Saturday, January 23, 2010

Children who learn from their mistakes.....

Good article from the Sun to read.

EVERYONE makes mistakes – we adults know that for sure but not all children do.
When a child makes a mistake or worse still, faces failure, we need to guide them through the experience in order for them to come outof it positively.
A child’s experience with a mistake or failure could lower his self esteem.
The last thing you should do is react with disappointment, anger or impatience.
Be calm when they make mistakes. Be calm when you make mistakes yourself, especially in their presence.
Teach them to have a more relaxed attitude and show them we can laugh at ourselves when we make mistakes.
Find opportunities in day-to-day activities to encourage them to view mistakes as opportunities to learn something new. Use creativity to turn the mistakes into acceptable outcomes if the situation allows it.
If your child has failed at something major, such as a test or exam, help him to cope with his feelings of low self-esteem, disappointment and sadness by showing him your unconditional love.

Assure him that you love him regardless of how he performs.

Tell him that you value his efforts.
Other practical ways to minimise the negative impact of such situations is to find out your child’s learning style.
Does your child learn best visually, kinestethically or audibly? Help him learn and work more effectively by using the style that suits him.
In learning math, for example, if he grasps the concepts better by using objects to count, provide him with suitable items to use. If he absorbs facts better by reading his textbook aloud, do not tell him to study quietly.
Share stories of your own past failures and successes to show him that failure and success are part and parcel of life. Tell him what you had learnt from the experience and what you did to overcome the mistakes.
You could also tell him inspirational stories of famous people who overcame challenges and achieved success.
When something goes wrong and your child is responsible for it, avoid putting the blame on him. Discuss what happened and encourage him to bring out the fighter in him to learn from the mistake, and not to give up too easily.
If your child has a fear of failure after a past experience, tell him that the only way to fail is to not try at all.
Finally, be sure of what your definition of success is. Does it mean being the best in everything they do and scoring the highest marks in every subject in school?
If so, when they are not the best and when you come down hard on them, will they be motivated to try again to be better, or to even dare to try anything new ever again?
While we all have dreams of our children being the best in everything they do, we have to be realistic of their abilities and talents.
Think about what your child is capable of and set goals that are appropriate for his age, knowledge and skills.
Actually, they do not really have to be the best in everything, they just have to be giving their best at all times.

At least for TODAY

There is a lot of intolerance and tension simmering in the air today.
The best thing for anyone to do is to at least be CIVIL, at least for TODAY.

1. TODAY I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK:
If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind.... I will not respond in a like manner.

2. TODAY I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY "ENEMY":
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask GOD to bless that individual. I understand the "enemy" could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger.

3. TODAY I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY:
I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do not spread gossip.

4. TODAY I WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE:
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.

5. TODAY I WILL FORGIVE:
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.

6. TODAY I WILL DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE, BUT I WILL DO IT SECRETLY:
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.

7. TODAY I WILL TREAT OTHERS THE WAY I WISH TO BE TREATED:
I will practice the golden rule- do unto others as I would have them do unto you-with everyone I encounter.

8. TODAY I WILL RAISE THE SPIRITS OF SOMEONE WHO IS DISCOURAGED:
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling with life.

9. TODAY I WILL NURTURE MY BODY:
I will eat less; I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank GOD for my body.

10. TODAY I WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY:I will spend a little more time in prayer today: I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational today; I will find a quiet place (at some point during this day) and listen to GOD's voice.

Friday, January 15, 2010

6 principles to live by

1. No point using limited life to chase unlimited money

2. No point earning so much money you cannot live to spend it .

3. Money is not yours until you spend it.

4. When you are young, you use your health to chase your wealth ; when you are old, you use your wealth to buy back your health.
Difference is that, it will be too late.

5. How happy a man is, is not how much he has but how little he needs .

6. No point working so hard to provide for the people you have no time to spend with .

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Funny how humans think.........

Funny how a $10.00 bill looks so big when you take it to church, but so small when you take it to the market.

Funny how big an hour serving God looks and how small 60 minutes are when spent playing golf, fishing or playing games.

Funny how long a couple of hours spent at the mosque/church, but how short they are when watching a movie.

Funny how we get thrilled when a football game goes into overtime, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time.

Funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Quran / Bible and how easy it is to read 200-300 pages of a best selling novel.

Funny how we believe what newspapers say, but question what the Quran / Bible says.

Funny how people scramble to get a front seat at any game, but scramble to get a back seat at prayer times.

Funny how we cannot fit a religious meeting into our schedule with yearly planner but we can schedule for other events at a moment's notice.

Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks to fit a mosque / church event into our schedule, but can adjust it for a social event at the last minute.

Funny how much difficulty some have learning a simple chapter of the Holy Book well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and explain gossip about someone.

Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, and don't have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.

Funny how we are so quick to take direction from a total stranger when we are lost, but are hesitant to take God's direction to be found.

Funny how people are so consumed with what others think about them rather than what God thinks about them.

Funny how people think that they can get more accomplished in a lifetime without God than in an hour with him.

Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven, provided they don't have to believe, or to think, or to say, or to do anything. Also, they don't want to die too!

Joy

Experience happiness without a reason and you can create happiness for any reason.
Realize that happiness is not the result of good things, but is indeed the cause of good things.
There is nothing you need in order to be happy other than the choice to be.
Imagine living this day filled with joy, happiness and positive purpose.

Imagine it, then take one more step and actually do it.
Let go of any concern you may have for what does or does not come your way.
Focus instead on the good and valuable things that you can give, create, inspire and choose to experience.
Don't allow the world to pull you down with its negativity.
Choose to transform the world around you with your own positive outlook.
Real joy is always a choice you can make.
Live with joy, let happiness flow out from you, and life becomes more radiant with each passing moment.

PS Enough thing said about churches and various religious terms recently, all I want to say is that there are cowardly idiots out there who don't know what they're doing and why they're doing it.