Category Archives: Principles

Articles that support and relate to principles in Starts at Home vision and mission statement.

The Planting Twos – Memory – Remembering at Genius Speeds

Grandparents, Parenting, Principles, , , , , , , , ,
The Planting Twos learning and remembering at genius speed
Photo by Kimberly Okuyama

Last month on their way to the airport, Amy said to our granddaughter Andee, “Grandma is going home to the Big Island”.  A few times since then, Andee has mentioned to her mother Kimberly, “gamma big island”.  Much to both Amy and Kimberly’s surprise,  Andee started using the words “Big Island” after hearing them only once.  Amy knows she had said “Big Island” to Andee only once during her stay in Honolulu; Kimberly never mentioned big island before.  Wow, kids at the age of two learn at tremendous speeds, a time period in early childhood I refer to as the “Planting Twos”.  What we say, do, and teach during this period will greatly impact their personalities, intelligence, and social life.

The “Planting Twos” is a wonderful time before preschool to teach about God, social morals, health and wellness, reading, music, science, mathematics, sports, obedience, kindness, sharing, caring for others, chores and rewards.  The Planting Twos are the golden teaching years in early childhood development.

These wonderful years are academically described by Barbara Rogoff, in her book The Apprenticeship of Thinking: Cognitive Development in Social Context.  The book is about guided participation by children and their companions. Barbara Rogoff is UC Santa Cruz Foundation Distinguished Professor of Psychology. Barbara Rogoff has held the University of California Presidential Chair and has been a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, a Kellogg Fellow, a Spencer Fellow, and an Osher Fellow of the Exploratorium.

By Carl Okuyama

Grandparents and Parents Teaching with Loving Discipline – Toddlers Obey

Grandparents, Parenting, Principles, , , , , , ,
Thank You grandpa and grandma for your helping in raising our family.
Thank You grandpa and grandma for your helping in raising our family.

September 8th is National Grandparent’s Day. Happy Grandparent’s Day to all the grandparents, have and wonderful day and give your grandchildren a big hug!  If that’s not possible call them over the phone and give them phone hugs or hopefully they’ll call you.   Here’s a nice story.

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Grandma May shared a wonderful moment with her granddaughter April, a toddler who recently became three years old.  One morning just before 7:30 am, April called grandma’s cell phone. Grandma recognized her son’s phone via Caller ID, answered it and heard the voice of her granddaughter April, who asked “where are you?”  Grandma replied “at work” and April replied  “bye!” which ended  the call.  What a short and sweet call to get from your grandchild!

It’s so joyful to know that your toddler grandchild misses you and goes out of her way to phone you.  April abruptly ended her call because she knows grandma cannot talk to her while working, a lesson and rule taught to her from grandma and her parents.  It’s pleasing  to hear how toddlers learn to obey their parents, an important rule that will help them through early childhood development.

At two to three years of age, toddlers begin to learn at genius speeds.  This is their “Planting Twos” years, and all they need is the sharing, teaching and loving discipline of their parents and loved ones.

May and her parents Mark and Olivia, nice, “pat on the back” and way to go!

By Carl Okuyama

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Unconditional Love on Mothers Day – Big Time Love

Parenting, Principles, , , , , , , , , ,

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to very special ladies, who loved us , nurtured, and shape our lives, including non-biological moms with Big Time Love.

A time of bonding and a foundation of future relationships; a vital part of early childhood development.
Big Time Love that never give up.
Happy Mother’s Day Mom. Thank you for loving and nurturing us.
Happy Mother’s Day – Love this Beautiful photo, Amy with mom Emiko Kessinger.

Thank You Mom for taking care of us while we grew in you, as you felt our movements, heard our heart beating, and brought us into this world crying and kicking.

Thank you for providing for our physical needs because we were too small to change our diapers and feed ourselves; we were little gems, great hopes, and aspirations to do big things in our lives.

Mom, thank you for not giving up on dad, my brothers, sisters, and me.  We know it was difficult and sometimes you wanted to call it quits and just walk out the door or walk off the face of the planet, but your Big Time Love persevered for us.

Thanks for teaching us to pray and know that with faith we can make our hopes and dreams a reality.

Thanks for the times you were pulling your hair because no one helped you and you were alone and crying.  And when when you were a single mom, thank you for not taking your frustrations out on me, we saw it coming many times but somehow you maintained your temper and you managed to love us through those toughest of times.. those blessings of grace and acts of courage were Big Time Love.

Mom thank you for not beating and hurting us, like when you were raised by your hurtful and harmful parents, your forgiving of grandpa and grandma is unconditional love.  We now understand how difficult is was for you to be abused yet you forgave and didn’t look back with bitterness in your heart.

Mom thank you for those times we know you wanted to go out with your friends or watch that special program but instead stayed to read and play with us.

Mom thanks for being lovingly strict with us as now we know why we had to obey; you wanted the best for us.  When we were little children, we thought you were the worst mom an enemy could send, but we were wrong, you were good preventive medicine.  We’re glad you held on to the medicine spoon and made us drink for our own good.

Mom thank you for the time I had to move back home because things were just not working out in my life, you took us back with your unconditional love and you were again there for us.

Thank you for teaching us that the material things in life are nice but our character and relationships are priceless that have everlasting value, it’s not the “bling” in the end that will make us sing.

Happy Mother’s Day!  We love you and your unconditional Big Time Love.

By Carl Okuyama

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My wife Amy’s mother’s name is Emiko and my mother’s name is Kiyoko.  Now, Amy is a grandmother and is helping nurture, love, and train our grandchildren, the next generation.

Teenage Sex Abstinence Message on the Radio – Bay Clinic

Principles, , , , , , , ,
Hoorah! Bay Clinic Promotes Parenting and Sex Abstinence

Thank you to Bay Clinic for sharing their radio commercials that encourages increased parent and child engagement and urges parents to talk to their adolescent children about sex and family planning.  Sex education is not a one time talk, instead a series of talks beginning from the age of one.  Their commercials tie into Starts at Home article article about teaching sex education before the age of seven.

Bay Clinic is using  three (3) commercials to promote their message and services.  We like hearing the word abstinence on the radio and hope it touches the lives of parents and children; it was so refreshing to hear these commercials produce and aired in 2011, enjoy these important messages.

Commercial #1  – Bay Clinic_Teen Pregnancy-2-Men

Commercial #2 – Bay Clinic_Teen Pregnancy-Father & Son

Commercial #3 – Bay Clinic_Teen Pregnancy-Mom & Daughter

Bay Clinic does not provide abortions but they will offer pregnant women neutral and factual information, non-directive counseling, and referrals upon request for our women patients’ pregnancy options.

Starts at Home encourages other parenting organizations to promote abstinence at an early age and to join in to help parents train children in the way they should go.  A wise parenting choice is to start teaching sex education as part of early childhood development; a popular article in Starts at Home is  Teaching Sex Education Starts at Home – Toddlers, Children, Four Steps Before Seven Years Old.

Thank you Bay Clinic for your concerns and creative public service announcement.