Do things right the first time!!

John Wooden says "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"   I found myself saying something very similar to my 13 year old son today as he was hurriedly trying to get out the door to go "hang out" with his friends.  My simple request of taking care of his dirty clothes was completely overwhelming to him apparently because of the gasps and heavy hmmmffff sound that came out of his mouth.  He VERY reluctantly picked up one shirt and one sock off the floor leaving the other sock and pair of shorts in a heap by his bed.  After he came running back past me with a "Oh, I hope she didn't see those shorts" look on his face... I asked him to once again take his dirty clothes to the laundry chute.  I know I shouldn't be surprised by his reaction, but I was.  "MOM!!  I don't have time to do this!!  My friends are out there waiting for me." You would think by 13 he would understand that I kind of mean business with my requests??!!??  I merely told him that he needed to take the time to do things right the first time and just think of all the time he would have had!!  This is the same principle with homework, or laundry or dishes or a project for science.  DO THINGS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!!  In the long run, think of all the time you'll save!!  

Funny phone call!?!?!

I found myself answering my "thefamilycompass" calls today when a gentleman caught my attention.  He told me he was blind, unable to work and was looking for a free boarding school.  I asked him how old his child was and what issues he was experiencing.  He proceeded to tell me he had a 17 year old son who wouldn't attend school, was smoking marijuana, and staying out all night.  After a few minutes of me explaining that the schools we worked with were private and had no state funding, he then  proceeded to tell me again that he was blind and needed help paying for tuition.  The very next sentence out of his mouth was this  "I'm reading right here on your  "thefamilycompass"  site the EXACT issues I'm having with my son...."  any my listening stopped there...  he was reading right down our bulleted list ...  "family conflict" ... "blatant disregard of rules" ... "withdrawn from family" ...  and continues right on down ...  Anyone see a problem with this???  He had either had a MIRACULOUS recovery OR I guess computer screens have come along ways!!  They now have a braille feature.  (:

WORDS CAN HURT!!

This week is "NoNameCalling" week. (Check out this site for some great resources  http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/cgi-bin/iowa/home.html)  To some of you that may mean nothing, but to those of us who have a child who has been effected by bullying, it means a lot!  There is nothing worse than seeing the hurt in your child's eyes.  As adults, we know that once we have actually let the word escape our lips, it can never be taken back.  Take the time, and ESPECIALLY this week, to think about the words you are saying to your children or even your friends!  Mother Teresa said it best  "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

New Ezine!

We just sent out our very first Ezine Article!  We are going to be doing this on a monthly basis covering issues facing our teens and their families today.  If you have anything you would like us to touch on PLEASE let us know!  You can follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ParentResources.  We LOVE feedback and would LOVE to hear from you! Follow us for daily parenting advice... we all know we could use that!!  Feel free to comment and give your 2 cents.  We love 2 cents!!    :)  Thanks again!!

Dan, Jillian, Natalie, and Karen

Do you talk to your child?

Good Morning! Just wondering what your New Year's Resolutions are?? Do some of them include spending more time... and actually I don't just mean time... I mean QuAliTy time with your family? I am going to try and spend more time with my kinds on their schoolwork. I know my little ones will benefit from me taking more interest in what they are learning. Another suggestion... eating dinner together. I'm always amazed when I'm speaking to parents and what they tell me about their home life. Why aren't you taking the time to sit down and eat dinner together? What a better time to "debreif" on your days! Ask them about what they did at school! Ask them who they played with at recess! Ask them what they learned in chemistry! If your kids know you are truly interested in their day and you build that base communication... it's going to be a lot easier for them to communicate with you about the "tougher" items when they come up.

Teenage Warning Signs

As a parent myself, there are many days that I wish my child would have come with a manual!!  Unfortunately with that not being the case we sometimes parent by trial and error. Please keep in mind, there is help out there.  We don't have to go it alone. 

We here at Top Boarding Schools feel that these are some of the warning signs you as parents should be watching for. 

• Does your child blatantly disregard your household rules?
• Is your child withdrawn from family?
• Does your child display uncontrollable anger?
• Is your child manipulative?
• Is your child CONSTANTLY lying?  
• Is your child skipping school or has multiple suspensions?
• Has your child's grades fallen significantly?
• Has their friends changed recently?
• Are you dealing with legal problems?
• Do you suspect a substance abuse problem?
• Does your child have a low self-image?
• Is your teen displaying signs of depression?
• Is your child cutting on him or herself?
• Does your child runaway?
• Is your child spending hours and hours on gaming systems or Facebook?
• As their been threats of suicide or actual attempts? 

This is just a very small list of the issues that we try to help parents with on a daily basis.   We are going to be addressing and discussing these issues on our blog.  If you have specific issues that you would like our help with, please leave us a comment.  For more information on the issues listed above, here is a link to our site.  www.topboardingschools.com/article2.php   Also we would encourage you to visit our website if you would like to speak with a Top Boarding Schools associate.  They are available 24 hours a day to take your call.