ensure that my children feel loved and respected by me

my youngest son has set about trying to earn money to buy some new ones… He has been doing chores on top of his chores just to try and earn some extra pocket money so he can build up his collection again. I am really liking this attitude, he isn’t dwelling on the stolen ones and he isn’t just expecting his cards to be replaced by us. His attitude is fantastic, he teaches me a great deal… What a guy!!! :)

came home from school yesterday and sobbed. Somebody had stolen all his Pokemon cards… Wednesdays are the day of the week that they are allowed to take their cards in and swap with other kids, he really loves doing this. Sadly for some reason he took all his cards into school, 307 of them and now they are all gone, He has been collecting them now for over 2 years after being given some from one of his older brothers… He took them everywhere with him and they are always spread out on the front room carpet. Also looking on ebay last night thinking we might replace some, it seems they are worth a fair bit of dosh too so if they don’t come back then they are irreplacable… I talked to the head and he’s hopeful that they will be returned, he’s going to mention it in assembly this morning. Fingers and toes crossed. Anyway, even though my little one is really upset he’s also been really brave and philosophical about it too, though I know he’s desperate to get them back. Bless him, I’m so proud of his attitude and the way he’s dealing with it. We went straight to the shop for ice-cream which really helped and he told me that I was a great mum… Don’t know about great mum but I’m definitely a proud one…

We are at the point now where another child’s behaviour is causing real problems… I have hesitated to use the bullying word until now but it is happening. I have talked to the parents about this calmly with hope that maybe this behaviour could be nipped in the bud, but although the parents are upset by their child’s behaviour they are taking little action, I think that they are hoping it will all blow over… I have discussed this with the class teacher quite a few times but little seems to be happening and I have one very unhappy little girl. So now I am up at 1.30am, losing sleep over it… I’m off to school in the morning and I’m hoping to get my point across to the teacher otherwise I might just blow a gasket. I’m sick of being reasonable when this child’s behaviour is getting worse and causing so much upset…

my daughter was crying about returning to school today after the summer break… Never in all her years of schooling has she not wanted to go, she has always loved school, always. She is the kind of child to cry if she couldn’t go… Since moving to a new school and it is a much bigger one than the last one, she has not coped too well. She really misses her old friends and I think for girls it is always harder to make new friends as cliques are formed quickly… I feel so sorry for her and I currently feel like a rotten parent for up-rooting my children when they were very happy in their lives in North Yorks… I hope she returns home with a smile on her face after school today… :(

There are two lasting bequests we can give to our children; one is roots, the other is wings.
Hodding Carter

Instruction does much, but
encouragement does everything.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

We invited a few of her friends over for pizza and chocolate cake and they had a wonderful time. It was lovely to listen to them all having such a good time and squealing with laughter. I joined them in the Twister dance, none of us could keep up with the instructions but we had a good laugh trying. She has had fun, fun, fun. I think she will go to bed tonight feeling happy and contented with the day… :)

He had a lovely eigth birth-day and continually gave thanks throughout the day for his birth-day gifts… He got to choose the dinner of his choice, I made him a big vegan choccie cake, with choccie icing and grated chocolate on the top accompanied by bird decs (bit of a bird watching phase)and we went to the cinema. Yes for the happiness of my son I suffered Alvin and the chipmunks, really ;) He was well chuffed and kept telling us that this was his best birth-day ever and how much he loved us… What a sweetie!!!

of how quickly time flies by with little ones. Before you know it they are grown and leading their own lives. Parenthood is such a mammoth task in terms of one’s children growing up with confidence, self~love and a sense of their own identity, i.e being true to themselves… One can only try and do their best I guess, to be aware of each passing moment and to remember how important your influence on their early lives is… Phew!!! No pressure there then… ;)

Encouragement is oxygen to the soul.
—Harvey Mackay