Coach Mom Newsletter - DEC 2011
“Teach us to number our days aright, O
Lord, that we might gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12
If you have read Coach Mom or have
been in any of my classes, you know I have a
thing about timers. I guess it has a lot to
do with trying to making every minute count.
Below are a few of my favorite ways a
timer can help the home run a little
smoother.
What can a timer do?
-
Motivates me to get the dishwasher
unloaded (what’s three minutes?)
-
Motivates me to begin an overwhelming
job (I can stop for today after my
thirty minutes is up).
-
Measures practice time (I know it seems
like thirty minutes, but you’ve actually
only practiced fifteen.)
-
Keeps the peace for children sharing
turns on an iPad.
-
Signals bath time or bedtime.
-
Gives a young student an alarm when he
has completed his required daily reading
time.
-
Alerts potty trainers that it’s time to
go again.
-
Counts down five minutes when I’m trying
to see if the baby who awakened cranky
(halfway into her nap) will go back to
sleep.
-
Reminds me to take a child to a soccer
practice or a birthday party.
-
Monitors Facebook time (having decided
on the minute limit ahead of time).
-
Monitors Pinterest time (yes, that one,
too!)
-
Gives me five minutes to cool down
before addressing a disobedient child,
in order to deal with him in love.
-
Gives children a goal time to have a
conflict resolved (with consequences for
not meeting that goal).
-
Monitors children’s screen time.
-
Alerts me to when my 20-minute “retreat”
in the middle of a demanding day is over
(time to put down that great book or
stop playing the piano and get some work
done).
-
Counts down 10 minutes for us as the
children and I tidy the house, seeing
how much progress we can make.
-
Tells me when I can stop my 20-minute
drawer organizing that day (now that
wasn’t so bad…and look at the progress I
made.)
-
Gives me a signal 15 minutes before we
need to load the car for church.
-
Tells me when my 30-minute workout is
over.
-
Helps a child who has a hard time
focusing on homework (“Now see how much
you can get done in the next 10
minutes….”)
-
Signals an elementary child playing at a
neighbor’s house when it is time for him
to return home for dinner.
And, oh, now I hear it…
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A cool tool tip I got from the last Coach
Mom small group in McKinney? The Time
Tracker for moms. (Hmmm, a great mom
Christmas gift, perhaps?)
Here are the details:
-
Includes three timers with light and
optional audio alarms, 30-second
warning, and belt clips and wristbands
for easy portability.
-
Lets you easily program and monitor
each timer via the base station (not
that any of our little angels would ever
take minutes off a timer when practicing
piano.)
-
Helps children develop a sense of
elapsed time.
Ready to order? They are currently under
$40 at 42% off.
Click here.
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Dear Coach Mom,
I have always enjoyed a close
relationship with my boys. But it seems
the last few years they are closing up,
and we are drifting apart. My seventh
grader often has angry outbursts, and
even my fourth grader seems frustrated
with life much of the time, but I can’t
get them to open up and talk to me about
what is going on. How can I reach them?
Patricia
Dear Patricia,
Find a way to interact with your boys in
a non-threatening way -- something other
than face-to-face. Boys in general are
not the best communicators, so it takes
a little more strategy.
Reaching out to your middle school son
through texting might be a great way to
let him know you are thinking of him and
care about how he is doing – even if
he’s just sitting on the other side of
the room with his headphones on. Ask a
few questions, and he can answer when he
is ready. Drop a little text prayer or
an encouraging Bible verse with an
affirmation that you know he’s got what
it takes to get through whatever he is
encountering.
You might consider a journal for
interacting with your younger son. My
friend Monica started this one time when
her son was going through a difficult
period. She gave a journal to him and
told him he could write in it whatever
he was going through and feeling and
then leave it in a certain place when he
was ready for her to know those things.
After reading, she would write in it and
leave it in a certain place for him to
read it. She might write an encouraging
word, a verse, or a prayer. They have
continued with it through the years,
using it sometimes more than others, and
it has been quite successful.
I believe reaching out in these
ways will bless your relationships in
more ways than you can imagine.
Brenna
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Click picture to view
the Stull's Christmas Letter on Brenna's
Blog.
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|
Win
an Amy Knapp’s Christian Family Organizer, a
great tool to keep your family organized.
