One of the ways our children’s inner voice is developed is through the communication in which we create with them. If we speak from a place of love, worthiness, belief, acknowledgment, peace and positivity, our children will take the seeds of this language, plant them into their minds, absorb them over time and blossom into their fullest being and potential and share it with others.

However, if we speak from a place of disapproval, unworthiness, rejection, frustration and negativity, our children will plant these tainted seeds into their minds and never have a chance of really tapping into their true essence. Instead these will be the “recordings” that play over and over in their heads for years ahead that begin to define their emptiness, “not enough” sense of self.

As we learn to tap more into our inner voice, we can and will continue to lay the foundation for trust, self-belief and fulfillment in our children’s lives and generations to follow. This change begins with one parent, one child, one day at a time.

Dr. Shefali Tsabary, author of The Conscious Parent, shares some additional and very insightful thoughts as it pertains to bettering understanding and honoring our children’s inner voice.

“When you are able to respect the unfolding of your child’s particular journey, you teach them to nurture their own inner voice and simultaneously honor the voice of others.”

“As our children see that their presence is both meaningful and important to us, they learn to trust inner voice.”

“At every opportunity, encourage your children to listen to their inner voice, love the process of learning, enjoy the mastery of a skill, revel in taking a risk, and laugh at themselves when they fail. This is how you teach them to manifest their true creative potential.”

Dr. Shefali shares in her book, The Conscious Parent, “when our children see us place the needs of others before our own, they learn that they are to value others more than themselves. When we please others to gain their approval, we may also begin to please our children. Seeking their approval, we cater inordinately to their needs instead of teaching them to take care of their own needs. When we are unable to create healthy boundaries for ourselves, our children learn to disrespect the boundaries of others. Because we constantly give to them without saying “no” when appropriate, they fail to learn the importance of accepting that life itself sometimes says ‘no’ to us.”

http://www.today.com/parents/9-things-i-wish-id-known-about-raising-girl-1D79911270

http://www.today.com/parents/10-things-i-wish-id-known-about-raising-boy-1D79911267

I know I’m a kid, but I deserve respect too.

Yes it’s starting to happen BIG time!  I am getting into everything and my parents need help.  Here you go mom and dad…..

http://blog.positivediscipline.com/2012/05/teach-children-what-to-do.html

On Children
 Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

9 Ways to Teach Your Child About Charity from parents.com

By Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller

To help your children acquire the habit of charity, consider implementing as a family the strategies which follow.

1. Donate clothes.

Periodically go through your closets rooting out clothes you haven’t worn in a while, which can be given to the Salvation Army or Goodwill for distribution to the needy. Encourage your children to do the same. Allow them to select which clothes or toys they wish to donate. The value of this activity is diminished greatly if you go through their closets for them without their presence. For maximum benefit, get your children involved in choosing the appropriate items. Take your children with you when you drop the items off at the charitable destination.

2. Help neighbors.

Regularly engage in a service-oriented project. Rake the leaves of an elderly couple. Bake cookies for a serviceman or servicewoman. Bake bread and deliver it to the homeless feeding station in your community.

3. Give blood.

Take your children with you so they see you as a model for giving. Talk to them about why you choose to donate blood and what you hope it will accomplish by doing so.

4. Make birthdays charitable.

Set up birthday parties as a time for giving to others. At your child’s first school-age birthday party, ask guests to bring a gift of a book (new or used) to be donated to a local charity. Talk to your son about the books he has and about children who have no books. Explain that one way to celebrate a birthday would be to give to those who have less. Involve the birthday boy in the decision of whether not to give the books to a woman’s shelter, a doctor’s office, or some other appropriate organization. When you deliver the books with your son, record it on camera, and revisit that movie (or those pictures) on future birthdays.

5. Include pets.

At regular intervals, buy dog or cat food and take it to the humane society. Allow your children to spend some time with the recipients of the gift.

6. Deliver nutrition.

Build food baskets around the holidays and give to a needy family suggested by your church or school. Involve your children is selecting canned goods, fruit, and other treats to include. Decorate the gift package and deliver it together, as a family.

7. Change for a difference.

Create a charity jar to be used by the family when allowances are distributed. Invite children to share some of their allowance with others through donating to the jar. As the jar fills, decide as a family where to contribute the contents. You may choose to save a whale, buy gloves for needy children, or contribute to a cancer charity among others. Read about various charities on the Internet and share this information with your children to help them make an informed decision.

8. Help elders.

Do things for the elderly that they have trouble doing for themselves. Pick up sticks in your neighbor’s yard after a big windstorm. Mow the grass for Grandma. Wash Grandpa’s car. Clean their windows in the spring. Help them plant flowers.

9. Pitch in.

Get on a regular service schedule at your church or synagogue. Sign up for a time to mow the grass and trim the bushes. Take your turn ushering and allow your child to assist.

By implementing some of these ideas or others like them, you will be teaching your children that charity is not reserved only for emergencies. You will be helping them appreciate that reaching out to others in need is a way of life, rather than a moment in time when a catastrophic disaster occurs. Remember, while you are giving to others, you are giving your children important messages about your beliefs concerning the spirit of giving.

Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller are the authors of The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose. Moorman is a former classroom teacher and the currect director of the Institute of Personal Power.