Recently, our family went on a nature walk. We left early, packed a lunch, mounds of water, and headed toward the park. I knew it would be a great way for my husband and I to get some exercise–no computers on the trail! Instead of listening to our girls argue and fight, we actually had a chance to listen to them running from one stream to another, smililng for our cheap camera, and enjoying the smell of the earth. It’s funny: the one thing we were trying to get rid of was the one thing that helped us have a great time. I’m talking about technology. Too often, parents have replace their TV watching with their internet surfing. What we don’t realize is that children will follow in our footsteps. We need to model active life styles and we recently purchased something that has made the experience grand: a GPS unit. Nothing fancy, the Nu vi 200, is the cheapest well made GPS unit around. Since GPS units have become widely used, the price has gone down. Families can now plug in any destination and get there quickly, safely, and with options for eating, playing and even sleeping–if need be. You never get lost! I know we are all strapped for money and I’m certainly not suggesting you run out and waste money that has to be spent on food, clothes or bills. But if you are tying to think of something that will get your family moving, and you live in an area ripe with free/cheap family fun, a GPS unit makes family fun much more enjoyable. Think about it: no more are we there yet? Are we lost? What restaurants are around here? A GPS unit is a worthwhile investment that you and your family will be happy you bought, especially if you enjoy camping, nature walking, or just seeing new places. Don’t have an extra $200? Use a map! My husband and I drove from Missouri to Washington and back without a GPS unit. We traveled from Missouri to Texas using the good ‘ol map. We bought one of those $25 State Map books, and we used the web (thanks randmcnally.com!) to print out directions. My point: get out of the house! Use spring weather to talk about bugs, clouds, streams and all the things that make our planet beautiful. You don’t need a HD TV to see the beauty of of the world. What do you and your family do to interact with nature?

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The other day my daughter came home with a note that she had written. It was about a boy in her second grade class and how she likes him more than all the other boys. Unfortunately, he likes someone else. The note was titled: To Brandon, from Loser. My shock at seeing that word was overwhelming. My daughter thought that she was a loser at eight years old! Now, this is a delicate situation: as a parent you can berate, uplift, scorn, or question. I chose to question. I wanted to know why she thought of herself that way. I also wanted her to realize that when bad things happen, calling yourself names won’t help. Here’s what I did.1. First, I asked her if she knew what the word loser meant. She didn’t. What a teachable moment! She thought a Loser was someone who was sad and angry. And while we can debate that, ultimately children think of a Loser as someone who is not socially acceptable for a variety of reasons. 2. I asked her: what happens to people if you call them names? She was confused, but answered that it makes them feel bad.3. Next, I said, “If you call yourself names, it will be easier for you to believe the names that people will call you. We talked about bullying (and as a secular child, she has already had plenty of experiences with bullying and dealing with bullies). 4. Finally, I said to her: don’t be your own bully! You don’t have to call yourself names because someone else doesn’t like you the way you want them to. Instead of looking at yourself as a Loser, why not look at yourself as a person who is sad because someone she really likes doesn’t like her back. I ended by telling my daughter that she knows how to deal with sadness: we’ve talked about that. If your child is feeling sad about a situation they cannot control, try getting them to look at more than one aspect of the situation, and try having them do things to alleviate (not perpetuate) their problem. I told my daughter writing the letter was a good start. Name calling was not. Some things in life are unavoidable: children will get their feelings hurt. The lessons they learn–how to deal with emotions, how to problem solve, etc,.–will carry them through their teen years when their problems have the potential to be more life threatening. Does your child have a problem that you’d like posted? What do you think about situations like this? Let me know!

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