| The foundation for building a good relationship with | | | | lunch and eat a meal or snack at the park...and spend |
| your children requires that you spend time with them - | | | | some time enjoying what is available. Take along a |
| spending time getting to know who they are, getting to | | | | book to read to the children. Bake up some cookies |
| sense the clues that seem to motivate behavior | | | | and take them to a senior friend (can be done in the |
| issues, and getting to grasp their humor and interests in | | | | evening or on the weekend). Think building |
| life. Every parent has the potential to build a deep | | | | communityand help a neighbor who needs help with |
| relationship with their child that will survive through the | | | | weeding, mowing or needs just a visit! Don't forget to |
| teenage years. Building this relationship does not require | | | | write picture letters to relatives and walk to the |
| spending a ton of money. As David Elkind said when | | | | nearest mailbox.So, put away your wallet and think |
| he was in Portland many years ago, it is not the fancy | | | | home art! With some paper and glue and odd bits of |
| trip to Disneyland that bonds your child to you. The | | | | macaroni you can make super collages or use some |
| bonding occurs during the day-to-day interactions of | | | | cardboard and make picture frames. With some old |
| daily events and seasonal activities. So, put your wallet | | | | magazines, create puzzles - and after you have cut |
| away and think "home".Encourage children to work | | | | some up, see if you can assemble them. Possibly glue |
| with you in the yard! Delight in the nature around you! | | | | the pieces down as you do that and create another |
| Discover the potato bug and dissect the weed! Yes, it | | | | form of collage. Take the newspaper and roll the |
| will take longer to do the yard work with the help of | | | | sheets to make long and short poles; then using |
| little fingers, but as you work you will find humor and | | | | masking tape, build a structure or 3-dimensional art |
| create a healthy respect for nature.Encourage your | | | | sculpture. Put it outside and see what the weather |
| children to help you cook. When we have actually | | | | does to it! Create wish cards using pictures from |
| cooked something there is such a strong sense of | | | | catalogs. Create "I feel" or "This is who I am" cards, |
| accomplishment! Let your children help you prepare the | | | | using pictures from magazines and catalogs of all |
| ingredients for cooking - children are able to chop and | | | | sorts. Not every activity will appeal to every child in |
| sift and peel.Again, it takes longer, but all of it helps with | | | | your family. That is ok. Provide the opportunity to the |
| relationhsips. It is not necessary to have all 5 children in | | | | children who are not interested to be involved in |
| the kitchen at the same time; set up a schedule and | | | | something else that interests them. One-on-one time |
| make it a special date time with the parent who is | | | | with each child in a family is as important as spending |
| cooking.If everybody helps clean up the house, there is | | | | time together with all the family! Recognize that |
| a sense of community-building.The key to building | | | | children are interested in different things depending |
| relationships is to be respectful of the individuality of | | | | upon their age and skill levels. The key to building |
| each child.It isn't just mom's duty to keep the | | | | relationships is to be respectful of the individuality of |
| environment clean and workable for the family. I know | | | | each child.Sally Skelding has been molding the minds of |
| families who spend Thursday nights housecleaning and | | | | both young adults and children for more than 30 years. |
| then plan fun things to do on the weekend.Allow | | | | Sally's long career started in Youngstown, Ohio, where |
| children to actually shop with you and help make up | | | | she was the Director of the Youngstown Civic |
| the list. If you have several children, let children trade | | | | Children's Theatre. During those years, she and her |
| off participation. So, put your wallet away and think | | | | students entertained children with puppetry and |
| Neighborhood.With very young children, take walks | | | | children's theatre performances. In time, she returned to |
| about your neighborhood, pointing out and discovering | | | | her roots and moved to the West Coast with her |
| the dogs & cats, the flowers, the stores, the bus stops, | | | | husband. |
| etc.If there is a park near by, pack up a paper bag | | | | |