If you want to try this scrapbooking software.

http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software
11MMSBlog

Communication

Learn to LIVE with each other workshop I did for teens and parents.

L  isten intently

I   feel statements

V  erbalize

E  mpathize.

100 ways to praise your child

http://www.speechtherapygames.com/Freebies/waystopraiseachild.pdf

Parenting tip

Parents-
TAKE credit for: Showing Up and Doing Your Best, Prof Davee told me. Its not easy to raise kids today, it takes work, love, understanding! But remember to take credit for you and what you have done to be a better parent.

Sometimes God doesn’t give you what you think you want. Not because you don’t deserve it, but because you deserve so much more.”

You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have. -Jim Rohn

Writing is good, thinking is better. Cleverness is good, patience is better.
Hermann Hesse

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Ralph Vaull Starr

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Helen Keller

Rather than be discouraged, always remember that rejection and resistance are almost guaranteed when you are doing something very important and very special.
~ Bradley Trevor Greive, The Meaning Of Life

Fav Quotes

It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

Feeling Charts

Feeling charts are a great way to teach and examine how you or your child are feeling. If a child can identify how they feel very early on in their life and express themselves properly, its always a great thing especially if you as a parent promote it. For children under 5 print off pictures of different faces so they can choose which one their most feeling like. The magnet words are my favorite for children 6-12 so they can make funny sentences of how they feel. 12 and up are ready for verbal clues from body language communication. You can point out how they might feel when you learn how to read your teen.

I feel statements!

For face to face communication use "I feel" statements.

I feel _______(feeling), when ___________because _________.

Body Communication

Eyes 82% Ears 11% Other senses 7% Retention Verbal 10% Retention Verbal – Visual 51%

Albert H Mehrabian experimented in the late 60’s and early 70’s and came up with this calculation in terms of how important the non-verbal movements, signals and gestures are when it comes to the overall effectiveness of our communication in relaying our message to others.

Words account for only 7% Tone of voice accounts for 38% Body language accounts for 55%

(http://personalpowerinformation.blogspot.com/2008/08/body-language-facts-and-statistics.html)

Raising an Intelligent Emotion Child

Gottman said good parenting involves emotion, parents who disregard, ignore or trivialize children’s negative emotions, fail to teach emotional intelligence.  He states, “Deepest feelings of love and affection for your child demonstrated through empathy and understanding, good parenting begins with the heart then continues to moment-to moment basis by engaging your children when feelings run high.”  (Gottman, 1997, p. 20)