Practice Bullying with Kids When my friend’s husband (Anthony) called and asked for me to bring my son to their house for a few minutes, I happily loaded him into the car and drove over.There was a heaviness in the room when we walked through the front door and I began to sweat. “Please, sit down,” Anthony motioned to their sofa.Within 34 seconds I realized what was going on.My son had been bullying their son during play time and I was clueless. I opened my inbox yesterday and read a note from a mom asking for advice. She is friends with a sweet mom and while they are visiting, her son is watching her fiend’s son bully and hurt his younger sibling… And now her son is acting out at home. “I’ve decided to give the friendship a break for a while.” She wrote. And then she asked me how I would handle the situation. Suddenly I was back on the sofa listening to Anthony. So I shared… One of our sons really struggled with bully behavior. He was sarcastic, aggressive and had a mean streak when his pride was challenged. His favorite target?–> My best friend’s son who was a couple of years younger than him. Honestly, I had been blind to it, and then my friend and her husband invited me and my son over. The parents, explained that this type of behavior would not be tolerated. Their son adored my son, but often felt bullied and had begun to take on my son’s habits. Not gonna be allowed. “Buddy, we love you. We are giving you a chance to learn and correct your behavior, but if you do not our son will not be aloud to play with you.” Gulp. They were so loving, united, clear and determined to help my son while protecting theirs. Related: What does Bullying Look like? I was horrified of course, but we only grew closer as friends… Not all friendships survive this kind of family coaching and correcting.But that would be my advice. Get together and explain. Mom, sometimes it’s our kids who are the bullies.Other times it’s our kids who are being bullied. I needed to witness how my friend and her husband addressed the negative behavior head on. And so did my son. Related: 6 Tips for having a conversation about cyber bullying There are consequences for bad behavior, but we are to extend grace. ***If my friend has simply stopped hanging out with me because of my son, we never would have learned this lesson and her son would simply learn to avoid problems rather than lovingly deal with them. Plus, we would have missed the sweetness of a friendship that has grown into a lifeline over the past few decades… How to Address Bullying Open our eyes. We need to see the world with clarity.Watch for opportunities to show kids good, bad, wrong, and cruel behavior and then talk about how to properly handle the situation.Practice. Find a 5 minute pocket of time and play-practice.Address it head-on. No one wins when we put our heads in the sand and run. If our kids are bullies, invite the parents over and lovingly ask for forgiveness and correct the behavior. If our kids are being bullied… do the sameProtect our kids! We were blessed our friends address bullying head on. But if your kids are in danger, protect them. If necessary, get the authorities involved. What would you add? How have you witnessed bullying behavior dealt with that WORKED? We need to learn from each other…
Choosing a Chore System that Works for Your Family Inside: Age Appropriate Chores {printable} We have always believed in the philosophy that children are a welcomed addition to our family. We love, eat, live, play and WORK together as a family unit. We also make messes faster than the chicken can cross the road to prove to the opossum it can be done. … Read More »
Music Lessons for Children I’m sitting here listening to one of my sons finger pick his guitar. It’s better than having the radio playing any day of the week. I still remember the day he asked me if he could look up a tutorial on YouTube. Fast forward to today… YouTube is where that child learned to play. Do you have kids who want to to learn to play instruments? Maybe you want to find easy ways to integrate music into your homeschooling. …Read More »
Amazing Handwriting Worksheets Teach Life Skills I walked into the bathroom and saw the empty toilet paper roll. The kitchen’s trash can is overflowing and there’s an empty milk jug in the refrigerator next to an unsealed bag of cheese that now is as hard as a rock. You would think we don’t teach basic chores and life skills in our homes, but I know you battle against these same issues in your home too. Kids need a lot of practice to allow common sense and practical skills to become second nature. As a homeschool mom, you may find that finding time to teach these life skills gets squeezed out by academic pressures, like learning to write beautifully. Boy, do I have good news for you! …Read More »
5 Free Recipes to Empower Your Kids In the Kitchen Inside: Teaching kids to cook the easy way, {5 free recipes- Printable}, and Cooking Camp for Kids Mama, Picture this. Onions being diced by an 11-year-old. Broccoli being steamed by a 13-year-old. A mouth-watering, oh my goodness I cannot believe he just made that, sauce being whipped up by an 18-year-old. All to the soundtrack to your favorite movie playing in the background. Recently, I had minor surgery on my foot that has required me to be off my feet for about three months. Three painfully slow months of no standing, no driving, no walking. And you guessed it, no cooking. Did you know you need to stand to cook? My husband wisely decided that each of our five boys would take over one meal each week to help feed our wonderful family. Yes, he’s a brilliant man! … Read More »
Minds In Bloom: Unexpected Hobbies for Kinesthetic Learners I am extremely humbled and excited to be featured on “Minds in Bloom” today! Please take a few minutes and come join me on Rachel’s fantastic website!! I love Rachel’s heart of teaming together with fellow educators to collaborate and share fantastic and inspiring tips, tactics, lessons, and encouragement! I am confident you will enjoy her website. Be sure to bookmark it so you can find her again. It is LOADED with valuable information and resources!
How to Master the Art of Communication .inside: a seat for your kids to help them with communicating! My 14-year old looked at me with huge eyes. He took a deep breath, “mom…” “I was in the middle of talking with a girl. She’s a friend. She smiled and chatted. And I got more and more awkward. I couldn’t figure out what to say. I could feel the blood draining from my face and I started sweating. I knew I needed to walk away, so I said, “you’re creepy.” … Read More »
So, You Think You Need to Teach Life Skills? Life Skills Trump Curriculum What does it matter if my son can solve an equation but can’t change a tire, cook a meal, or look you in the eye as you are interviewing him for a job? {FREE} Life Skills Printable Choosing a Chore System that Works for Your Family Download your FREE "Master Chore List" {printable} Cooking Camp: Teaching Kids to Cook From 8th Grader to Man: Homeschooling through High School Driver’s Ed :Texting and Driving Game Will You Kids be Ready to Leave Your Nest? Preparing Kids for Blood Work and Needles Budget Project: Real Life Math Why you should teach your kids to gossip Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
Chores Made Simple Free Chore Printable Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.