"Raising children is the most important job on earth", says Lorraine Pursell, parent coach.  I agree.  In Santa Cruz I see many parents practicing conscious parenting.  It's not easy because it's one of those non-stop-for-18-years projects with children frequently challenging us at all stages. 

Just as a teacher prepares a lesson plan so the day will go smoothly and goals become accomplished, so does the conscious parent plan and set goals.  I was watching a mom at the park deal with her young son who was behaving unkindly toward another child. "I just want him to be kind!" she said.  "Aha", I thought as I had just read an article on teaching children to be kind.

What are the qualities we want to model for our children? What do we value? These are good topics for parents and friends! Meanwhile I'll share the article on "Raising Kind Children".

Sometimes when considering the qualities we want to model for our children, the best laid plans come face to face with a different reality and we have to change course.  Read Suki's thoughts on giftedness.

Parmalee

by Janet A. Clark, University of Missouri

Encouraging kindness in children is an important responsibility for all adults who care for children. Kind and caring behavior appears early in life and continues to develop across the lifespan. Examples of caring behavior include:

• Sympathetic crying among groups of babies
• A toddler comforting a baby doll
• A toddler sharing blocks with another child
• A preschooler bringing bandages to an injured classmate
• A preschooler hugging and comforting a crying sibling
• School-age children collecting canned goods for a food bank
• An adolescent volunteering to shovel snow for an elderly neighbor
• Adolescents speaking out against animal cruelty during a community meeting

You can help children show kindness toward others and experience the positive feelings that grow out of kind and caring behavior.

Set a good example Children are learning constantly from the words and actions of adults around them. The great humanitarian, Albert Schweitzer, suggests that adults teach children in three important ways:
• The first is by example.
• The second is by example.
• The third is by example.

Even with your busy schedule, you can involve children in acts of kindness.... Read more>>>>>>

I was talking to a friend recently about my work on Examiner.com concerning gifted children. What is gifted? she asked. A very reasonable question, and one that no one has completely defined yet - to my satisfaction, at least.

I'm planning an article on Examiner.com about all the various definitions of "gifted," but here I can address my personal reasons for getting into all this in the first place! (If you want to know when I publish that article, or if you want to read my articles in general, click on "Subscribe" on either of my Examiner pages. You'll get e-mail whenever I publish anything, and I get paid a higher rate with more subscribers!)

There's the part of "gifted" that most people are familiar with: my son is a good example. Very smart boy, very sensitive, not into sports. Very good in school. Until he was nearly 9, I had no interest in knowing more or applying the label. Frankly, although it was obvious he was smart, I didn't think anything more of it. I'm sure I have written before of the experience I had when he was in first grade and a dad said to me, "I wish my son could read as well as yours." And I wanted to (but didn't) answer, "I wish my son could hit a baseball!"   Read more>>>>>>>

"I am the co-founder and co-director of an organization for children in Santa Cruz County. This organization is called The ABRITE Organization and we provide early intervention services for the State of California, as well as behavioral services and soon to be preschool services for the local children we all love. It is in this capacity and throughout my education and training that I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of families through the years.

Based on this exposure to every parenting difficulty you can imagine, from simple potty training to dealing with teenagers who are lying to their parents to the struggles faced by parents raising a child with a disability, that I'm going to attempt to share my experiences with all of you in hopes that I can provide some useful advice that may make the incredibly difficult role of parenting perhaps just a little easier.

Beyond simply sharing my experiences, however, I will be able to offer some pointers and tips from a professional point of view, given my PhD in psychology with an emphasis in behavior and my passion for parent training, to which I devoted years of study and ended up being the topic of my doctoral dissertation. I share with you my background not for you to be impressed as a reader of my blog, but instead to understand the history that governs my writing in this and all subsequent blogs." Read more>>>>>>

Please! Email Ginger your parenting questions so she can respond in her blogs!

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... it's that time of year again to head for the Boardwalk for the Clam Chowder Contest!  Everyone tastes a little, gets to vote for their favorite, and in the process raises money to support recreation programs. Last year's champions, the Dukes of Hazard, aka Blackboard Catering, aka Andy and Clint, live near us, and believe me they've been getting a show ready for you!

Join the fun and excitement as talented chefs from throughout the West Coast compete for the glory of the BEST CLAM CHOWDER!

More than just a culinary competition, the fun event has featured participants dressed as scuba divers, mermaids, and even as a "Clam Fairy."

The competition features three divisions: Individual, Restaurant and Corporate/Media.

Top awards include cash prizes, round-trip tickets courtesy of Continental Airlines, and more.

Plaques will be awarded in each division for BEST CLAM CHOWDER in both Boston and Manhattan categories as well as the People's Choice and Most Original Team.

Admission is free; visitors may purchase tasting kits ($8) to sample the clammy concoctions.

Saturday, February 20
10am - Cooking Starts
1pm - Public Tasting Begins
3:30pm - Winners Announced

The Cook Off is an important fund-raiser for the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department. (Last year more than $66,000.00 was raised!)                      

Andy Stirring the Pot