Back to School!!

School supplies are everywhere, which means it's that time of year again! Talk of school is everywhere, so I thought I would join in on the banter. This year I am beginning the journey into having a school-age child and have been doing a lot of reflecting. I can't say I haven't shed a few tears (I'll blame it on the fact that I just had a baby) but all in all I'm excited about starting the journey. If your family is getting ready to make the transition back to school, here are a few tips on how to start off the year on the right foot.

1) Pray for your child-This may sound like common sense, but I challenge you to pray specifically! For your child's friends, experiences, academics, etc.

2) Pray for your child's teacher-Having been a teacher before taking on my current role, I may be a bit biased, but teachers have a lot of responsibility and unique pressures. They could use your prayers!

3) Establish routines-At least a week before school starts, begin your schooltime routines. Talk with your child about when they will complete homework and get them used to going to bed a little earlier and getting up earlier. It will make the transition that much easier. And you might want to do the same for youself, too!

4) Deal with Anxiety- Some kids have an incredible knack for adapting to situations. Others do not and need some extra love and support. If your child is having anxiety about starting school, have some friends over the week before school starts. Being with friends who will be at their school might take away some of the tension. Also, be available for your kids during the time leading up to school. Even if anxiety is not expressed, your extra presence will be a comfort.

5) Stay Positive-Children very quickly pick up on our feelings and tend to copy and many times magnify them. Talk about the beginning of the year in positive terms. Instead of saying "you have to go back to school" say "you get to go back to school soon!"

6) Start fun traditions-The night before school starts, sit down together and share hopes and fears about the upcoming year. And then pray over them! On the evening of the first day of school go out for ice cream and share about your day. Make it fun and a time to connect.

As the school year starts I'll be praying for all of our kidSPACE kids and families as you adjust to another school year. May your year be full of blessings!

Have Patience

Here's a post written by a blogger that I thought provided some great perspective/tips on patience. Something we all seem to struggle with at some point with our children. Hopefully it helps you today!

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When I was a kid my mom taught us a song about a snail named Herbert who needed to learn to have patience. Being the awesome big sister that I was, I often sang it to my brother whenever he was getting impatient. Of course, this always helped to bring him patience—not! Soon, this silly song became our way of irritating each other whenever we recognized that we were about to lose our patience.
Several years later, as I was raising four little kids and feeling a little stressed, I would find myself singing that song. As I watched my little girls growing impatient with each other or with that shoe they just couldn’t tie, I would sing them the song about the impatient snail.
When I was a kid, I thought my mom was teaching us that song to help us learn patience. But now that I’m older, I realize she was singing that song to remind herself to have patience.
I have to admit that I’ve lost my patience more than once. I can clearly remember a day at the park. I was there with several mom friends—using my “nice mom” voice. During that time, one of my girls pitched a fit when she couldn’t have the swing, one of them threw their lunch on the ground, one had to go to the potty every five seconds, and then they had a melt down as I tried to drag them across the parking lot to the car when it was time to go.
I falsely kept a smile on face the whole time. Buckled them in while taking deep cleansing breaths as they screeched. And the second I got in the van and shut the door I hollered: “I’ve had enough! I don’t want to hear another peep until we get home.” I yelled so loudly that I shocked them. Total silence for about five seconds. Then they all started to cry. Yep. I’d been pushed to the limit. I’d lost my patience.
I’ve been taught that love is patient. And I love my kids more than life. So, why is it so hard to be patient? Here’s why. I’m not perfect. I’m human. I’ve got a long way to go. I want to be patient . . . but sometimes I’m not. I don’t want to be pushy and snippy and impatient . . . but sometimes I am.

Here are a few things that help me when I’m struggling for patience:

1. I watch my tone. When I’m impatient my tone is short, bossy and snippy. When I choose a kinder tone I seem to be able to communicate with patience.

2. I step away. I know this is not always possible. But I’ve been known to lock myself in the bathroom for a few minutes or go for a walk until I find my happy place.

3. I listen to music. Happy music. I have a playlist of happy songs and when I feel my impatience boiling  up I turn up the tunes. Music has the ability to change my mood.

4. I look into their faces. When I look into the eyes of those kids that I love, it communicates something to my heart. It reminds me that I’m shaping who they will become. It smoothes out my patience.

5. I remember that others are patient with me. There’s a part in the Herbert the snail song that says, “Remember that God is patient too, and think of all the times when others have to wait for you.” Many have been and continue to be PATIENT with me. I’ve been on the receiving end and I know how good it feels.

written by Kendra Fleming             orangeparents.org

kidSPACE in August

Preschool:
This month, preschoolers will be joining Moses on the many adventures his life entailed. As they learn about Moses being found in a basket by Pharaoh’s daughter, his leadership of the Israelites out of slavery, the parting of the Red Sea, and even the manna that falls from heaven, they will be learning that God is always with them. God was with Moses, and He is with them too.

What a powerful statement to tuck inside the heart of a preschooler. God is with him. Always. God is with him on the swing going high in the sky. God is with him at the doctor’s office when the nurse comes in with the shot. God is with him when he’s at home, the park or church. God is always there.

Verse: "God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Elementary:
It seems like we’re bombarded constantly by commercials and ads telling us what we “need” to make our life better. Promises that, with this product, the next time we look in the mirror, we’ll magically see chiseled abs, thick healthy hair with no split ends and a flawless complexion. Or get our dream job far from here. But really, contentment has nothing to do with how you look, what you have, where you are, or what you do.
Think about it.
What if you were absolutely convinced that you were well made by a competent and skilled Creator?
Contentment is about Who you trust.
As Christians, we know that God looks on us as His creation, and that because of His great love for us He chose to send His Son to redeem us and provide a way for us to have an unending relationship with Him. We know that He has promised to meet our needs in Christ Jesus, and that He is immeasurably able to do more than we ask or imagine. We know that He has gone to prepare a place for us, and that because of His grace we can spend eternity with Him.
So, when you think about it, we really have every reason to be content.
Our contentment really is about more than just our personal happiness. It is a demonstration of our daily trust in God. It shows that we really believe that His way is better than our own. It allows us to focus on what God is doing in and around us right now. And when we are content, we allow others to see a glimpse of the peace that passes understanding.
That’s why we think it’s so important for us to help kids Get a Clue on who’s stealing their contentment. After all, contentment is choosing to be happy with what you’ve got.

Verse: "I have learned to be content no matter what happens to me. I know what it’s like not to have what I need. I also know what it’s like to have more than I need. I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens.” (NIrV) Philippians 4:11b-12:a

Giveaway-revisited

Sorry folks, I received some feedback that the comments section of the blog is not working. So I will try to get that up and running and then do the giveaway again! I'm not that familiar with the blogging world but I will do my best to figure it out. Thanks for your patience!!

Quotable Kids

I repeatedly hear parents sharing funny quotes their kids have said, and I see them posted on facebook many times as well. What great memories you don't want to lose! Here's what I propose-write them down. You can keep notes on your smartphone, create a document, keep a journal, etc. But whatever you do, don't lose those precious words! Just recently I bought a book for each of my boys that's basically a journal to record quotes. It's called My Quotable Kid: A Parents' Journal of Unforgettable Quotes and each page includes speech bubbles to record funny or interesting things your kids say. My latest entry was for my youngest, Luke. My husband called him "Son" the other evening, and apparently he doesn't use that word much because Luke's response was "I'm not the sun, the sun is outside in the sky. I'm Luke!" Great one for the quote book.


And just to encourage you to find a way to write down these memories for future enjoyment, I'm going to give away 3 copies of My Quotable Kid. Leave a comment sharing something cute/interesting/funny your child has said or done and you will be entered in a drawing to receive a book!

Winners will be selected and announced on Saturday afternoon, so start sharing those memories!

kidSPACE Preschool

Twenty-five: that is the typical number of preschoolers (ages 2-5) that fill our downstairs each and every Sunday morning during Millersville's kidSPACE. For a church our size, that is a very significant number! The preschool age is such a wonderful time of exploration and discovery. You may have heard it said before that kids of these ages are sponges, and it is so true. They soak in everything you tell them, and in case you haven't noticed, things you don't tell them as well! Which is why what kids are taught, and how they're taught, is so critical. 

Dana and Sami Cook!

In kidSPACE we have three preschool classrooms: age 2, age 3, and ages 4,5. They all follow the same monthly theme but the activities they do are geared specifically towards their developmental abilities. Dana Cook is our preschool coordinator and does an amazing job leading a team of very dedicated preschool teachers and helpers. There are 6 leaders involved with our preschoolers each week, which results in around 24 different adults each month. We are humbled by their commitment to this very important age group. If you have a child in one of these classes, make sure to thank or do something special for your child's teachers this month!

Each Sunday the kids start out doing some introductory activities of the theme/lesson for the day. It's usually a high interest activity that gets them locked into the theme for the morning. To give you an example, this past Sunday kids played animal memory to introduce the theme for the day, which was God made animals. This is typically followed by the bible story for the morning and practice on their monthly bible verse. The morning concludes with hands-on application activities that help to "stick" lessons in the minds of the kids. So this past Sunday kids did activities like listening to animal sounds on a cd and guessing the animal, making animal puppets or fingerprint animals, or moving like animals. Teachers have a list of activities they get to choose from to close out the morning.



The 4,5 year olds wait to play a game.

On the first Sunday of each month parents receive a take home paper called Small Talk that outlines the monthly theme and weekly bible stories. If you are a preschool parent and miss that first Sunday there are extra copies of this paper hanging on the bulletin board in the preschool hallway. Feel free to pick one up! They also contain fun activities you can do at home to reinforce the bible stories and concepts kids learn each month.

         

Decorating Bear Cookies





The 3 year olds go fishing!



 



Ryan joins in the penguin race!











How to Lose (and Gain) Influence as a Parent

I wanted to share a great post written by another blogger, Carey Nieuwhof, a pastor in Canada. There's some great insight in here on building influence and trust with your kids-which is essential for establishing a positive relationship with them as they grow.

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Every parent wants influence, and while a parent is the greatest influence in a child’s life, that influence can wax and wane with the seasons.  In fact, a lot of parents I know feel like they’re losing influence.

Influence is something to pay attention to no matter what stage of parenting you’re at, because ultimately every parent is on a journey from control to influence.  We start out with almost complete control of a child’s life, but by the time our sons and daughters are 18 and ready to face life on their own, all we have left is influence.
This raises an important question: How exactly does influence work?  It works like this:
We listen most to the people we love the most.
Our kids inevitably do what you and I do: they listen most to the people they love the most. This means that as a parent, you need to establish an authentic, healthy relationship with your son or daughter if you hope be an influence in their lives.
Influence is easy to lose but takes time to build up.  Here are five easy ways to lose influence as a parent:

1. Threaten consequences, but never carry them out. Then your kids will know to never take you seriously.

2. Shame, guilt, and frustrate your children. Eventually they’ll want to get as far away from you as they can.

3. Try to be their best friend. Your kids need a parent more than they need another buddy. (As my friend Jeff Brodie says,  he’s never met a 15 year old looking for a 45 year old best friend.)

4. Treat your spouse poorly. Your kids will lose respect for you rapidly.

5. Be inconsistent.  If your kids never know where you stand, they’ll lose trust in you.

Influence can be lost quickly.  But how do you gain it?  How do you cultivate influence?  How do you create a healthy relationship that lasts?
While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are five ways to increase the influence you have with kids:

1. Do what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it. It cultivates trust, confidence and even respect.

2. Enforce limits. Don’t think you’re helping your kids by letting them off the hook with commitments, boundaries and responsibilities.  One day, they’ll thank you for it.

3. Treat one anoher with kindness.  Treat the people closest to you with more kindness than anyone else (it’s natural, by the way, to do the opposite).

4. Don’t overindulge your kids. Let rewards be rewards. As a rule, you shouldn’t give your kids rewards for nothing, or for simply doing what’s expected of them.

5. Work on your own character.  When your kids see you developing your faith and character, you will have a greater impact on their lives.

If you think about it, the people who are gaining influence with you are probably exhibiting some of the characteristics just listed.  You love and respect them because they are responsible, kind, considerate people who stand for something and have a deep integrity.  The people who are losing influence in your life are people who are inconsistent and emotionally unhealthy.
While it takes discipline to develop your character and stick to sensible limits as a parent, over time, it will help you gain and keep influence with your kids.  And eventually, influence is all we have left with our kids in any event.