The message I am sending today is world wide, and I would like
for all to know what you as a parent can do to make raising your
kids a pleasant and memorable journey for you and our future to
be world leaders. The information contained in this article will
work for all, single parent as well as married couples.

When one conceives a baby in today’s world it is sent off after
six to eight weeks to some daycare center to be raised by the
daycare centers “workers”. I know many of us wish we didn’t have
to do that, but if we have no choice who am I to condemn that.
Just in case your wondering, your not alone in the world.

You are about to learn what it takes to make smiles out of the
most degrading moments in your life. My “MOM the old Queen”, as
I always called her used to say and I quote: “Son no matter how
hard it gets, even when you want to toss them in the fire.
please remember that they didn’t ask to come into this world you
brought them here”.

With those words I am going to shed light onto many years of
sorrow and bring smiles.

Let’s start out with siblings that are just babies, do you
recall how cuddly and cute they were. Well, do you know that
those big old lumps of problems that your faced with daily is
and will always be that same cute and cuddly baby, but in a full
grown outfit. My Mama always said enjoy your kids and talk with
them when they are young, because they grow up much faster than
we think. If you can always just set your focus in your mind to
that cute and cuddly moment, it will always make you smile and
you will be a lot easier on your kids.

Let’s take when our babies start to progress and the first
sounds echo through the home. Next will be the baby steps and
then will be the moments of truth, the terrible two and three
year olds. Well just remember that they are building their
futuristic leaders capabilities.

Now when your two year old is just crying and you want to pick
them up and toss them away, just think on my Mama words and say
to yourself what can I do to make them ease down on the crying.
They can’t talk and it is frustrating to them as well. Just pick
them up and start playing with their tummy and kissing them and
in no time you will see the tears are all gone. I call this the
“TUMKIS”.

If you learn to speak grown up conversations with your kids,
they will understand you much better. Save the baby talk, for
future leaders need to learn how to communicate from a very
young age.

When you pick up your one year,two year old or three year old
from daycare, what the topic of conversation. You should always,
start by asking how their day was. Now you will be hearing a lot
of sound from those that can’t speak, but they make sounds and
are really trying to explain to you how it was.

What can you do to prevent the toddler that get the tantrum and
throws himself on the floor of the shopping mall in front of the
whole world. This is the most embarrassing moment, but first off
who is the parent. Well many parents start feeling the guilt
trip. You simply pick them up and start playing the TUMKIS. Next
you need to start adding words to behavior and let them know
that is rude.

I want to stress one point here and I have seen so many parents
fail at this. What tone of voice do you use when speaking to
your kids?

I do hope that you use a different tone of voice when your mad,
your kids can sense that tone of voice. They tend to pick up on
that tone of voice very early. Use it often when your mad at
what they did, but please explain to them why your mad and why
your voice speaking in that tone of voice.

Well I can go on all day but the topic of raising our 21st
century leaders is a vast one. If you ever have a problem with
your kids and would like to know how to deal with it, please
feel free to email me. I will gladly answer your question and
let you know the methods I use to deal with the situation your
facing now.

One last point I would like to add. When was the last you told
your daughter or son you love them? Make it a practice that they
kiss you every day, before they leave your home and when they go
to bed. No leader in a kid that’s filled with hate, teach them
the gentle roll of life.

Thanks for taking the time to read my article, and I do hope it
helped you out dealing with the “little leaders”.

And if all else fails, please remember my “Mama”:

“Son no matter how hard it gets, even when you want to toss them
in the fire. please remember that they didn’t ask to come into
this world you brought them here”.

P.S. How will you know if your doing a great job raising your
kids? They will shower you with love and kisses.

About the author:
Alexander Marlin

You’re probably thinking of someone like this too, right?
Someone that made you think, “Man, my son isn’t reading as well
as hers.” or “My house isn’t as clean as hers.” Or a million
other things.

And you probably discovered her when you were new to
homeschooling. When you were already feeling uncertain in your
new endeavors. You were already putting high expectations on
yourself. You were constantly analyzing to be sure you were
doing everything right. And as a result, you tend to be a little
over-sensitive about what other’s are accomplishing around you
without giving enough credit to yourself.

So, it’s really important that you remember (as a new
homeschooler or a seasoned one) these basic principles that we
all so easily forget:

“The 4 Basic Principles That Conquer the ‘Super-Moms’ Syndrome”

Principle #1: We always see other’s through glasses that make
them larger than life. When I was a teenager, there was this
lady in our church. Her hair and makeup was always perfect. She
lived in a big, expensive home. She was very stylish and her
kids were so cool. I always wanted to grow up and have that.

But I don’t anymore.

I’d rather have my house that gets messy 5 minutes after it gets
picked up, my hair that falls down into my eyes as I pick up my
children, and my face that only gets makeup on Sunday. Why you
may ask? Well, here’s why. I’m happy. I love my family, and I
wouldn’t trade them for anything.

The lady I had idolized as a teen? She still has her perfect
home and impeccable style. But, she has a marriage without love
and children who are stuck up adults who ignore her totally.

I had seen her through glasses that made her larger than life.
In the end, she’s not any bigger or greater than me. In fact,
she probably wishes that she had my life!

So, if you start to think about someone else who seems to have
the life you want, STOP LOOKING! Instead, sit down and make a
list of 100 good things in your life–from the air you breathe,
to the heat in your home, to the kisses from your child. I
guarantee that you’ll feel better about yourself that you ever
have before.

Principle #2: Everyone has their own unique gift. Everyone has
their own unique ability and we tend to notice in other’s the
abilities that might be our “weak” ones.

For instance, if you think you’re house is always messy, you’ll
seem to know all these people who have perfectly neat homes.

For an example from my life, I have a son who struggles with
speech and it seems like every other parent within a 100 mile
radius have children with perfect diction. But you know that’s
not the way it is. My son might not pronounce every phonic sound
correctly–yet!–but he has so many other gifts that hardly make
that one seem important.

For instance, no one notices his speech. They always comment,
though, how loving he is. Just running up to people and giving
them hugs. And he has fun no matter what he does. Can you
believe one day I actually heard myself saying, “Ryan. Stop
that. Not everything is supposed to be fun.” I had to step back
and slap myself. Then I said, “Never mind. Mommy was wrong. Have
as much fun as you can.” And I learned a lesson from that.

So, forget about what the homeschooled Jones’ are doing.
Discover your child’s unique ability and relish in it and
develop it and learn from it.

Right now, at the end of your list of 100 things that you’re
grateful for, list 10 wonderful qualities or abilities for
yourself and each of your children. Work on acknowledging,
praising, and being thankful for all of your gifts. And don’t
forget to thank God that you got the greatest kids ever born on
this earth.

Principle #3: It doesn’t matter what others think. I know, it
seems easier said than done. But I guarantee that if you’ve
actually taken the time to write down your list of 100 things
that you’re grateful for and 10 wonderful qualities of your
child, that you won’t care what other people think because you
will know and appreciate what you have.

And, see, it really doesn’t matter what other people think.

What matters is what’s important to you. Your core values. Your
beliefs. Your ethics. How do you want your children to be as
adults? Hey, write it down right now. 5 things you want your
child to be as an adult.

Okay, I’ll do it right now too for Ryan who is 6 years old–but
do yours before you read mine: A loving husband and father An
honest, ethical entrepreneur Faithful in service to God Kind,
thoughtful, and helpful to those less fortunate Thankful and
content for what he can do and what he has Now, I’ll bet that
you had similar types of things. Not, “makes $1,000,000 by age
30″ or “wins he Miss America contest”.

Focus on developing and rearing your child to have those 5
qualities, and I’ll guarantee that the fact that Mrs. Smith’s
daughter who is 2 years younger than yours is reading book three
times as difficult. Geez, that’s a real life skill. You see what
I’m getting at?

Principle #4: When you say “yes” to one thing, you are always
saying “no” to something else. Have you ever heard that before?
I heard that from an owner of a successful multi-million dollar
business. That was the simple rule that he used to prioritize
his life. When he sat at his desk with phone messages to return,
he would literally think, “If I say ‘yes’ to calling this
person, what will I be saying ‘no’ to?” When someone would asked
to do something, he was able to say “no”, knowing that if he
said “yes” to that project, that he would be saying “no” to
extra time with his family.

This principle applies to everyone whether they are conscious of
it or not.

Mrs. Smith who is working so hard to have her child advanced in
reading is saying “no” to some other educational area. Or, Suzie
Homeschool Super Mom up the street who has her immaculate home
is saying “no” to time with her kids or family or something else.

The same applies to me. I’ve said “yes” to this homeschool site,
so I’ve had to say “no” to things like having a perfectly neat
house, laundry always done and put away, and a 5 course
home-cooked meal on the table by 5:00 every night.

Only say “yes” to the things that are important to you. (See,
you don’t know it, but I’ve been gone for 20 minutes. My
daughter came downstairs crying, and I stopped to take care of
her. And I’ve also acquired a set of ear muffs made from
pipecleaners and pom-poms.) So, as I was saying, say “yes” ONLY
to the things that are most important to you. And know ahead of
time what you’ll be saying “no” to before you say “yes”!

Principle #5: Take advantage of every possible tool. That’s
right. I don’t lift a finger (well, hardly a finger) to clean my
home as I have cleaner’s come twice a week to take care of that
responsibility for me. And to solve my meal preparation dilemma?
I purchase items that can be thrown in the oven and get side
dishes that are quick and easy.

You can do similar things. I have a homeschooling friend who
takes one day a month and cooks all day to makes meals for 30
days that she freezes and uses one at a time. And I thought she
cooked from scratch every night!

Having difficulties organizing? Don’t fight it. Buy something
that organizes your stuff or forget it. It really isn’t that
important to waste time stressing over!

Use all the tools you can, and leave everything else to collect
dust.

So whatever happened to that super mom?

Hopefully by now you’ve done the exercises or at least skimmed
enough here and there to know that there is no super mom except
the unrealistic giant you’ve created in your mind. Instead, you
should have a full, realistic view of the gifts and treasures
that you possess and a new appreciation for all you get done and
how you can enjoy doing what you do a little more! If you’ve
done that, than I wasn’t wrong in saying “yes” to this project!

Release your worries and enjoy life!

About the author:
Laura Bankston is author of Internationally selling Cooking with
Kids Curriculum: “Homeschool Cooking in a Box” and the
“Homeschool Cookbook”. She currently home schools her three
children, maintains home school support websites, and manages
their family-owned service business. For information on her
curriculum and free home school support services, please visit
http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com

* Spend an afternoon writing letters or making homemade cards to
send to out-of-state relatives. Let the kids make drawings, finger paint portraits, or collages to send to Grandma and Grandpa to adorn their refrigerator.

* Help the kids make up skits or act out stories to perform for Dad when he gets home from work. Along those same lines, help the children put together a family talent show in which they sing, dance or do magic tricks. For added fun, use a camcorder to record the
performances to watch later. The children will love seeing
themselves on TV.

* Pull out the teapot and teacups and hold an afternoon tea party. Along with your tea, serve finger sandwiches and cookies. If your children are too young for tea, serve heated lemonade or hot chocolate.

* On a cold afternoon, spread a blanket on the den floor and have an indoor picnic. Eat the same kinds of picnic foods you would in the summer.

* Go camping indoors. Pitch a tent in the living room and let the kids pretend that they are on a camping trip. Pull out the sleeping bags and they can take naps in the tent or even sleep the whole night there. Let them invite friends over for an indoor camping sleepover.

* Get the whole family together to work a giant jigsaw puzzle together. Be sure to have plenty of popcorn on hand for snacking.

* Provide the kids with fruits, vegetables and snack foods cut in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ask the kids to use the different shapes to create their own edible artwork. The only rule is that they have to eat whatever they put on their plates. Be sure to take pictures of their
creations before they eat them.

* Almost all kids enjoy playing dress-up. Gather up all the outdated clothes, gaudy jewelry, weird hats and bright makeup you can find and let the kids go for it! Be sure to take pictures.

* Pull out those board games or card games. When’s the last time the family enjoyed a friendly game of Scrabble or Monopoly? Turn off the TV and enjoy some family together time as you enjoy some friendly
competition.

* Speaking of cards, why not use those playing cards to build card houses? Compete to see who can build the tallest card condominium.

* Rather than renting movies from the video store, borrow videos from friends. In return, offer to lend them any videos you own. Be sure to return them promptly when you’re done.

About the author:
Nancy Twigg is the editor of Counting the Cost, a free email newsletter about simple and frugal living (www.countingthecost.com/index1.htm). For more creative money-saving ideas, visit Nancy’s newest website,
www.CreativeFrugality.com