“Love is patient, kind, not envy, not boast, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrong doing, forgives, not delight in evil, rejoices with the truth, always protects, trusts, hopes, preserves. Love never fails.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 NIV

Starts at Home would like to share a photograph of your special occasion. The photograph may be a recent wedding or earlier photo. Your photograph will be posted on this blog site. Send your wedding photo to startsathome@hotmail.com. Include your names, wedding date, city, and state.  We’ll share and celebrate your new covenant and  happy occasion.

Mr. and Mrs. Dustin and Ashley Malama-Poplardo, Married January 1, 2012

Mr. and Mrs. Christian and Kimberly Ross, Married November 11, 2011, Mililani, Hawaii

Jason and Sarah Ferreira, Married September 5, 2010

Chris and Sarah Leialoha - Married March 20, 2010

Grant and Corrie Higuchi - Married June 6, 2010

Just Married - Mr. and Mrs. Carl Cadavona, Married September 2010

Encourage your children early in life 1- 7 years of age.

Encourage a child with good faith,  and you will be able to watch a flower bud blossom into a beautiful flower or a chick evolve into an eagle.  Believing in your child’s potential increases your child’s potential in life.  A parent’s faith and belief will help children to have faith and believe in themselves, thus enabling  them to achieve their goals in life. In the educational profession this theory has been called the Pygmalion effect, or the self-fulfilling prophesy.

Know that each of your children are different, with different talents, no child is the same, each child is unique, like snowflakes … not one alike,  so accept John being different from Jimmy. You may become disappointed when the career for your children are not met or they quit the occupation you selected for them. Instead, nurture their spirit to have faith and be pleasantly surprised with their successes in what they choose freely to do in life.  Our love must be unconditional, nurturing, and disciplined.

Here are some words of encouragement.

“Ruth, you have a good memory.”

“Mark, you play the ukulele so well.”

“Deborah, you read well, let’s keep reading.”

“Kimberly, you want to do another math problem, that’s good.”

“Arnold, where did you get all your strength”

“David, wow you sure kick the ball good.”

“Jeffrey, wow you sure can swim and hold your breath a long time.”

“Johnny, you sure planted a lot of seeds, let’s be patient and watch them grow.”

“Justin, you sure can keep focused on playing Lego a long time, that’s a neat car you made.”

Tame Our Tongue not to Speak Discouraging Words

Discouraging words tear down a child’s future so we need to tame our tongue.  When we seek to refrain from discouraging speech, we will find that it will be easy to do.  Often, parents who were themselves raised with discouraging speech will follow the way they were brought up; it’s up to the parents to break this generation curse.  Here are some examples of speech that will discourage a child:

“You’re not good at anything”

“You won’t amount to anything”

“Why can’t you get that right”

“Why aren’t you more like your sisters and brothers?”

“You’re just being silly”

Whether we’re raising our own biological children, adopted children, or those from another family member, remember that each child is different, with unique personalities and talents.  Despite these differences, all children need encouragement and  need to know that their parents believe in them.  What matters is as parents,  we whole-heartedly believe that our children are bright and will reach their full potential.  Believe it, practice it, and our children will too. Love and discipline are gifts to our children.

——————————————-
Wikipedia - Robert Rosenthal is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. His interests include self-fulfilling prophecies, which he explored in a well-known study of the Pygmalion Effect: the effect of teachers’ expectations on students. From 1962 to 1999 he taught at Harvard, became chairman of the psychology department there in 1992, and Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology in 1995. On retiring from Harvard in 1999 he went to California.

You’re OK, your children are OK, and you just need some TOOLS to make parenting and life less stressful and much more enjoyable. Come to Power Parenting to help change children’s behaviors. You will learn:

1. How to never argue with your children again.

2. How to help them improve school performance.

3. How to have your children listen to you.

4. How to have your children respect you.

5. How to have a healthy and happy home!

When: January 19 and 26, February 2,9, and 23 from 6:00-8:00pm.

Where: Thy Word Ministries, Awapuhi St (off E. Kahaopea below Baskin- Robbins)

Call Leonard Mukai, PhD, CPC, Parent Project Facilitator: 935-7050   Cost: $150 covers book, parents and grandparents

Happy New Year!

Aloha, Leonard (808) 935-7050

————————————————————————————————————————-

Note: Leonard Mukai, PhD. and Cecelia Mukai, PhD. are affiliates  of Starts at Home and has moderated numerous parenting potluck dinners. Leonard is a certified Life Coach. The above program is excellent and highly recommended.

And to make the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors on this summer’s fee free weekends with the their own special offers.

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

If you’re in Hawaii, visit the probably the most active Volcano in the world – Kilauea Volcano, part the the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  The hot thing to do is visit a live lava flow.  Its the coooolest thing you can do. Real Hot be careful… Aloha!

Centennial Year at Hawaii Volcano National Park –  http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/

For Free Days - http://www.nps.gov/havo/parknews/20111101-free-entry.htm

]]> http://startsathome.org/2012/01/11/free-days-at-national-parks-ideas-for-parents/feed/ 0 startsathome USGS Hi Volcano - 20090629BHG_25of49_L http://startsathome.org/2012/01/07/effectively-and-quickly-improve-your-life-and-relationships-by-understanding-yourself-and-others/ http://startsathome.org/2012/01/07/effectively-and-quickly-improve-your-life-and-relationships-by-understanding-yourself-and-others/#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:05:02 +0000 Carl Okuyama http://startsathome.org/?p=1702 ]]> Please join us for a powerful class that improves relationship and strengthens families. You’re invited to attend one of the two sessions available; to be held on January 13 and 14, 2012  at the YMCA on Lanikaula St., Hilo, Hawaii.  This event is open to the public. Bring a friend!

Happy New Year!

Aloha, Leonard (808) 935-7050

————————————————————————————————————————-

Note: Leonard Mukai, PhD. and Cecelia Mukai, PhD. are affiliates  of Starts at Home and has moderated numerous parenting potluck dinners. Leonard is a certified Life Coach. The above program is excellent and highly recommended.

Leonard Mukai, noparentingproblems.com

Understand "Koro" and infant linguistics

Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Indian, parents are teaching their children to speak English to compete in this new global economy.  How about American children learning other languages to compete in the new global economy?  Through digital technology and better communications, the world keeps getting smaller, and knowing other languages will continue to be an important skill to have.  Teaching children other languages can prepare your child’s job success as well a help develop an appreciation for international arts and sciences.

A new language “Koro” is being spoken to six months old infants. This new language has opened the doors for researches to understand language development. It’s fascinating to understand how children from a very early age can acquire language.

“At TEDxRainier, Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another — by listening to the humans around them and “taking statistics” on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show how 6-month-old babies use sophisticated reasoning to understand their world.”

As parents we can help our children acquire new language before the age of seven by exposing them to different opportunities such as:

• Having family and friends who speak other languages talk to them in the other language.
• Enrolling children in foreign language school before the age of seven, see chart below.
• Watching safe and age appropriate cartoons in a different language.
• Encouraging multi-lingual communications at home.
• Encouraging a baby sitter to speak in another language.
• Allowing grandparents to speak to children in another language.

Love that creates new beginnings and heals the mind and body.

It’s not the presents under the tree nor the shopping at the mall that make the holidays and Christmas season so joyful, instead seek gifts that last more than a life-time.

• More than the presents under the tree, love is the greatest gift.
• Your children are healthy, joyful, talented, and smiling . Sometimes they may not be perfect but pure joy shines through it all.
• Children are sometimes rascal, curious, yet when parents speak they listen and obey.
• The family comes together to celebrate the holidays and Christmas, each heart yearning to hug one another, or missing each other from afar.
• Children, parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and close freinds laughing and remembering times they shared, some memories a challenge yet worthy of life’s mysterious journey.
• Then came uncles, aunties, and loved ones gathering to share the holidays.
• Loving that special spirit that fills the cold winter air with a special warmth and fire.
• The joy you give when you invite someone who is away from their family and needing of cheer.
• And, most importantly, first children loving God, and secondly honoring their parents.

These gift are more than enough.  It reminds me what my wife Amy Lou said,  ”Love is like a piggy bank, if you don’t deposit, there is nothing that will come back; and  we wonder why the children don’t want to come home for Christmas.”  It’s never too late to start investing in the greatest gift.

We  wish you and yours Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. Joy starts at home and lasts more the a life time.