Red pencil

Hundreds of schools have banned their teachers from marking in red ink in case it upsets the children. They are scrapping the traditional method of correcting work because they consider it "confrontational" and "threatening".

Pupils increasingly find that the ticks and crosses on their homework are in more soothing shades like green, blue, pink and yellow or even in pencil.

Traditionalists have condemned the ban sweeping classrooms as "absolutely barmy", "politically correct" and "trendy".

They insist that red ink makes it easier for children to spot errors and improve.

The red pen goes back further than most schools, having been developed during the mid-19th century when ammonia-based dyes became available.

But the opposition to using red ink is now a worldwide trend with recent guidelines to schools in Queensland, Australia warning that the colour can damage students psychologically.

There are no set guidelines in this country on marking, and schools are free to formulate their own individual policies.

A child's position in the family

I just read a book of "Why Firstborns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It." By Michael Grose.

The conclusion is :

-A child's position in the family impacts his personality, his behavior and his learning.

Firstborn

As the leader of the pack, firstborns often tend to be:

·         Reliable

·         Conscientious

·         Structured

·         Cautious

·         Controlling

·         Achievers

Firstborns bask in their parents' presence, which may explain why they sometimes act like mini-adults. Firstborns are diligent and want to be the best at everything they do. They excel at winning the hearts of their elders.

Famous firstborns: Oprah, Hillary Clinton, Winston Churchill, Sylvester Stallone and Bill Clinton.

Reading is really important!

Reading has a host of benefits - tangible and intangible and should in fact become a habit as common as bathing or eating.

1.      Reading can make us Smarter

Reading is a very active state exercise for our mind as opposed to watching TV or listening to music. Reading forces our brain cells to engage in activity as we paint a vivid image in our mind about the story that we are reading.

Our brain is also a muscle which must be worked on a regular basis as this will keep our mental faculties constantly engaged and thus keep us sharper and smarter.

Bill Gates warns: Protect Our Children

 „Protecting our children. The Internet can revolutionize education, giving children the opportunity to indulge their intellectual curiosity and explore their world. But while it helps them to learn about dinosaurs or world history, it can also expose them to obscene, violent or inappropriate content. And since the Internet is an unregulated global medium, it is hard to "censor" in any traditional way. The private sector has already made great strides in giving parents and teachers more control over what children can see and do on the Internet, through filtering software that blocks access to objectionable Web sites; industry standards such as the still-evolving Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) that enable helpful rating systems; and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that voluntarily regulate the activities of their customers. Government has also played a part, encouraging the growth of the market for child-safety tools, and increasing law enforcement's role in policing and prosecuting online predators. So far, the issue of protecting children on the Internet has served as an excellent example of how governments and the private sector can work together to tackle problems on the Internet.”

Research shows: Parents lie

According to a study in the United Kingdom, parents tell their children, on average, 3,000 'white lies' - just to get their own way - as their youngsters are growing up.
The most common lies are:

1. Father Christmas only comes to good little children (84 per cent)

2. Father Christmas only visits children who go to sleep (81 per cent)

3. Sitting too close to the TV makes your eyes go square (60 per cent)

4. Spinach makes you strong (48 per cent)

5. If you cross your eyes, the wind will change and they'll stay there (39 per cent)

6. An apple tree will grown in their tummies if they eat apple pips (27 per cent)

7. If children play with their privates too much, they will drop off (25 per cent)

Children's Birthday

Each family is special and every child is special, because your child's birthday should celebrate on your own, special way. This day is an opportunity to introduce a family birthday tradition, too.

Child’s birthday is definitely the best day of the year in one family. But perhaps as it is so important, it carries a certain amount of stress and unrest. Will everything be perfect, do you have the plan a birthday party details, will a gift appeal to the child, will small and large guests be satisfied?

Sometimes, in the rush around preparing and guests, we do not pay enough attention to our and child's fun. Let us use this day to be devoted solely to her/him and her/his needs.

Why do not we found some small fun rituals. There are chances are that someday a child will remember this and similar small items rather than on whether the house was arranged tip-top, whether the guests were delighted with the choice of food and drink, and similar details that , sometimes, too much burden on parents.

Here are some ideas ...

Grandparents

My daughter thinks that:

“Children should go to the grandparents on a weekly lunch to eat grandma’s cookies as they like, to play, to be spoiled, and sometimes sleep over on weekends.”

It is indeed a great joy for children, because grandparents love in a special way. Grandparents often have unlimited time, thus they can devote their full attention to kids, perhaps more so than the parents. They always have the patience to retell the interesting adventures of their youth, or reading, with a lot of warmth, a bedtime story. Many parents agree that the role of grandparents in the upbringing of the child is very important, and that their love is irreplaceable! This is confirmed by research which showed that grandparents, immediately after parents, are the most important persons in children's lives and their growing up.

Alcohol, youth and prohibitions

If you ask doctors about the effects of alcohol, an internist will tell you that one apperitive can be  very beneficial to the digestive organs, a cardiologist will recommend a glass of red wine a day, but a psychiatrist will be strongly against drinking alcohol, even in the smallest quantities. Why? Because the psychiatrist is faced everyday to the tragic consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

There is no need to write about the harmful effects of excessive drinking, especially when it comes to young people, it is common knowledge, and facts known to all parents. That is why parents forbid alcohol to their children. Unfortunately, this does not mean that their teen protected against a possible danger of getting drunk.