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2012年10月11日 星期四

Raising a Hard Working Family


How many times have we met or know of people who are slovenly, lazy, or who do not work hard? For these people it shows in their homes as well as in the lives they lead. My father has always been a hard working man. He was raised on a 2,000 acre ranch which always had hard work in the natural elements, and everyone had responsibilities that could not be shirked. He has a strong work ethic that he instilled in each of his four daughters. We worked hard growing up and it is safe to say that as adult women, mothers, and homemakers we work hard today.

Theodore Roosevelt in his powerful and motivating speech "The Strenuous Life" (April 1899 The Hamilton Club, Chicago) wrote the following:

"I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph. A life of slothful ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual."

What is your opinion of someone who is always striving to escape from work? It can be infuriating to someone who works hard with an honest effort. The natural man has a tendency to be lazy. Our main goal here on earth is to overcome the natural "man".

"A mere life of ease is not in the end a very satisfactory life, and, above all, it is a life which ultimately unfits those who follow it for serious work in the world."

There is nothing that feels better than working hard on a job such as cleaning and organizing the home, cooking meals, and doing the dishes. At the end of the day your muscles have been worked, your hands have served, your family is healthy, and you can see the visual results of your labor in the home. You can sit back and feel satisfied that all is well. It feels good to work hard and rest knowing that it is deserved.

"A man can be freed from the necessity of work only by the fact that he or his fathers before him have worked to good purpose."

Teaching our children this principle will make them great men and women, ready to face the adult life of toil and stress. They will be self motivators by the time they are adults when children are taught a good work ethic.

All children should work, and work with full effort. When it is play time, they will enjoy it! Children who are bored have not worked hard enough. Children who are selfish have not worked hard enough to enjoy the belongings that are given to them. They do not spend enough time cleaning up or caring for their belongings.

"...a healthy state can exist only when the men and women who make it up lead clean, vigorous, healthy lives; when the children are so trained that they shall endeavor, not to shirk difficulties, but to overcome them; not to seek ease, but to know how to wrest triumph from toil and risk. The man must be glad to do a man's work, to dare and endure and to labor; to keep himself, and to keep those dependent upon him. The woman must be the housewife, the helpmeet of the homemaker, the wise and fearless mother of many healthy children."

Several of my children have Sensory Integration Disorder. One of the therapies they were given was to make sure that they move around a lot and carry heavy things to put pressure on their joints. Things such as taking out the trash, carrying laundry hampers to a room to fold laundry, sweeping, and mopping are suggested means of "therapy". One's physical health depends on work - including the children's!

Some parents shy away from giving children more than a few responsibilities each day for several reasons:

1) Giving up full control to a child to do the responsibility is scary, difficult, and can be messy. Things such as learning to cook, doing laundry, mopping a floor will not always be done perfect or neatly, but as time and practice is allowed the child will progress and become good at it. If the child makes a mess when learning a new skill, make him or her clean it up. If the child is learning to cook and it turns out terrible, eat it with a smile and lots of tolerance and patience. I can't tell you how many burned, over salted, watery meals or flat cornbread I've choked down over the past year, but I've done it with a smile. Simply remind them to learn from their mistakes and try again!

2) It takes too long to let the child do it. In less than half of the time it takes for the child to clean up a spill, go back and wipe it again because it is sticky, you could have done it better. That is exactly it. You've had the practice. You are now the teacher. Allow your child to perfect his skills in the home with a loving, tender teacher overlooking. This is better in comparison to someone in the outside world trying to teach an adult these skills with little patience.

3) The thought, "Children should play not work"; this is the mindset of many today. I do not agree. I worked hard in my youth and was prepared for my life as an adult. Now is the time to teach your future adult. We have but a short time to do so. Your child will always be grateful to you for it.

Working hard ourselves and teaching your family to work and then play is the way to a cleaner, healthier, and happier life. We will have more free time. We will feel confident. We will not be ashamed of our homes. Most importantly, we will be proud of our family and their contribution to their future homes and to the world.




Shiloah Baker is a mother of seven children and homemaker who resides in North Carolina. She is the owner of Homemaking Cottage & Co., a website which offers homemaking related articles, books, eBooks, ideas, other homemaking related materials, and a subscription service. For more information go to: http://www.homemaking-cottage.com

or her blog at http://homemakingcottageblog.blogspot.com to learn how she raises seven children and runs a business at home.





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張貼者： 於 清晨7:48 0 意見
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2012年8月19日 星期日

Book Reviews For "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"


Book Review for "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"

Written by: Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske

Penguin Books

ISBN: 014-303488

399 pages

$15.00

5 Stars

Biel and Peske share their personal stories dealing with Sensory Integration Dysfunction in order to help other parents cope with sensory integration issues. SI Dysfunction is separate from autism, but often presents with autism and autistic spectrum disorders. In SI Dysfunction, a young child receives sensory input correctly, but misinterprets the information. The most likely cause is a neurological condition, but the authors spend a chapter discussing reasons why SI Dysfunction would present, including genetics, head trauma during birth, and fragile X syndrome.

Biel and Peske explain there are seven senses a young child uses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, vestibular, and proprioception. Vestibular involves one's sense of balance and proprioception involves the compacting/expanding of joints. Without careful integration, a young child might seem a little off and in a child's young development, they might present with speech and developmental delays. When SI Dysfunction presents by itself, a young child will usually make all their physical milestones on time, like sitting and walking, but when it comes time to start to use utensils and start talking, they'll demonstrate delays.

Biel and Penske explain that children with SI Dysfunction have hypo or hyper sensitive symptoms. Hyper means they tend to avoid an activity and hypo means they seek out behaviors to calm themselves down. A hyperactive sensitivity to touch might have a child pulling the tags off his shirt because he can't stand the way it feels against his skin. A hypoactive sensitivity to proprioception might have a child jumping up and down to feel the compression of her joints.

Biel and Penske's explanations are easy to understand and help give the reader a sense of what the dysfunction is, how it's caused, and what to look for in your child.

The book also discusses intervention options and how to best help those children with SI Dysfunction. An occupational therapist plays a crucial role in helping parents and children manage their sensory seeking or avoiding behaviors. Most children with SI Dysfunction can lead productive lives. There is also a list of resources and tips on how to create a sensory diet. A sensory diet is used to manage a child with sensory issues.

Biel and Penske write in a conversational style that's easy to read and understand. The book is full of knowledge for parents who have children with sensory issues. The writing is crisp and sharp. The book is well organized. "Raising a Sensory Smart Child" is a good read to learn more about SI Dysfunction.




StephB likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at Writing.com which is a site for Creative Writing.





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張貼者： 於 凌晨1:52 0 意見
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2012年7月7日 星期六

Book Reviews For "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"


Book Review for "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"

Written by: Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske

Penguin Books

ISBN: 014-303488

399 pages

$15.00

5 Stars

Biel and Peske share their personal stories dealing with Sensory Integration Dysfunction in order to help other parents cope with sensory integration issues. SI Dysfunction is separate from autism, but often presents with autism and autistic spectrum disorders. In SI Dysfunction, a young child receives sensory input correctly, but misinterprets the information. The most likely cause is a neurological condition, but the authors spend a chapter discussing reasons why SI Dysfunction would present, including genetics, head trauma during birth, and fragile X syndrome.

Biel and Peske explain there are seven senses a young child uses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, vestibular, and proprioception. Vestibular involves one's sense of balance and proprioception involves the compacting/expanding of joints. Without careful integration, a young child might seem a little off and in a child's young development, they might present with speech and developmental delays. When SI Dysfunction presents by itself, a young child will usually make all their physical milestones on time, like sitting and walking, but when it comes time to start to use utensils and start talking, they'll demonstrate delays.

Biel and Penske explain that children with SI Dysfunction have hypo or hyper sensitive symptoms. Hyper means they tend to avoid an activity and hypo means they seek out behaviors to calm themselves down. A hyperactive sensitivity to touch might have a child pulling the tags off his shirt because he can't stand the way it feels against his skin. A hypoactive sensitivity to proprioception might have a child jumping up and down to feel the compression of her joints.

Biel and Penske's explanations are easy to understand and help give the reader a sense of what the dysfunction is, how it's caused, and what to look for in your child.

The book also discusses intervention options and how to best help those children with SI Dysfunction. An occupational therapist plays a crucial role in helping parents and children manage their sensory seeking or avoiding behaviors. Most children with SI Dysfunction can lead productive lives. There is also a list of resources and tips on how to create a sensory diet. A sensory diet is used to manage a child with sensory issues.

Biel and Penske write in a conversational style that's easy to read and understand. The book is full of knowledge for parents who have children with sensory issues. The writing is crisp and sharp. The book is well organized. "Raising a Sensory Smart Child" is a good read to learn more about SI Dysfunction.




StephB likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at Writing.com which is a site for Creative Writing.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 晚上10:52 0 意見
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2012年5月31日 星期四

Book Reviews For "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"


Book Review for "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"

Written by: Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske

Penguin Books

ISBN: 014-303488

399 pages

$15.00

5 Stars

Biel and Peske share their personal stories dealing with Sensory Integration Dysfunction in order to help other parents cope with sensory integration issues. SI Dysfunction is separate from autism, but often presents with autism and autistic spectrum disorders. In SI Dysfunction, a young child receives sensory input correctly, but misinterprets the information. The most likely cause is a neurological condition, but the authors spend a chapter discussing reasons why SI Dysfunction would present, including genetics, head trauma during birth, and fragile X syndrome.

Biel and Peske explain there are seven senses a young child uses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, vestibular, and proprioception. Vestibular involves one's sense of balance and proprioception involves the compacting/expanding of joints. Without careful integration, a young child might seem a little off and in a child's young development, they might present with speech and developmental delays. When SI Dysfunction presents by itself, a young child will usually make all their physical milestones on time, like sitting and walking, but when it comes time to start to use utensils and start talking, they'll demonstrate delays.

Biel and Penske explain that children with SI Dysfunction have hypo or hyper sensitive symptoms. Hyper means they tend to avoid an activity and hypo means they seek out behaviors to calm themselves down. A hyperactive sensitivity to touch might have a child pulling the tags off his shirt because he can't stand the way it feels against his skin. A hypoactive sensitivity to proprioception might have a child jumping up and down to feel the compression of her joints.

Biel and Penske's explanations are easy to understand and help give the reader a sense of what the dysfunction is, how it's caused, and what to look for in your child.

The book also discusses intervention options and how to best help those children with SI Dysfunction. An occupational therapist plays a crucial role in helping parents and children manage their sensory seeking or avoiding behaviors. Most children with SI Dysfunction can lead productive lives. There is also a list of resources and tips on how to create a sensory diet. A sensory diet is used to manage a child with sensory issues.

Biel and Penske write in a conversational style that's easy to read and understand. The book is full of knowledge for parents who have children with sensory issues. The writing is crisp and sharp. The book is well organized. "Raising a Sensory Smart Child" is a good read to learn more about SI Dysfunction.




StephB likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at Writing.com which is a site for Creative Writing.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 清晨7:25 0 意見
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2012年5月12日 星期六

Book Reviews For "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"


Book Review for "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"

Written by: Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske

Penguin Books

ISBN: 014-303488

399 pages

$15.00

5 Stars

Biel and Peske share their personal stories dealing with Sensory Integration Dysfunction in order to help other parents cope with sensory integration issues. SI Dysfunction is separate from autism, but often presents with autism and autistic spectrum disorders. In SI Dysfunction, a young child receives sensory input correctly, but misinterprets the information. The most likely cause is a neurological condition, but the authors spend a chapter discussing reasons why SI Dysfunction would present, including genetics, head trauma during birth, and fragile X syndrome.

Biel and Peske explain there are seven senses a young child uses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, vestibular, and proprioception. Vestibular involves one's sense of balance and proprioception involves the compacting/expanding of joints. Without careful integration, a young child might seem a little off and in a child's young development, they might present with speech and developmental delays. When SI Dysfunction presents by itself, a young child will usually make all their physical milestones on time, like sitting and walking, but when it comes time to start to use utensils and start talking, they'll demonstrate delays.

Biel and Penske explain that children with SI Dysfunction have hypo or hyper sensitive symptoms. Hyper means they tend to avoid an activity and hypo means they seek out behaviors to calm themselves down. A hyperactive sensitivity to touch might have a child pulling the tags off his shirt because he can't stand the way it feels against his skin. A hypoactive sensitivity to proprioception might have a child jumping up and down to feel the compression of her joints.

Biel and Penske's explanations are easy to understand and help give the reader a sense of what the dysfunction is, how it's caused, and what to look for in your child.

The book also discusses intervention options and how to best help those children with SI Dysfunction. An occupational therapist plays a crucial role in helping parents and children manage their sensory seeking or avoiding behaviors. Most children with SI Dysfunction can lead productive lives. There is also a list of resources and tips on how to create a sensory diet. A sensory diet is used to manage a child with sensory issues.

Biel and Penske write in a conversational style that's easy to read and understand. The book is full of knowledge for parents who have children with sensory issues. The writing is crisp and sharp. The book is well organized. "Raising a Sensory Smart Child" is a good read to learn more about SI Dysfunction.




StephB likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at Writing.com which is a site for Creative Writing.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 上午8:03 0 意見
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2012年3月1日 星期四

Raising Different Happy, Healthy and Intelligent Kids


Like most parents, we welcomed our first new born with great excitement and anticipation. We did the usual things parents-to-be do - getting ready a nursery with decorations, furniture, toys and clothing. We read books and went to classes on how to raise the boy in his first year. Little did we know none of this would prepare us to cope with what lay ahead. Vincent was born in the US full term without complications. We brought him back to Singapore when he was 10 weeks old. Our aim was to bring him up in a multi cultural and multi lingual environment.

However, when he was three months' old, Vincent became a regular visitor to the doctor's clinic. He was diagnosed with spleen and liver enlargements that required weekly, monthly then half yearly lever function blood tests. His enzyme was at 800+ while the normal kid should be below 50. His enzyme level stabilized when he turned three.

At 14 months', he got an infection from a make up BCG injection. This required general anesthetization and operation to remove the pustule. At two, the doctor found that Vincent had a heart murmur. Thankfully, it was a benign murmur put down to growth. At 3 , Vincent fell over a roadside curve which required three stitches above his right eye brow. At four, he had high fever for two consecutive days and had to be admitted to hospital. In between, there were the common flu and colds.

I imagine many parents have gone through similar scenarios. But these weren't the challenges that confronted our beliefs, tested our strength, and changed the course of our lives. Vincent had met all developmental milestones until we noticed he was different at a year and half. He had no language. This literally meant he did not utter a single comprehensible word. He did not call Mum or Dad. The doctor told us not to worry as boys normally develop language skills later than girls.

We became really worried when he still did not have any language at two years old. This started another stream of consultation with specialists in ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat), neurology, psychology, and psychiatry. It took us more than two years to search, schedule and complete the evaluation. Vincent's hearing was tested. The neurologist couldn't find anything unusual from the visual evaluation and referred us to a psychologist.

The session with the psychologist was disastrous. She was more than one hour late for the appointment. Vincent lost patience waiting and wet his pants during the evaluation, though he had been toilet trained. The psychologist prescribed him as having a "Behavior Disorder". This brought disbelief and confusion to us. The only positive outcome was a list of recommended schools that would accept kids like Vincent.

A dark shadow

We then sought advice from a renowned psychiatrist. I still vividly remember the meeting over Vincent's diagnosis: Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD NOS). In ayman's term, Vincent was severely delayed in development but the doctor couldn't pinpoint the cause. The psychiatrist's response that Vincent might not ever be able to live an independent life cast a dark shadow over the family.

In between the numerous evaluations, we managed to enroll Vincent into a private school with a special education program starting at age three. This marked the beginning of ever lasting therapeutic and learning programs for Vincent. To augment the learning of spoken language, Vincent was introduced to sign language and so were the parents. It was one of the happiest moments in life to hear Vincent call out 'Mum' and 'Dad' at the age of three years and four months. Though his language advanced from one word to two words level in relative short time, the speed of learning stalled. The speech pathologist advised that he needed to improve his gross and fine motor skills before language learning could accelerate.

At the strong recommendation of the teachers and specialists, we moved back to US when Vincent was five. It started a new chapter of life for Vincent and the family. Through references, we were fortunate to find a developmental pediatrician who specialized in kids like Vincent. She did a thorough evaluation of Vincent and diagnosed him as a kid with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that typically appears in early childhood. Vincent was literal with minimal imagination and common sense, and was inflexible to change. He had no eye contact, could not read social cues, had Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), showed severe delay in communication, and had gross motor and sensory dysfunction.

He exhibited symptoms of a typical autistic kid, except he was not hiding in a corner. On the contrary, he was very sociable. We started a series of therapies with Vincent. He attended private speech and occupational therapy for a year until the school could effectively address his needs. He also took herapeutic horseback riding once a week and swimming twice a week. Horseback riding helped calm him down and regulate his brain while swimming improved gross motor skills. He did both activities for more than five years.

Seeking the aid of Mozart

During these five years, we performed Patricia Wilbarger brushing at two-hour intervals to reduce sensory dysfunction, even when we were out. At the same time, he was put under Auditory Integrated Therapy (AIT). He listened to Mozart with filtered tune that was supposedly to stimulate brain function differently from regular music. Later on he had music therapy to inspire creativity. He attended 15 interactive metronome sessions to increase attention span. At the end of three months' intensive therapy, he could clap 1,500 times nonstop and consistently. We also engaged a motor specialist to improve his handwriting. The US law mandates public schools to provide support for kids with special needs. Vincent was integrated straight into mainstream kindergarten.

With limited language, mainstream kindergarten was extremely challenging for Vincent. He was easily distracted and so disruptive that he had to be brought out of the classroom. Frequent breaks or walking the school hallways were a daily event. We had to cross our fingers every day and pray that he had a good school day without incidences. With medication and consistent support, Vincent learned the daily routines and began picking up language gradually. During the First Grade language test, he scored at 1%. This meant in a hundred kids, he was the last in language proficiency. At home we worked on cognitive skills, basic and spatial concepts, attributes and functions with flash cards, and a daily follow up of the school's teaching. We also taught him phonics, time, numbers, size, money, etc. It was daunting to teach him 10 cents have more value than 5 cents when the 10 cents coin is smaller than 5 cents. Vincent's language improved to 25% by 2nd Grade. He advanced it to around 50% by the end of 4th Grade, well beyond any specialist's expectations.

Once Vincent picked up languages, he participated in classroom activity with less and less assistance from the special education teacher and the education aide.

Shifting focus

The focus for IEP has shifted to social interaction and communication. Socially we have gone through times than language learning. During kindergarten, neighbor's kids called him crazy and dumb. Fortunately, the name-calling was only hard on us parents as Vincent could not understand them. He was never invited to a birthday party from kindergarten to fourth grade. The school speech therapist drafted programs for Vincent to role-play and sat with him during lunchtime to coach him. We read books and wrote Carol Gray's social stories to demonstrate to him the broad social rules of behavior for each occasion and getting along.

He joined social skills training at a hospital and in the summer camp. Nothing came easy to Vincent. Everything had to be taught. He needed - and needs - written rules and demonstrations to guide him through each social occasion. It was hoped that he would be able to apply instantly once he gained broad base foundations. All the practices and coaching paid off when Vincent finally made three friends at Fifth Grade.

He was invited to their birthday parties. He invited them back for sleep over. He made a couple more friends at Sixth Grade. He maintained two of them as his buddies with whom he talked during lunchtime and played with after school. He no longer was a lone ranger or a target for bullies at school. We were fortunate that Vincent reacted positively to all the therapies and interventions. The developmental pediatrician was very pleased with Vincent's advancement. A psychological evaluation showed that Vincent continues to function in the above average to superior range of intelligence. He was no longer exhibiting significant discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal abilities. The doctor changed Vincent's diagnostic to Asperger Syndrome, the mildest form of the ASD, at the age of nine.

Fulfilling a dream

After many years of challenges, we started treating Vincent more like a normal kid. There are set rules on TV time. He had an allowance to purchase his favorite games and toys. He learned how to do laundry, use the dryer, fold clothes, wash dishes and cars, sweep floors, operate the vacuum cleaner, and change light bulbs, etc. Recently, he started preparing his own breakfast, cooking instant noodles, frying eggs and using a knife.

He needs these skills when he goes to college. We expect him to behave appropriately in public and at gatherings. He said he was responsible for his schoolwork so we stopped checking his homework or reviewing with him before tests. His duty as a student is to perform well academically and maintain his honor roll. He continues reading voraciously, especially science and nonfiction books. As he is not athletically inclined, he has chosen fencing as his only form of sport.

For many years without changing, his goal is to become a Zoo Veterinarian. He is on track to fulfilling his dream. After difficult processes of denial, blame, frustration, anger, acceptance and resolution, we have come to terms with his diagnosis. While we search for treatments that best suit him, we accept, most of the time, who he is and what he will become. We have vowed to provide him whatever normal kids enjoy and we expect him to perform no less than other kids' of his calibre. We understand there are more challenges ahead of him and us but we are confident he will lead a happy and independent life.




We all want our children to be happy, healthy and intelligent-well prepared for the life ahead of them.

As the famous proverb quotes, "It takes a village to raise a child". In publishing this guide for parents and guardians, we have collected relevant material from a wide spectrum of contributors.

How To Raise Happy, Healthy & Intelligent Kids, therefore, is a collaborative effort written for the community by the community.

http://www.h2ikidz.com/new





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張貼者： 於 清晨7:14 0 意見
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2012年1月16日 星期一

Raising a Hard Working Family


How many times have we met or know of people who are slovenly, lazy, or who do not work hard? For these people it shows in their homes as well as in the lives they lead. My father has always been a hard working man. He was raised on a 2,000 acre ranch which always had hard work in the natural elements, and everyone had responsibilities that could not be shirked. He has a strong work ethic that he instilled in each of his four daughters. We worked hard growing up and it is safe to say that as adult women, mothers, and homemakers we work hard today.

Theodore Roosevelt in his powerful and motivating speech "The Strenuous Life" (April 1899 The Hamilton Club, Chicago) wrote the following:

"I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph. A life of slothful ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual."

What is your opinion of someone who is always striving to escape from work? It can be infuriating to someone who works hard with an honest effort. The natural man has a tendency to be lazy. Our main goal here on earth is to overcome the natural "man".

"A mere life of ease is not in the end a very satisfactory life, and, above all, it is a life which ultimately unfits those who follow it for serious work in the world."

There is nothing that feels better than working hard on a job such as cleaning and organizing the home, cooking meals, and doing the dishes. At the end of the day your muscles have been worked, your hands have served, your family is healthy, and you can see the visual results of your labor in the home. You can sit back and feel satisfied that all is well. It feels good to work hard and rest knowing that it is deserved.

"A man can be freed from the necessity of work only by the fact that he or his fathers before him have worked to good purpose."

Teaching our children this principle will make them great men and women, ready to face the adult life of toil and stress. They will be self motivators by the time they are adults when children are taught a good work ethic.

All children should work, and work with full effort. When it is play time, they will enjoy it! Children who are bored have not worked hard enough. Children who are selfish have not worked hard enough to enjoy the belongings that are given to them. They do not spend enough time cleaning up or caring for their belongings.

"...a healthy state can exist only when the men and women who make it up lead clean, vigorous, healthy lives; when the children are so trained that they shall endeavor, not to shirk difficulties, but to overcome them; not to seek ease, but to know how to wrest triumph from toil and risk. The man must be glad to do a man's work, to dare and endure and to labor; to keep himself, and to keep those dependent upon him. The woman must be the housewife, the helpmeet of the homemaker, the wise and fearless mother of many healthy children."

Several of my children have Sensory Integration Disorder. One of the therapies they were given was to make sure that they move around a lot and carry heavy things to put pressure on their joints. Things such as taking out the trash, carrying laundry hampers to a room to fold laundry, sweeping, and mopping are suggested means of "therapy". One's physical health depends on work - including the children's!

Some parents shy away from giving children more than a few responsibilities each day for several reasons:

1) Giving up full control to a child to do the responsibility is scary, difficult, and can be messy. Things such as learning to cook, doing laundry, mopping a floor will not always be done perfect or neatly, but as time and practice is allowed the child will progress and become good at it. If the child makes a mess when learning a new skill, make him or her clean it up. If the child is learning to cook and it turns out terrible, eat it with a smile and lots of tolerance and patience. I can't tell you how many burned, over salted, watery meals or flat cornbread I've choked down over the past year, but I've done it with a smile. Simply remind them to learn from their mistakes and try again!

2) It takes too long to let the child do it. In less than half of the time it takes for the child to clean up a spill, go back and wipe it again because it is sticky, you could have done it better. That is exactly it. You've had the practice. You are now the teacher. Allow your child to perfect his skills in the home with a loving, tender teacher overlooking. This is better in comparison to someone in the outside world trying to teach an adult these skills with little patience.

3) The thought, "Children should play not work"; this is the mindset of many today. I do not agree. I worked hard in my youth and was prepared for my life as an adult. Now is the time to teach your future adult. We have but a short time to do so. Your child will always be grateful to you for it.

Working hard ourselves and teaching your family to work and then play is the way to a cleaner, healthier, and happier life. We will have more free time. We will feel confident. We will not be ashamed of our homes. Most importantly, we will be proud of our family and their contribution to their future homes and to the world.




Shiloah Baker is a mother of seven children and homemaker who resides in North Carolina. She is the owner of Homemaking Cottage & Co., a website which offers homemaking related articles, books, eBooks, ideas, other homemaking related materials, and a subscription service. For more information go to: http://www.homemaking-cottage.com

or her blog at http://homemakingcottageblog.blogspot.com to learn how she raises seven children and runs a business at home.





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2012年1月3日 星期二

Book Reviews For "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"


Book Review for "Raising a Sensory Smart Child"

Written by: Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske

Penguin Books

ISBN: 014-303488

399 pages

$15.00

5 Stars

Biel and Peske share their personal stories dealing with Sensory Integration Dysfunction in order to help other parents cope with sensory integration issues. SI Dysfunction is separate from autism, but often presents with autism and autistic spectrum disorders. In SI Dysfunction, a young child receives sensory input correctly, but misinterprets the information. The most likely cause is a neurological condition, but the authors spend a chapter discussing reasons why SI Dysfunction would present, including genetics, head trauma during birth, and fragile X syndrome.

Biel and Peske explain there are seven senses a young child uses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, vestibular, and proprioception. Vestibular involves one's sense of balance and proprioception involves the compacting/expanding of joints. Without careful integration, a young child might seem a little off and in a child's young development, they might present with speech and developmental delays. When SI Dysfunction presents by itself, a young child will usually make all their physical milestones on time, like sitting and walking, but when it comes time to start to use utensils and start talking, they'll demonstrate delays.

Biel and Penske explain that children with SI Dysfunction have hypo or hyper sensitive symptoms. Hyper means they tend to avoid an activity and hypo means they seek out behaviors to calm themselves down. A hyperactive sensitivity to touch might have a child pulling the tags off his shirt because he can't stand the way it feels against his skin. A hypoactive sensitivity to proprioception might have a child jumping up and down to feel the compression of her joints.

Biel and Penske's explanations are easy to understand and help give the reader a sense of what the dysfunction is, how it's caused, and what to look for in your child.

The book also discusses intervention options and how to best help those children with SI Dysfunction. An occupational therapist plays a crucial role in helping parents and children manage their sensory seeking or avoiding behaviors. Most children with SI Dysfunction can lead productive lives. There is also a list of resources and tips on how to create a sensory diet. A sensory diet is used to manage a child with sensory issues.

Biel and Penske write in a conversational style that's easy to read and understand. The book is full of knowledge for parents who have children with sensory issues. The writing is crisp and sharp. The book is well organized. "Raising a Sensory Smart Child" is a good read to learn more about SI Dysfunction.




StephB likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at Writing.com which is a site for Creative Writing.





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