I've had a few gems given to me lately and I've shared a few of my own too. Each family seems to have a few "tips and tricks" that they take for granted because they've "always done it that way" and they thought that "everyone did it that way." :)
If you have a tip or trick that makes everyday life a little easier, email me at kjwistrom@yahoo.com and I'll feature one each week!
Kristy Tapper, who is a proud mama to 4 kids, blogs at http://expanding-heart.blogspot.com/. Kristy has two kids adopted from Ethiopia. With many adopted children, teaching them to make eye contact is an important step toward self-confidence, trust and attachment. Here's what Kristy wrote ...
"I've been thinking about the "gems" I take for granted in relation to your blog posts. I just thought of one recently in connection with eye contact.
Both of my sons, Andrew and Jadon, are quite social. They are both talkers, for sure. But they have both struggled to get in the habit of making and holding eye contact during conversation. They tend to look everywhere except at the person they are talking to.
I've read up on this ... and tried quite a few other techniques. I requested eye contact. I gently turned their face toward mine. I got down on their level. Still, they would turn those beautiful brown eyes away after just a second, and I would just feel like a real nag about the whole thing.
Recently, I read somewhere to try tapping your nose (between your eyes) when you wanted eye contact from your child. I started trying it...and, for my kids, it is making a big difference. There is, apparently, something fascinating about the motion near the nose that allows them to focus on my face while they talk.”
After getting Kristy's note, I have been using this subtle technique with our boys and it works amazingly well! (Photo above is our Wesley, who is very comfortable and confident with eye contact now after we have worked with him to develop healthy trust and attachment.)
Megan Kucik is another adoptive mom with 4 kids (two adopted from Ethiopia). Megan wrote to me with this great suggestion!
"We have a lot of confusion in our house about glasses - four kids who all drink out of the same small juice glasses.
Nobody knows who drank out of which glass so the glasses were ending up in the dishwasher after one use for a glass of water, instead of being re-used. My husband came up with the idea of assigning each kid a color, and now every morning I put that color of silly band around a glass, and the kids can keep track of their glasses all day."
Megan Kucik is another adoptive mom with 4 kids (two adopted from Ethiopia). Megan wrote to me with this great suggestion!
"We have a lot of confusion in our house about glasses - four kids who all drink out of the same small juice glasses.
Nobody knows who drank out of which glass so the glasses were ending up in the dishwasher after one use for a glass of water, instead of being re-used. My husband came up with the idea of assigning each kid a color, and now every morning I put that color of silly band around a glass, and the kids can keep track of their glasses all day."
4 comments:
I just LOVE this idea! as I love hearing all about other mom's and their clever ideas. I would love one on a good chore chart for young children like 4or 5 years old. let me know if you know any:)
We have 4 as well and we are adopting our 5th from China.
We started the color coded system shortly after our boys came here from Detroit. We picked the colors and use them to mark almost anything that is theirs. We use paint pens to mark on the bottom of their hot wheels and other toys, cups, etc. Works great!
Love these - plan to try both! ;o)
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