Thinking the best...

“Love covers unworthy things rather than bringing them to the light and magnifying them. It puts up with everything. It is always eager to believe the best and to put the most favorable construction on ambiguous actions." – Albert Barnes

Fine Motor Skills Activities

SLP and OT desperately needed!

If you know of a SLP or OT in search of a job with children, Faces of Hope in Gallatin, TN is hiring both positions. Start date is ASAP. You can see the job posting at:

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?Job_DID=J8E4BX62KD8QWCGNY4Y&siteid=cb_emailjob_US&cbRecursionCnt=2&cbsid=ff58e34239734280bf0d7e093f1c44c8-317924345-x3-6

Fine Motor Skills Winter Activity

As I sit here looking out the window and watching the snow fall, I'm reminded of a great activity for the kids...snowflakes! The opportunities for fine motor development abounds when making cut-out paper snowflakes. For children with weak cutting skills, you can use tissue paper. Some children need assistance in determining a pattern; you can simply pencil in cutting lines for them. Want to develop shape recognition? Have them use a specific shape for the cuts..."For your next snowflake, use only triangles and see how different your snowflake looks." Don't forget, when everyone has finished, you have a great option for gross motor skills...get out the broom and dustpan to sweep up the cuttings.

Bonus for mom? Keeps the kids busy for hours =)
Enjoy!

I'm banishing the shoulds...

This article grabbed my attention when it arrived in my "in" box this morning. Words are so powerful. Changing just one word can change your whole outlook on life and how you see yourself. This year, I'm going to retrain myself and teach my children to use the word "could" instead of "should"...

Parenting Thoughts For the New Year: Changing "I Should" to "I Could"
By: Nicole Beurkens, M.Ed.

The start of a new calendar year tends to be a time for us to reflect on the past year, and also make plans for what we envision in the 12 months ahead. Some people make resolutions, write to-do lists, or set goals for themselves. What often happens with these lists and resolutions, however, is that they fall by the wayside shortly after they’ve been written. One of the reasons for this is the pressure we put on ourselves to accomplish these things; and that pressure and level of expectation leads to stress, resentment, and ultimately giving up on what we originally set out to do.

I recently heard someone talk about changing our "I shoulds" to "I coulds." That really resonated with me on a personal and professional level, as it seems so easy to get caught in the trap of stressing about everything I "should" do. When we think of things in terms of "I should," we exist in a pressured state of feeling forced to do something. Thinking about what I "could" do shifts us into a mindset of choice—I am deciding in this moment whether to do this thing. It not only sounds different, but it feels different to phrase options from the perspective of "I could" instead of "I should." There is an internal mindset shift that occurs when we do this; and it allows us to move forward with trying to do the things we could, instead of getting stuck in the mode of pressuring ourselves to do what we should.

Since we are at the start of a new year, we have the opportunity to think about the year ahead in terms of "I coulds." Instead of making lists of all the things we "should" do, why not think about all we could do and accomplish this year? Here are some simple ways we can apply this thinking to our parenting and the relationships we have with our children:

•I could spend a few minutes of 1-1 time with my child each day.
•I could have my child help me with a chore I need to get done.
•I could plan a simple activity that our family can all do together each week.
•I could get the playroom/bedroom/office/garage organized.
•I could be more consistent with my response to the negative/inappropriate behavior my child exhibits.
•I could read that book/journal/blog I find interesting.
•I could be more patient with my children.
•I could set limits for how much time my children spend watching television and playing video games.

How about you? What are some of the "I shoulds" that have been hovering over you and your life? Take a few moments to write down all the "shoulds" that come to mind – just jot them down in whatever order you think of them. Your list might include household chores or projects, such as doing the laundry or repairing something that’s broken; personal ideals such as losing weight; activities with your children, etc. Once you have your list, go through and read each one using the phrasing "I could…". Notice how you respond mentally and physically to thinking about each item on your list as a "could" versus a "should." When these things arise for you on a daily basis, focus on shifting into the choice mode of "I could" instead of the pressure mode of "I should." Let’s make the coming year a year of "coulds!"

--Nicole Beurkens is the director of Horizons Developmental Remediation Center. Her e-newsletter is fantastic. You can find out more about Horizons and sign up for the newsletter at the Horizons web site:
www.horizonsdrc.com

A resolution...

"A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year." ~Edgar Guest

Pencil Grip

Here's an easy way to help your child grip a pencil correctly...