Tag Archives: setting an example

Modeling Patience

Patience is a virtue… or so I’ve heard. Delayed gratification has been a huge topic in my family’s home, especially since we flipped the calendar to 2013. Three words: New Year’s resolutions.  Make that six:  Failing to keep New Year’s resolutions… especially the ones that challenge you to delay a reward. That’s us. And by us, I mean me.  Well, me and my 8-year-old.  But, she didn’t resolve to be more patient in 2013.  That was my Christmas wish that she didn’t deliver. Of course, if I listened to the experts, I would have known that resolving to lose weight … Continue reading →

Put On A Happy Face

It’s always important to be a positive role model for your children, not only in the things you do but in your outlook on life as well. This is especially important if you are a single parent. It’s very important that you have taken care of your emotional needs and are in a good place when you interact with your children. As their sole custodial parent you have the most influence on their attitude and outlook on life. It’s very easy to get discouraged. There are bills to pay, mouths to feed, and a house to run, it can be … Continue reading →

Helping Young Marrieds

If you’ve been married a few years or a long while, how prepared are you to encourage and help those just starting out on the marriage path? Recently a couple I know celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary. Someone commented that in this day and age where many marriages never last anywhere near that long, this couple is an encouragement to others. I remember too when I said once how long Mick and I had been married the person looked at me in stunned amazement. She then congratulated me on our long marriage. Funnily enough it doesn’t seem that long at … Continue reading →

Has Becoming a Parent Made You a Better Person?

Most parents know all too well that kids learn by example, which is why the majority of us try to model good behavior. Now that you are a parent do you always remember to return your shopping cart to its designated area? Do you always remember to say “please” and “thank you” even after the guy at McDonald’s erased your order… twice, then made you wait 15 minutes for ONE Happy Meal? Do you always practice proper store etiquette and take time to return the box of animal crackers your toddler swiped from the shelf even if it means backtracking … Continue reading →

What Are You Modeling Today?

One of my daughters is a big fan of the reality show “America’s Next Top Model.” I, myself, cannot understand the appeal of the program, but the other day while she was watching it, I realized that one of my “issues” with the reality television programs is that I feel as though they model such horrible human behavior. As much as I wish that my children were not exposed to such self-absorbed, selfish, immature, and irresponsible behaviors (to say the very least), I cannot always control that. All that I can control is my own behaviors and hope that I … Continue reading →

What About When OTHER People Say Negative Things About the Ex?

We single parents know that we are supposed to refrain from bashing our exes in front of the kids and I know we have talked a bit about it here in the Single Parents Blog—but what happens when our friends or family members say negative things about our ex, the other parent, in front of our kids? How should we handle it? Should we defend, ignore, set a firm boundary? It can be an awkward situation… For me, this didn’t seem to be much of a problem when my children were younger—people just seemed to understand that it was inappropriate. … Continue reading →

Substitute Teacher’s Corner: On Your Feet

Good morning! There’s a saying in substitute teaching: “A sub on her feet is worth two in her seat.” When you go in to substitute teach for a class, it may be daunting to think about spending the next 8 hours on your feet, but trust me – you and your students will appreciate the day so much more. Sitting Down The only time you should be sitting is if you’ve gathered the kids in a circle and you’re sitting on the floor with them or if they are taking a test and it will be less distracting from them … Continue reading →

If We Want Our Children to Have Character Traits, We Need to Have Them First

I write often here about how important it is for us as parents to model behaviors for our kids—things like honesty and patience and empathy are all important personal traits that we can exhibit ourselves in order to help our children learn what is expected. But, I think there are all sorts of morals, ethics, and character strengths that we must first foster in ourselves if we have hopes that our children will grow up with these cherished traits. How can we teach something that we haven’t really learned ourselves? If children can learn negative and abusive behaviors in the … Continue reading →

Why Modeling is Good for Your Child

Now wait a minute. Were you assuming that I meant modeling clothing? Did you think I was suggesting that your child should strive to strut down a runway in her future? Ahem, no. But perhaps that’s a good way to explain what I really mean. When a designer puts his clothes on someone, he chooses a person with a fabulous figure, tall, slender, who can walk with confidence and grace. He wants to demonstrate the possibilities with his design, and how it’s supposed to look and fit, ideally. And what does his model do? (Excuse the use of pronouns here. … Continue reading →