Mommy's Little Secrets...

THE LITTLE BOY by Helen E. Buckley

Once a little boy went to school--

He was quite a little boy and it was quite a big school.

But when the little boy found that he could go into his room

From the door outside, he was happy.

And the big school did not seem quite so big any more.

One morning, when the little boy had been in school awhile,

The teacher said, "Today we are going to make a picture."

"Good!" thought the little boy. He liked to make pictures.

He could make all kinds

Lions and tigers, Chickens and cows, trains and boats,

And he took out his box of crayons and began to draw.

But the teacher said, "Wait, It is not time to begin!"

And she waited until everyone looked ready.

"Now", said the teacher, "We are going to make flowers."

"Good!" thought the little boy. He liked to make flowers.

And he began to make beautiful flowers

With his pink and orange and blue crayons.

But the teacher said, "Wait! And I'll show you how."

And it was red, with a green stem. "There," she said, "Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at the teacher's flower.

Then he looked at his own flower.

He liked his flower better than the teacher's, but he did not say this.

He just turned his paper over and made a flower just like the teacher's.

It was red, with a green stem.

On another day, when the little boy opened the door from the outside all by himself,

The teacher said, "Today, we are going to make something with clay."

"Good!" thought the boy. He liked clay.

He could make all kinds of things with clay

Snakes and snowmen, elephants and mice, cars and trucks

And he began to pull and pinch his ball of clay.

But the teacher said, "Wait! It's not time to begin!"

And she waited until everyone looked ready.

"Now," said the teacher, "We are going to make a dish."

"Good!" thought the little boy. He liked to make dishes.

And he began to make some that were all shapes and sizes. But the teacher said,

"Wait! And I'll show you how." And she showed everyone how to make one deep dish.

"There," said the teacher. "Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at the teacher’s dish and looked at his own.

He liked his dish better than the teacher’s, but he did not say this.

He just rolled his clay into a big ball again, and made a dish like his teacher's.

It was a deep dish.

Pretty soon the little boy learned to wait--And to watch

And to make things just like his teacher

And pretty soon he didn't make things of his own anymore.

Then it happened that the boy and his family moved to another house, in another city.

And the little boy had to go to another school.

This school was even bigger than the other one.

He had to go up some big steps and walk down a long hall to get to his room.

The very first day he was there, the teacher said:

"Today we are going to make a picture." Good! thought the little boy.

And he waited for the teacher to tell him what to do.

But the teacher didn't say anything. She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy she said,

"Don't you want to make a picture?"

"Yes," said the little boy.

"How shall I make it?" asked the little boy.

"Why anyway you like," said the teacher.

"And any color?" asked the little boy. "Any color," said the teacher.

" If everyone made the same picture,

 And used the same colors,

 how would I know who made what, and which was which?"

 "I don't know," said the little boy.

And he began to make a red flower with a green stem.

.

EVERY PARENT Author unknown

There are little eyes upon you,

And they are watching night and day;

There are little ears that quickly take

In every word you say;

There are little hands all eager to do

Everything you do,

And a little child who's dreaming of

The day he'll be like you.

FINGERPRINTS (To use for handprint or print art)

Author Unknown

Sometimes you get discouraged,

because I am so small

And leave my little fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But everyday I'm growing

And soon will be so tall

That all these little fingerprints

Will be difficult to recall.

So here's a little handprint

That you can put away

So you will know how my fingers looked

On this special day.

BEHAVIOR LABELING By Dixie Fletcher

If an adult is reinforced for behaving appropriately we call it recognition.

If a child is reinforced for behaving appropriately we call it bribery.

If an adult laughs we call it socializing.

If a child laughs we call it misbehaving.

If an adult writes in a book we call it doodling.

If a child writes in a book we call it destroying property.

If an adult sticks to something we call it perseverance.

Of a child sticks to something we call it stubbornness.

If an adult seeks help we call it consulting.

If a child seeks help we call it whining.

If an adult is not paying attention we call it preoccupation.

Of a child is not paying attention we call it distractibility.

If an adult forgets something we call it absent mindedness.

If a child forgets something we call it attention deficit.

If an adult tells his side of a story we call it clarification.

If a child tells his side of a story we call it talking back.

If an adult raise his voice in anger we call it maintaining control.

If a chiild raises his voice in anger we call it a temper tantrum.

If an adult hits a child we call it discipline.

If a child hits a child we call it fighting.

If an adult behaves in an unusual way we call him unique.

If a child behaves in an unusual way we call him in for a psychological evaluation.

IF I HAD MY CHILD TO RAISE OVER AGAIN

By Diane Loomans

If I had to raise my child all over again,

I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.

I'd do less correcting, and more connecting,

I'd take my eyes of my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I'd run through more fields, and gaze more at stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I'd teach less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.

From the book, Full Esteem Ahead,

100 Ways to Build Self Esteem in Children & Adults