GREETINGS DEAR PARENTS
Hi, hello and hope you are doing great! Oh, I know, there are some great times for you, then there are some times when nothing goes right, and then there are those times when you could 'throw in the towel' ¨C right? I think we all experience the same feelings along this road we are traveling, but I'm thinking that possibly the best way to handle all these situations is to let the glory of the great and special times dominate our thoughts, and let us ALLOW these precious times in our life come to our remembrance when the going gets tough.

Something I learned from someone while I was in college has helped me a lot in choosing and acting as I go along in life, I would like to share this with you in the hopes that it might help someone. The idea was: 'WHAT WILL THIS DECISION OR ACTION MEAN TO ME IN A YEAR FROM NOW, IN TWO YEARS FROM NOW, OR IN TEN YEARS FROM NOW? These ideas really helped me make some right decisions and I still use this philosophy in dealing with life today. When I forget this advise to myself some problems become large and some joys become minimal!

DAD'S CORNER:
(1) Accept your children (2) hug 'em and love 'em (3) accept them (4) hug them and love them (5) hug them and love them.......... Have we got the idea? I hope so because I am tired of writing all these parenthesis! I have told Dr. Jones that I have all the answers to parenting ¨C they are: Love and accept your children!

MOM'S CORNER:
We will continue with the famous words of wisdom dispensed through the generations from moms:
Mean what you say and say what you mean.
----------------Sometimes you have to roll with the punches.
ALWAYS BE PREPARED.
----Great things come in small packages (I'm glad for this one because I am so short in stature!)
-----------------------------BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
What goes around, comes around.
----------------------------Don't judge a book by it's cover.
-----------IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
------------------TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED
Get up when you fall down.
-------------------------------Follow your dreams.
------------If life tells you to sit down, stand tall
-----------------------------------Spend your money wisely

There are many more 'maxims' or sayings, or words to live by, rules of conduct or whatever we might call them. These are wonderful words for our children. Use some of your own that have come down in your families, the words will be implanted in the little brains, the subconscious and the souls of our precious ones and hopefully these ideas will come to the for front when needed.

MORE ON HUGGING:
Last month we discussed hugging and now we will continue some ideas on this important and vital ingredient to the parenting solution.

One of the greatest assets of hugging is that of telling your children that you are there for them and this offers a great amount of SECURUTY for them. "When the world seems difficult or frightening for you, I am there for you and will protect and care for you."

A hug says TRUST. We as the 'hug givers' can be there and offer ourselves to those needing comfort, assurance, love, understanding, etc. People do not feel the desire to hug someone who is not going to trust them, or 'be there' for them. Your children know whether you are sincere or not, AND, as we've mentioned before, your children read you like a book, their feelings are purer than yours and they sense the 'true you.' Let us purify our motives and actions, and concentrate on our feelings for our children so they will be willing to hug and love us as we would want, thus completing the circle of our giving love and them receiving love. We will be more able to show forth our true selves and they in turn will trust us to their physical feelings and emotional needs.

A hug says LOVE big time!!! If I know someone loves me sincerely I feel the love offered in a hug. Your children will feel your love and the support, protection, etc. as you pour out your love and acceptance in hugs. They will have more SELF-WORTH as these ideas are unfolded to them.

Be sure to hug the teenagers - especially the 'big, bad' teen boys! They need and want the closeness, love and security, and YOU need the input the human touch gives to us when we hug and tell our children we love them. This will go far in helping Our feelings of frustrations and anger at some of their behaviors.

PROBLEM??? You can't hug, you never learned how, it seems awkward, your child won't let you hug him or her, you are embarrassed, etc. etc. etc. There are many reasons why we have trouble with this wonderful principle. The answer: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. What do you tell your children to do to when they are learning to play the piano, learning to ride a bike, or learning to throw a ball??? When I grew up hugging was not something we did as a family so this principle of love was foreign to my nature. Thank goodness, I married into a family that hugged and I eventually learned how to hug! The same for saying "I love you." We didn't say these words as a family so I had to learn to say this to my husband and my children. I did practice and let me tell you, it was really worth the EFFORT!


Again, we invite you to let us hear from you. Tell us how you are doing, your progress in your parenting skills, your problems and needs, ideas you have for our program to help all parents everywhere, and we love to hear about any fun and funny situations happening in your family.

May God bless you in all you are doing to further the progress of families and helping to make the world a better place!

Love and good wishes to all,

Lillie