Home
>
Parenting
>
Think Like Your Kids - And Understand Them More!

Think Like Your Kids - And Understand Them More!

Seven-year old Michael was on a school trip to a Wildlife Centre in Central Scotland. It was near the end of the day and they were in the Gift Shop before boarding the bus for the journey home.

Poor Michael! He couldn't resist the array of lollipops and chocolate animals that beckoned to him. He chose one and was about to pay for it with his last few pennies.

His teacher, a kindly soul with not long before retirement, noticed him. "Have you bought something for your Mum yet, Michael?"

Michael lowered his head in shame! Gently, the teacher took the candy bar from him and replaced it on the shelf.

She walked to another display and selected a small figure made from cheap plastic. "Why not take this for her? You've got just enough money left."

Years have now passed.

Michael is all grown up and has left home, but the figurine still has pride of place in his mum's display cabinet.

Michael still recalls the day he learned an important lesson: "The figure was made of cheap plastic, but my Mum couldn't have treasured it more had it been made of silver, gold or even platinum."

Sometimes we as parents and adults lose our sense of perspective, don't we? What may seem trivial and unimportant to us, can mean so much to a child.

We can learn a useful parenting tip from Michael's mum. The gift had little or no monetary value, but was given - albeit with a gentle nudge from the teacher! - with generosity and a certain amount of personal sacrifice. And by displaying it for years, Michael's mum showed her appreciation of that.

This reminds me of a conference I once attended.

There was a blue rug on the floor and the participants were asked to gather round. It was an exercise in perception, we were told.

The speaker threw a small woollen ball onto the rug. It was exactly the same colour and was made from the same material - so it blended in and seemed to disappear.

'Now find it,' was the instruction. Everyone peered and peered without success, until someone - not me! - got down on his knees and looked from ground level.

Bingo! There was the profile of the ball, rising above the surface of the mat.

Call it 'thinking outside the box' or whatever - but very often problems can be solved by looking at them from another perspective or dimension.

When we learn to think like our children, when we 'get down to their level', when we master the art of getting inside their heads and seeing life from their point of view, the task of raising children becomes much easier - to say nothing of more enjoyable and fulfilling.

Happy parenting!

Why do some parents and children succeed, while others fail? Frank McGinty is an internationally published author and teacher. If you want to develop your parenting skills and encourage your kids to be all they can be, visit his web pages, http://www.frank-mcginty.com/peace-formula.html AND http://www.frank-mcginty.com/peace-formula.html

same day cleaning service Des Plaines ..

In The News:

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Think Like Your Kids - And Understand Them More!

Parenting