BigBlog

This is a site called Rev Fun. As a Christian one has to be very careful about poking fun at your faith however I really like this site and I not only find that the cartoons are funny but also sometimes very insightful. At their best they are not only insightful but pointed and not just to the non Christian.

I have included an updating sample of the cartoons I hope you like them as much as I do. Like I said it is updating so feel free to come back regularly to see the new one.

 If you haven't already read the other post below there is some very useful information.

Richard

One of the things that I often see from well meaning but misguided adults is the attempt to gain a child's favour by tickling or worse still by rough play.

I've seen adults walk into a room immediately pick up a child under 2 rough him up (without hurting him after all this is fun and you don't want to hurt anybody) then put the child down. Then as soon as the child approaches start it all up again. The child loves it. But a few minutes later when the adults wants to stop the child tries to continue and get into trouble for it.

I know that as a Judo instructor I may be a bit more sensitive to this sort of thin than others but consider this. Not only that but when the child plays with other children and tries to play rough they get into trouble for it.

Why is the child getting into trouble for what the adult has taught them to do? The child is totally confused! He is only doing what he has been taught.

Lets look at what has been taught here: The adult walks in and greets the child with not a hug but a tickle or rough play. They now think that this is the correct way to great people.The major interaction that they child gets is tickling or rough play. "Oh OK that is we are supposed to interact with others" thinks the child.

If you don't want a child to react to others in this way don't teach it too them.

So the next time you walk into a room with a child why not just give them a hug hello (or just High five if you are not close to the parents).

There is nothing wrong with some appropriate play but why not temper it with some gentle play. More importantly why not just spend some time with the child.

The only self defence that a child can have against this sort of learning is for the adult to intervene and explain to the offending adult the way things are done.

Lead by example.

Richard

I just thought that I would like to do what little I can to push a couple of websites that I'm very keen on.

The first sites is kids life. A membership based site that costs nothing to join, it has a regular on line newsletter that you get notified about. This newsletter has a great deal of wonderful information on raising kids and helping with their education.

I find some of the information a little obvious at times and other times the information is a little too pseudo intellectual, but mostly it is really good information. And whilst the information is mostly relevant to anybody world wide, one of its most useful components for those of us that live in Australia, is that it is an Australian publication, so you are not left wondering if you can get any further detail here in Australia.

The other site is also an Australian site but is relevant to teenagers or young adults. Called Reach out it is designed to let young people know that no matter what there problem is they are not alone. And what's more they can read about others going through the same thing. As well young people can use the site to seek further help.

Thousands of children are lost each year most are found within a few hours. Anybody that has experienced it will know that it is the single most traumatic few hours (or even minutes) for any loving parent ever. Bar none

Let me direct your attention to an article I wrote about how to help avoid your children getting lost. It's a simple set of rules that we (my wife and I) have found very effective with our own children. An has save us a great deal of anguish over the years. I would like to think that it can help anybody who is willing to institute it with their children.

I can't stand children being picked on. I was as a child and I heat to see it happen to other children. The attitude taken to bullying in our schools and in fact our whole society is nothing shout of disgusting.

I wrote this article on bullying some time ago but as yet it has not gone out of date. It's not the definitive work on bullying but it certainly has things in it that I have both used and implemented in my own family and judo students.