Tag Archives: obedience

Our Vision, Mission, Principals, and Goals

A Vision, , , , , ,

Vision Statement

Starts at Home – Train a Child in the Way to Go

Building the Family

Mission and Roots

Starts at Home seeks to elevate the community’s awareness of positive parenting.

Starts at Home seeks to encourage fathers to love their wives and together raise their children in a manner that builds stronger families and communities.

Starts at Home seeks to encourage parents, whether married, single, or custodial, in early childhood development education of children.

Statement and Purpose

We believe when we encourage, love and discipline children, they will follow;

We believe positive parenting starts early in life by teaching children age appropriate concepts before the age of seven.

We come not to judge but to encourage and share with parents and children.

We believe a parent’s love is the greatest gift to children.

We seek to build more dual parenting household.

We seek to have fathers share more of a parenting role in the household.

We walk in Faith.

Ten Basic Principals

1. Faith in God is the foundation of the home.

2. The home is led with loving parents sacrificing for their spouses and children.

3. 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.

4. Children are taught basic attitudes and skill before the age of seven including: Love, discipline, sharing, listening, honesty,  memory, curiosity, sex, no to drugs, chores, safety, internet safety, reading, math, science, music, ecology, skills, language, and manners.

5. Encouragement is needed to motivate and foster a child’s growth. Our words and actions will build or destroy a child’s future. Every child is different and has a special talent that needs nurturing.

6. Being too lenient is harmful and may produce spoiled children with super controlling egos, anarchism, and harmful pride.

7. When we love the children they will obey and follow. We want to prevent a child from feeling rejected.

8. Parenting is the giving of your quality time and not just financial resources to your children.

9. Encourage children to cook, eat healthy, and take care of their bodies.

10. Teaching age appropriate materials is wise.

Family Goals

For Parents

1. We are encouraging and a good example to our children.

2. We don’t give up and can make it through the tough times.

3. Promote a parenting revival for the future benefit of our community.

For Children

1. Come to parents for advice and to share their questions, concerns, and problems.

2. Follow and listen to trusted and loving parents.

3. Leave the home as contributing members in the community.

4. Independent and have successful family our their own.

5. Are respectful of their parents and grandparents.

This Vision and Mission statement was established on October 24, 2009.

No Parenting Problems – Learning to Say “No” the Right Way

Parenting, Videos, , , , , , , , , , ,
Leonard Mukai and Family
The Mukai family
 
L-R, James Long-Goth, Leonard Mukai, Amy Kessinger-Okuyama. Day at the Park, a family fun and educational event sponsored by Thy Word Ministry, March 10, 2010.
An affiliate of Starts at Home Leonard Mukai, Ph.D, has an excellent online program called No Parenting Problems. He and his wife Cecilia Mukai, Ph.D are giving this 30 day video presentation FREE to encourage and help parents;  he believes parenting “Starts at Home” and is sharing his program. Speaking to Leonard, his most distant viewer comes from Russia who found his lessons simple and effective.  Each video is about one minute.  Here’s a link to one (1) of thirty (30) FREE videos.
 
You know how difficult it is to teach a child and sometimes when we say “no”,  all hell breaks loose …. the crying, the pouting, the tantrum and tirades.  This video teaches us one way how to say “No” the right way.  It’s a pretty simple and cool technique; enjoy this one minute video.
 
To get started on this FREE program visit http://www.noparentingproblems.com;  the concepts shared are ageless wisdom.
 
Enjoy your children and family; encouraging parents and loving children starts at home.
 
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Don’t Spoil the Children – Helping Children through Chores that Develop a Work Ethic

Parenting, Principles, , , , , , , , , , ,
I'm not doing that!
I’m not doing that!

Training children is about age appropriate education.  Parents do not intentionally spoil or overindulge their children, however children who are overindulged may become spoiled by  caring and unknowing parents. This message is not directed to toddlers under the age of three who are  learning about boundaries set by caring parents; if you experience tantrums by a toddler this is a normal behavioral transition from infant to toddler.  The future favors prepared parents and children,  in this light we share with you important lessons on chores, work ethics, and overindulged children.

Have you heard the saying “the kid is going to be a spoiled brat”? The daughter of singer, Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley says, “I was quite the spoiled brat. I have quite a temper, obviously inherited from my father, and I became very good at ordering everyone around. I was the princess; the staff were absolutely terrified of me.

Also, you may have seen a  young boy having a tantrum, screaming, crying in the department store as a means to get something, with everyone watching, the parent “gives in” and the child gets want he wants; who’s training who?

Contrarily, “daddy made sure to instill in us a work ethic” – Kathie Lee Gifford, Hostess, NBC’s Today’s Show.

Amy Nishi-Kessinger
Having chores helped Amy become a productive person throughout her life.

Chores do work for the benefit of children.  My wife Amy Lou Kessinger’s early years were with an abusive alcoholic father, and her parents subsequently divorced.  Fortunately her mom was loving, nurturing, and strict, and didn’t enable or spoil her daughter.  Amy’s mom was ill for many years, so while they lived with Amy’s grandmother,  Amy became a young care giver to her mom to help in the household and with her two younger sisters.  Life was good and there were many necessary chores.  The four of them (Emiko, Karen, Sharon, and Amy) lived in a small bedroom at their uncle George Nishi’s home. They received financial help from the welfare system.  Another person who influenced Amy’s life was Pastor Davis from Kinoole Baptist Church in Hilo, who picked her up and took her to church every Sunday for three to four years.

Thank God, due to her mother’s insistence, Amy studied hard and was a good student who received work-study grants to complete her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Whether a child earns a degree or not, the important point is having a good work ethic will lead to a successful path and life.

One funny example of Amy’s mother’s traditional values, is her grounding us one month before our wedding, because we came home after Amy’s curfew.  We couldn’t date, while Amy stayed home to complete sewing her four bridesmaid’s dresses and tend to other wedding details.  We have been married over thirty-nine years, thank you Mrs. Kessinger.  While Amy’s upbringing is from two generations ago, it still holds true today: productive, responsible adults had parents who instilled in them good work ethics by giving them chores to do and rules to follow.

Tani Katada-Freitas a friend and contributing writer of Starts at Home shares how she had a part in teaching her ten children about chores, beginning after the age of two (2).  An important household rule was:  “No Chores, No Dessert” a simple rule.  If the children didn’t finish their dinner it was bed time, and the uneaten dinner was put into the refrigerator to be served for breakfast.  If the children were hungry later in the evening, Tani was sympathetic, but explained, “Sorry, but dinner time is over, you’ll have to wait till breakfast”.  Each child helped with cleaning the dishes and kitchen after every meal, and there were lots of other chores for them to do around the house.

Here are some suggested chores for toddlers to help them develop good work ethics

  • Putting away their toys after play time.
  • Helping parents with their chores around the home.
  • Helping clean up the dishes and kitchen after meals with their leading parents.
  • Helping set the dinner table, dishes or cups or both, keeping it simple.
  • Making the bed in the morning.
  • Feeding the pets and reminding their parents if more pet food is needed.
  • Brushing their teeth in the morning and evenings before bed.
  • Helping the teacher in school, church, or other organization.
  • Helping clean the house windows, sweeping and vacuuming the floors.
  • Helping their parents on their weekly chores.
  • Having homework time and checking their work for correctness.

Encouraging Actions and Words to Enforce their Chores.

  • Wow Johnny your bed looks well made, great job!
  • Remembering to compliment for doing something well.
  • Chore charting with rewards chart stickers.
  • Have a big prize after achieving a longer term goal

Many Times Parents Don’t Realized these Actions Contribute to a Spoiled and Narcissistic Child who is Self Centered.

  • Never saying “no” to the a child and let them have whatever they want, because “it’s easier”.
  • Make them feel they’re always the center of attention and center of the universe.
  • Not asking them to share with other children.
  • Never receives spanking, timeouts, and other forms of discipline.
  • Allowing the child to boss, hit or bully other children and adults.
  • Allowed to them watch TV while others are required to clean up and do chores.
  • Pampering a child to be always so cute and pretty and not teaching chores, social skills, and following up with school homework.

Life will be good for children when they are raised and trained using chores, encouragement, and obedience.  Amy and I recommend parents find a church with a Sunday preschool program as a church will help instill good spiritual and moral values as well as educational fundamentals in children.  From this will come good relationships at home, with friends, and the community as good work ethic in the marketplace. Have fun and enjoy the children, it starts at home.

On the Web:  Narcissism – Psychology Today

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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