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ArticlesMaking Time For Things That Matter: Seven Principles for Family-Centered Livingliterate adj. 1 Able to read and write. 2 Educated; well read.
If kids believe what they see, rather than what they hear, it's important to cultivate habits that lead toward important life goals. If you want your kids to read, you must spend time reading. If you want kids to approach life with interest and enthusiasm, you must do so also. And if you want to encourage balanced use of time, it's important to let your kids see you relaxing and enjoying unstructured time, as well as engaging in interesting and constructive hobbies. Example has always been the best teacher.
If home is to be where the heart is, it should be a place where interesting people and things are found. Children who have the opportunity to spend time at home with family will share many happy memories. Owning books is an investment, not only in pleasure, but also in literacy. Studies of the lives of creative men and women have shown that that the presence of books in their childhood home is a significant factor in their success. I know from experience that books in the house will eventually be read and referred to.
Back to Top Do and be: don't sit and stare. Back to Top Include your children in adult activities. Rediscover solitude as a creative tool. Use current events to communicate about life issues within the family. In order to be fully literate, you must be able to understand that there is more than one way of perceiving a subject (what is true does not change, but the understanding of truth is affected by many things), and few people adopt opinions without reason. Understanding this makes it possible to conduct conversations on a mature level- discussing issues and addressing questions without putting down the person whose perception differs from yours. Always be gracious in discussion, as a "know it all" or "I told you so" attitude is demeaning to others, and teens are particularly sensitive to being disrespected. When choosing news sources, look for in-depth coverage of issues, but don't always seek sources that reflect only one ideological perspective. If you have personal beliefs, convictions, and standards based on a firm foundation, learning what others think and believe can strengthen your own convictions, while enabling you to interact more understandingly with others who differ from you. Remember, "Every man should periodically be compelled to listen to opinions which are infuriating to him. To hear nothing but what is pleasing to one is to make a pillow of the mind." (St. John Ervine) "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him." (Proverbs 18:17 NIV) Therefore, if you listen to All Things Considered on National Public Radio, choose a newspaper with another viewpoint on current events and culture. I enjoy the global news coverage of All Things Considered, as well as the essays, commentary, and historical retrospectives provided, but I do occasionally turn off a story that I regard as unsuitable for family listening. We also do not listen to the rabid rants of talk radio - I wouldn't allow my children to indulge in ridicule and ad hominem attacks with one another, and I see no reason to allow strangers to pollute our home atmosphere by doing so from the radio. It's all part of being a discriminating consumer, rather than an empty vessel waiting to be filled. Plant seeds of knowledge, then give them time to grow. Input must always come before output, so don't expect more from your child in any area than he has absorbed. When a child is learning a challenging skill such as writing, for example, don't expect great results if he has not had a lot of quality input in the form of conversation, reading, and listening to books read aloud. Edith Schaeffer writes, If children haven't been read to, they don't love books. They need to love books, for books are the basis of literature, composition, history, world events, vocabulary, and everything else.' Just as it takes several gallons of milk to make one pound of cheese, it takes a lot more input than you may suppose to produce a child who can think and write clearly. What a child is taught in traditional school is often too little, too late. Parents have the happy privilege of being the child's first and most important teacher, so make the most of the opportunity. The job of a teacher is to excite in the young a boundless sense of curiosity about life, so that the growing child shall come to apprehend it with an excitement tempered by awe and wonder.'(John Garrett) New knowledge that can somehow be connected to something already understood is much more easily remembered than scattered facts, so make it a point to look for connections from new to old knowledge. It's amazing how connected the universe is, and what fun it is to discover those connections. It's at these "aha!" moments that the joy of learning bubbles over. Back to Top Be aware of the seasons of life, and know what is best for life now. Say "no" to too many extracurricular activities. Nothing excellent can be done without leisure. (Andre Gide, 1869-1951) It's so hard to be serene, to create pleasant family memories and experiences when you're stretched to the breaking point with outside activities. Childhood is brief, and years of school and work are ahead for nearly everyone. Unstructured time provides children the opportunity to become acquainted with themselves and to develop interests and hobbies. Unstructured time allows parents to unwind and focus on the people and things that mean the most in life. Stephen Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People suggests that it's important to "begin with the end in mind." What sort of childhood do you want your children to remember? What do you remember most about your own childhood? Think about yourself - how do you want your children to remember you? We are all human, and we tend to function best when we're not stressed and exhausted, so make it possible for yourself to be pleasant and happy by saying "no" to the things that don't contribute to your family's best long-term interests. Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that's the Stuff Life is made of. (Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, in Poor Richard's Almanac) Back to Top Finally, self-education, the kind that really sticks, is usually acquired over the course of many years. I have found that most subjects are like a ball of yarn: once you find the end and begin to unwind it, you discover that it's tangled up with all the other yarn in your workbasket, and it's impossible to use it or think of it in isolation. Knowledge is cumulative: the more you know, the easier it is to remember new knowledge because you are able to connect it with what you already know. If you would like to reprint this article in a support-group newsletter or magazine, you may do so, as long as the article is printed in its entireity, including the copyright notice and credit paragraph. I just request that you send me a copy of the printed article for my files. Thanks! © 2002-2006 Janice Campbell Janice Campbell is an alternative education specialist, writer, and speaker, and the author of Transcripts Made Easy: Your Friendly Guide to High School Paperwork.
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