing that I wish I would have had the insight to do—to follow through on, and that is helping each of my children to start a journal, a book written by them in their handwriting, illustrated by them, told in their own words.

It really would have been quite simple if I had established a time each day or each week for journaling and made that time sacred. I think...no...I know I was always too focused on “get the work done so we can relax and watch a good show on television or a movie in the VCR.” (Here’s the subject of the blasted TV again. My! It’s a time waster!)

At any rate, I know I don’t remember the shows we watched; but I surely would like to remember some of the things my children said and the things they did. I would love to read from a journal that they wrote. And, I am sure my children would like to read about their experiences and thoughts of childhood, too.

A few weeks ago, I found a box of things my daughter, Michelle, kept from her school years. There were little books her teachers had had her make that were so precious. As I read some of her thoughts in her childhood handwriting, I had the thought that I had no idea she was really concerned about certain things. In recent years she has told me of her childhood concerns and I had wondered how exact Michelle’s memory really was; but now, here I found these concerns written down and they had been real.

So, take some advice from someone that can tell you what you will regret if your children grow up too soon and you have no record of their childhood from their perspective. Have your children start journaling! Be firm on this. Have your whole family start sitting down together with a journal in front of each person and have each family member write about his day and or week. Encourage each writer to record personal experiences, funny incidents, scary moments, exciting times, hopes and wishes, unusual dreams, personal thoughts, things learned in school, holiday fun and summertime happenings.

If you are faithful in daily or weekly writing time, it won’t be long before each family member will have written a book. Then, I know you will have no regrets.

DOOR TRIVIA

This might be something fun and that you might wish to start planning for school’s end and summertime stimulation. Post different trivia questions on a main door in your home (perhaps the drinking glass cupboard door). Challenge your children to find the an answer to that day’s question by the following evening for dinner. Then, have an enjoyable table conversation about what was learned. Of course, in the beginning you may need to give help in teaching your children how to investigate, but hey, isn’t this your goal—to have more ways to interact positively with your children? This has many benefits for the doing. Your child has something fun and stimulating to do each day. He keeps his mind open to learning. You will have things to talk about around the dinner table. As already mentioned, you will have a motivation for positive interaction.

To make this even more fun, you could create a rewards program if the reward of “learning” is not enough. 1) If you have more than one child participating, participants of each day could have their name put in box for a drawing that is held weekly or monthly. 2) You could have a prize box for participants to choose from. 3) The winning child of the day could be excused from a chore. 4) Coupons could be earned by a point system and then redeemed when earned. I guess part of the fun of this idea is for you to decide what would best fit the needs of your family. Even the “door question” could be made specifically for each child in the family according to age and you could color code the child’s question thus older children’s questions could be harder than younger children’s questions.

Now, here is a list of possible questions you might ask (just to get your brain flowing):

1) Where was George Washington born? 2) How old is Mickey Mouse? 3) What is the world’s longest river? 4) What is the world’s tallest mountain? 5) How many Presidents of the United States have their been? 6) How heavy was the heaviest person in the world? 7) Why do people’s voices changes when the breath in helium? 8) Why do people hiccup? 9) Why do leaves change color in the fall? 10) What famous people share your birthday?

Penelope Leach, Ph.D. (Psychologist and author of Your Baby and Child) said, “If you’ve been around kids, particularly young kids, for any length of time, [you know] it’s absolutely true that all the most important things in life are learned through play.”

Now, my question is, is there enough play going on when a child sits in front of a television or a video game? Kids are mesmerized by television and video games. Thus, stuck to the “Boob tube,” they make less demands on their parents time and this gives parents the freedom to play the things they want to play. Ahhh! Could this be true? Yes, I’ve been there and done that. Perhaps not consciously, but the T.V. can be a great babysitter. Is that really what you want for your child--your grandchild? If so, then read no further. If you want a list of things you and your child can do to minimize time spent in front of the screen, here’s some things your child and you can do together:
1) As my mother-in-law used to call it, “water your toes.” Turn on the hose, fill a bucket, paint the sidewalk with water, make handprints with water, splash water. Use a cup and count how many cups of water are in the bucket 2) As you kick a ball, feel the wind in your face or the warm sun on your face, neck, head. 3) Chase each other. Include friends in a game of tag. 4) Have a tea party—even with your son(s). Dress up and let children pretend they’re adults. 5) Learn how to bounce and dribble a ball. 6) Wear each other out learning how to jump rope again. 7) Lift up rocks and boards and find creatures under them. Look at them through a magnifier. 8) Catch grasshoppers, frogs, lady bugs, ants. What do their bodies feel like—smooth, slimy, rough? 9) Make some mud and squish your hands and toes in it. Make mud pies. Let the mud dry on your skin. How does it feel. (I was just thinking the children are such a wonderful excuse to play and be a kid again.) 10) Find caterpillars and learn about them as you touch them. 11) Pull up grass by its roots and eat the white end of the root and pretend that you’ll never run out of food as long as there’s “grass-root soup” to be made. (Make sure no chemicals or fertilizers have put on the lawn recently.) 12) Blow up balloons and then let the air out slowly. Be animated by the sounds they make. Let them fly. 13) Fill balloons with water and...you know the rest. Does your child? 14) Roll and tumble on the ground. This will lead to acrobatics. 15) Play in sand—make sandcastles, sift sand, bury each other in the sand. 16) Play on swings and gliders. Talk about what going high does to the tummy. 17) Have jumping time and hopping time and skipping time. 18) Find a hill (not too big) and roll down it. 19) Take turns being pulled in a wagon. Carry treasures in a wagon. 20) Find a little stream or ditch and let different things float down it. What things float or sink? 21) Practice taking turns drinking water from a hose, crossing tricky bars, going down slides, putting pieces to a puzzle together. 22) Get large boxes and have fun pretending you’re in a spaceship, a car, a jail, a boat, etc. 23) In winter, make snowmen, angels in the snow, catch snowflakes on your tongue but never stick your tongue on frozen metal. 24) In Spring, take a close look at blossoms from a tree. 25) In summer, enjoy fresh produce from a garden you work together on. 26) In Fall, study leaves and critters that are preparing for winter.

In conclusion, Just play for the joy of it all. Oh, and check out www.intermountainlive.org for some humorous reminders about our lifestyles.

A Salute to Nature

May I suggest you take your family on a hike and have a picnic. For the picnic, use only those foods that come directly from the earth. Yes, that means fresh fruits and vegetables. My, they will taste good after hiking for a while. Be sure to have a happy conversation about the things you are able to observe around you while eating (Count your blessings.) If you love music as I do, be sure and sing some songs, too.

As far as the hike goes, make sure everyone that is able carry his/her own backpack with his/her food in it. Be sure to carry a sketchbook and art pencils, too. Then, after your picnic, allow everyone time to draw something they observe in nature. Thus the beginnings of your Family Nature Book. Be sure to date the drawings and give credit to each creator. Take time to find out "why?" the artist chose his/her subject.

Plan to do this in each season of the year. It could become a great tradition and part of your Family Home Evenings.

Oh, and one more thing, pass on the lesson that your parents probably taught you when you were young: "We always leave the picnic area cleaner than we found it."

"Caughtcha”

At my son-in-law’s work, his bosses have and incentive program to encourage workers to be at their best all the time. It’s called “Caught ya.’” Basically the bosses give out tickets when they see good work, extra effort, good attitude, etc. The employees then put their tickets into a drawing container. The bosses pick and choose when they want to have their “Caught ya’” day (no one ever knows when it’s going to be). But on that day there is great excitement because great prizes are handed out to those employees that have their tickets drawn.

Well, this got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be great fun to have a “Caughtcha” tradition in your family? Oh, it could really be BIG! Parents could brainstorm on what behavior, work, attitudes, goals accomplished, etc. that they wanted their children to focus on. Then, they could have another brainstorm session on prizes to be given at random drawings. These could be coupons for back rubs, an outing, a game of the child’s choice, help with a project or cleaning a room, etc. You get the idea. Even your children could submit prize coupons for things they would like to do for other members of the family that win. I guess if your budget allows, you could even purchase grand prizes of toys and games, books or art supplies, etc. Or you could have a prize bag with a coupon that gives the winning child a chance to choose from the prize bag. You would also have to decide how you wanted "Caughcha" tickets to be given—just by mom and dad. Could children suggest siblings that have done something nice? I first thought that everyone could submit tickets for their siblings but Rachael said the siblings would scheme and say, “I’ll put your name in if you’ll put my name in.” Rachael’s probably right. So, again, you can think all of these things through on your own.

I can see great benefits for this type of tradition. First, think of the service family members could give to others if they made up coupons to add to the prize box. Also, children may not get instant gratification for good behavior so they must learn patience. "Caughtcha" would get everyone focusing on the good of others. And, everyone would have something to look forward to on a regular basis. Anyway, it’s just an idea but I would love to try it if I were in that stage of life still. Oh and one more thing:

It’s “Turn off the T.V. Week.” I found a neat site to go to for more ideas for you and your family to investigate for good times together:

http://family.go.com/entertainment/pkg-tv-turnoff/

Focus on the Ten Commandments

Would you agree with me as an adult, that the things we learned as children are remembered much better than those things that we try to remember now? I can remember phone numbers, mathematical equations, the Articles of Faith, people’s names, and dates from my childhood. But ask me to remember a phone number or a scripture I’ve tried to memorize in recent days that I’ve worked on for a week, and I would be hard pressed to do so.

For some reason I never had the occasion when I was young to commit to memory the Ten Commandments. I have tried to memorize them and their order in my adulthood but they do not stay with me. So, I am suggesting that families spend time learning (memorizing) the Ten Commandments. Bless your young children with the opportunity to really remember the Ten Commandments (And maybe even the 1st and great commandment and the 2nd that is like unto it) and then in a week or so play this game:

HOT BRICKS 
Played like Hot Potato except you pass around a toy brick (Lego or block) and the person that is holding it when the timer rings (or music is stopped) has to state one of the 10 commandments. If they can't give one, they are out.

Even More of “It’s All About You!”

More questions to help complete a personal history. (This is going to be such a treasure! I’m excited for your family.)

GRAMMAR SCHOOL:
1) What was the name of your school, where was it, and what did it look like? How did you get there? Walk, ride? How far was it from your house? Were you ever late?
2) What did you do at recess? What games did you play? Did you ever have a Maypole or a field day? What was the playground like? What was lunchtime like? School or sack lunch? Where did you eat?
3) Did you ever play hookey? Tell about it.
4) What classes or subjects do you remember? Did you have homework? How much? What kind of grades did you get? What were your favorite/worst classes or subjects?
5)What teachers do you remember? Did you have a mean/good teacher? Were you ever teacher’s pet?
6) In what activities did you participate? Were you ever on a school team? If you were a member of a club(s), what was it? Were you ever involved in music or drama? Were you in the school band? Did you go to school dances? Were you involved in sports?
7) What did you like best about school? What did you like least?
8) What honors did you receive? Were you ever a school or class officer? Did you receive awards or prizes for achievements in athletics, scholarship, etc.?
9) What songs or dances were popular?
10) What kind of clothing did you wear? Were there fads? How were they different than clothes worn by young people today?

JR. HIGH SCHOOL:
Repeat the same questions that were given in Grammar School with this one additional question:

1) What did you do on Jr. High Graduation Night? What did you wear? Did you have a date?

HIGH SCHOOL:

Again, all of the questions are the same except for this one:

1) What did you do on High School Graduation Night? What did you wear? Did you have a date?

POST HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION:
1) Did you attend school after high school? Where? How long? What was your major course of study? Did you graduate? What honors or degrees did you earn? Did you belong to a sorority or fraternity?
3) Apart from school, what have been your most important learning experiences?

Wow…! Grandpa and Grandma, Please Tell Me More!!!

How much do your children know about their grandparents’ younger years? Do you realize that their history offers one of the richest sources of tradition and identity within your family? Children are a captive audience if you can get grandpa to tell about his favorite childhood activities or if you can get grandma to tell about her first “crush.” Schedule time to visit grandparents or to have them come to your home. Have dinner and use your conversation jar to stimulate questions. Perhaps you could even make up some questions that are made specifically with the grandparents’ histories in mind. (Be sure to let the grandparents know in advance that you will be fishing for stories from their background.) Maybe you will want to wait until after dinner to begin the sharing time. Get comfy and cozy with pillows and blankets and start asking questions. Before you know it, you’ll be laughing and hoping that you can remember every detail of the stories you are told. Thus, you might consider recording the stories if your grandparents grant you permission.

Tomorrow & the next few days, I will share some questions you might ask to get a complete history from anyone—but it would be especially nice for you to record grandparents’ answers for your Family History Record.

Family Activity Fun Box

I am sure, if you are like me, usually you don’t mind fixing dinner if you know what you want to prepare. The challenge is in the decision of “What shall I fix?” I think the same holds true with spending quality time with your family. If you can’t think of something to do, you allow television or other non-planned things to take over the time you could spend together as a family. So, what can you do to prevent this? How about making a Family Activity Fun Box.

I’m sure I don’t need to give you suggestions but I will anyway because it will help me get mine done for times when my grandchildren are here. I think I’ll use a cute box and have fun decorating it. (Your children can help you, too.) Think of all the activities you would like to do with your family and write them on slips of paper. During this step be sure to include family members. Some of the things I would like to do will be different than yours because my grandchildren range from the ages of 9 years-old to newborn. Here are some suggestions to get you thinking: 1) bowling, 2)read a book aloud 3) play “hot/cold” 4) go for a walk 5) swing 6) play in a sandbox 7)hide treasures in the sandbox and then allow everyone time to dig for “buried treasure 8) have pizza delivered and play a game 9) make cookies and take them to a neighbor 10) lay on the ground and look at the stars by night or the clouds by day.

Be sure to replenish the slips of paper either by replacing them or by adding to the box as family members come up with more ideas. Truly, if you don’t have alternative ideas for filling your time, the unwanted fillers will monopolize your family’s time.

Play Together, Stay Together

I can’t remember how many times I have heard, “A family that plays together stays together.” (Okay, I’ve also heard it put, “A family that prays together stays together,” too.) But just ask yourself these questions and apply them to my favorite question that I ask myself to determine if something is true: “If people of the world would do this, would the world be a better place to raise my family in?” If you can answer with an exclamation, “Yes!” Then, in my opinion, it’s a pretty good idea to try and apply the idea.

So, with the above in mind, consider playing with your children. Children are a great excuse “to play.” My mother is staying with me right now and she said yesterday when a few of my grandchildren were playing, “I wish I could be your grandchild. I want to play, too.” I told her she could play, too. And almost she cried, “I can’t. It’s too hard to get up and down.” Trust me, I know the years pass all too quickly. Soon, I will be in my mother’s position and my children will be in mine. But perhaps if I can take learning from what my mother said, I can stay younger by continuing to play with my grandchildren. Parents, you too can play with your children. Turn off the television. Turn of the video games (at least for a while) and test the benefits of playing (spending quality time) with your children. Kids talk when they play, and they don’t have to get your attention because they already have it if you’re playing with them. Some of my children still talk about the season of our lives when Jeff (my husband) devoted 1/2 hour every Sunday by playing with each child doing whatever they wanted to do. (Happy memories—not of what they played but that dad played with them.) I am sure you have many inside Board Games and card games. Play them often when outside weather encourages it. With Spring here may I suggest some outside activities: walks, hide and seek, croquet, badminton, tennis, basketball, any kind of ball, hopscotch, jump rope, roller skating, hiking, gardening, exploring, learning outdoor cooking skills, biking. You get the idea. Please, just spend lots of time with your children. I know you will never be sorry.