You are here: Home / Archives for Choices

Over-Protecting Children

June 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Birdhouse by Raul J Colon

 

This is a guest post by Debbie Pribele, BA ECE

Where is that line that you cross between protecting and overprotecting your child? As with most things, there is no black and white “line” but a fluctuating “grey area”

What is that grey area?

On the one side we have safety. For the most part, that is pretty clear – keep your children safe from severe falls, cuts, burns, bites, and the list goes on.

On the other side we have life, filled with challenges and skill building.

What do I mean by that? We learn through experiences, whether that is first hand or by watching others or by being told. Our self-esteem is developed through our achievements, whether is it end-result successes or just knowing that we tried and that we did our best.

Resiliency comes from being confronted with challenges and finding strategies to overcome them, work around them, or cope with them and move on.

All of these skills (and more) come from having challenges in our lives. The grey area is that mush in the middle where we, as adults, often don’t know whether we should step in and protect our children or stand back and let them muddle through a situation on their own and develop the skills mentioned above.

Entering the Grey Areas

When we enter into that grey area and protect our children, although we are keeping them safe, we may also be robbing them of the opportunity to develop their knowledge base, to enhance their self-esteem and problem-solving skills, and/or strengthen their resiliency abilities. And if we intervene too often (and out of the grey area and right into the area of “life”) we might also be heading them into the realm of “life is all about me” and “one solution problem-solving”.

I was first awakened to this by a parent of a two year old. The little girl had fallen off a riding toy and her legs were all tangled up in the toy. I went to help her out and her mother intervened and said, “She is all right. She will figure it out.” And she did. A little twist this way, a little twist that way, another twist, pull, and shove, and up she got, back on the toy and off she went.

Importance of Creative Thinking

Just think about all the creative thinking she had to do in order to get out of the predicament she was in. If I had stepped in and rescued her, it would have been me who was doing all the thinking as I inadvertently encouraged her to be dependent on me to solve her problems.

Then, how do we, as parents and educators, know when we are in that grey area and how do we know which way we should lean: safety or opportunity?

First of all, using the wise words from “Funniest Home Videos“: “put down the camera” – if it is an obvious safety issue, or if in doubt, protect the child! No second thoughts, no after thoughts or guilt feelings. Keep those young ones (and older ones) safe!

If there is no urgent need to intervene then take a moment to think about the situation.

  • What is your intention and what is the child’s?
  • Why do you want to intervene?
  • What might happen if you do and what might happen if you don’t?
  • What is the child trying to do?
  • How can you help him/her learn how to be successful at the task?
  • How can you help him/her decide when to seek help and when to not try this on their own?

Is the child capable of overcoming the challenge?

  • Could he/she be successful if given a little time to think about it, a little encouragement, guidance, and/or a little practice?
  • Is this a good time to let them spread their wings a little bit and see how they manage, with perhaps a little assistance from you?
  • Speaking of capable, is it developmentally appropriate for your child?
  • Does your child have the physical, intellectual, emotional and/or social skills to manage in the situation?

Knowing your Child

Knowing your child, at what point is the expectation too much?

Here is another grey area – that line between being able to be successful at overcoming a challenge and, thus, enhancing their self-esteem and the situation being too frustrating for them resulting in a melt-down and negative affects on self-esteem.

Parentings Grey Areas

Parenting is filled with grey area situations and unknowns. As I like to say, we are an expert on our children as babies when they make it into toddlerhood and we are an expert on our children as toddlers when they reach preschool age… and so on and so on.

Hindsight is 20/20 but we don’t live in hindsight. All we have is this moment and all we can do right now is do the best that we can.

We give “a little twist this way, a little twist that way, another twist, pull, and shove” and next thing you know the children are all grown up and moving out of the house.  And during the process we (hopefully) become a bit wiser, we enhance our self-esteem and problem-solving skills, and we strengthen our resiliency abilities, just like our children do when they are met with challenges!

Are you over-protective?

  • Are there times when you could step back and empower your child?
  • What skills would you like to see your child develop?
  • What “golden opportunities” can you let unfold while you stand back with baited breath, ready to jump in when needed?
  • Just another something to think about. Oh the joys of parenting!

We thank Debbie for sharing her thoughts with us. You can find her on the web: 

Home: Website
Google Plus: “Early Childhood” Page
Community Manager: LumberJocks.com; GardenTenders.com; HomeRefurbers.com

 


Filed Under: Choices, Family, Papá Heroes, Parental Advice Tagged With: ,

Joseph Kony A Parent’s Worse Nightmare

March 7, 2012 by 5 Comments

My nephews are always teaching me something new even if the don’t know it at the time of their actions or phrases. My nephew Daniel settled a discussion amongst adults when we were deciding on baby names and he stated that we should just name our daughter Daniela. We took his advice and that is her name.

What is Kony 2012?

Last night after my daughter had gone to sleep, I decided to check on one of our efforts to get a little dog adopted and I saw my nephew Michael’s status on Facebook that read, “wat is Kony 2012″   (that is what he wrote). One of his friends added a link and it piqued my curiosity. I thought all sorts of things being that he is going to be thirteen this weekend. But what I saw surprised me and shocked me.

I clicked on the link and it took me to vimeo where a video was about to play under the title Invisible Children.

 

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

What will you do after this video?

Once I finished watching the video I wrote to my nephew who had updated his status to say, ” This Kony dude is horrible.” I have to agree with my nephew and after watching the video, I decided that I wanted to write something about what I saw. I saw that @Invisible Children had started trending under #StopKony on Twitter. I tried to go into some links but because of all the traffic the sites are getting they were down. They updated on Facebook, new links to purchase kits.

As a new parent, I saw the bond between parent and child and how the parent in the video is teaching his son to stand up for what he believes in and the rights of those who don’t have power. I also thought of all the energy I put into being frustrated about the little things, go away immediately if someone were to ever harm our daughter.

Kony is your worse nightmare

Kony is every parent’s worse nightmare and even though he maybe in Uganda, he could be living right next door to you. Imagine all the money and resources the towns and states in the U.S. put into hunting down one child when they are missing. Imagine the herculean effort @Invisible Children, parents, and citizens in the country of Uganda must face when there are over 30, 000 children, kidnapped, tortured, enslaved, and made to kill their own parents.

If we can put our energy into learning about the Presidential candidates who are supposed to help make the U.S. and its territories better places to live, learn about Kony 2012 and stop this montster. Make your local congressman and women aware of what is going on in Uganda to innocent children and their families.

What will your community do to bring awareness about Joseph Kony?

Are there local organizations that you are a part of that help bring awareness of child abuse or enslavement?

Thanks to @Invisible Children and all those who believe in saving and helping children no matter how far or near.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Choices, Family, Papá Heroes Tagged With: , ,

I’m a Parent Obsessed with Nutrition

January 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Organic Market Greens and Organic Artesanal Bread

Lately my friends and family on Facebook have been posting pictures of what they give their kids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. More than 90% of the time I am asking about where the vegetables are on the plate. I get the “They don’t like that stuff”or “This is what they like to eat.”

I am guilty of becoming something I do not like about other parents when it comes to food. I obssess about what my daughter consumes. Since day one, I knew I wanted to make her food and not buy it from a jar. I also researched the types of proteins she would need from plants and grains since we are vegetarian in our home.

My Health Choice

One of the reasons I made the switch to vegetarianism was because I pass kidney stones when consuming too much animal protein and calcium in the form of cheese. Do I crave a skirt steak with chimichurri sauce from time to time? Yes I do! I would be lying to you and myself if I said I didn’t. Do I want to go through the pain of passing kidney stones? No I don’t!

My daughter’s grandfather and uncle on her dad’s side produce kidney stones. I see how abuelo takes medications for his stones and I just don’t want that for my daughter. My daughter has grandparents on medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Hard times means poor food choices

When I was in elementary school our main source of income was a small corner store. This was completely eliminated due to a fire burning down the complex, leaving my family almost homeless and making it difficult to purchase healthy food. We ate canned meats like potted meat, spam, and corned beef hash.

The joke in some Puerto Rican households is when times get tough or the weather is bad, all you need in your house is a can of salchichas (vienna sausages), crackers, or bread. As our financial situation got better, so did our food.

Food Snobbery Kicks in

Recently my cousin posted on her Facebook wall that a can of corned beef hash is going for about seven dollars. I couldn’t believe how much the cost has gone up. Of course everyone who commented said that it was the best thing to eat but complained about the price. But being the obsessed parent with nutrition I had to look for information on the recall that happened in 2010.

The consensus was that even with the recall that happened, it was something their children and families enjoyed. I chimed in and said if I were to eat meat again, I would buy seven dollars worth of organic food instead of canned meat. In retrospect, I think what I wrote could have come off like I was a food snob.

Every moment is a teaching moment

The United States Department of Agriculture or USDA along with the White House came up with a new food plate instead of a pyramid. This new diagram shows the portions of dairy, protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains you should have on your plate. Harvard Medical School decided to come up with their own diagram . It ommitted dairy completely from the chart, adds healthy oils, and exercise as part of a regimen for a healthy lifestyle.

What I like about the Harvard diagram is that they explain that eating red or processed meats on a regular basis can lead to major health risks such as heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain. These are all the conditions my daughter and I are predisposed to due to our family history. It also goes in line with what we do in our home.

Buying Local Organics in Puerto Rico

We have started to purchase food from local organic farmers at a market in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The movement of Community Supported Agriculture is alive in Puerto Rico but many families don’t know about purchasing boxes from local farmers. We are lucky that my parents and cousin grow plantains, bananas, papayas, mangos, avocados, and have chickens who produce organic eggs.

I have even started growing my own collard greens along with some coriander and basil. I won’t go as far as buying a chicken coup because my dog JuanGa would not be happy about that.

As parents do you obsess about nutrition?

Do you buy organic or sustainable foods or do you just pick up whatever you can get at the supermarket?

What diagram resembles your family’s plate of food?

Filed Under: Choices, Family, Papá Heroes, ParentHood Tagged With: , ,

The Power of Choice

December 9, 2011 by 2 Comments

 

One of the more frequent topics of my blog, Gil The Jenius, is about the power of choice. It might even be the underpinning to the blog’s zeitgeist, if you will.

The shortest post I ever wrote was exactly that: What is the power of choice? Aware of that power, I helped my son learn it…and I learned more about it as well.

Kaleb was four, close to turning five. I picked him up at the pre-school and we went to the mall, looking for a few items, but with a particular one in mind: a little race car. At the time, I had made huge copies of a racetrack and with my son and nephews, played a dice-based racing game. We used Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars to spend a few hours a week playing and racing, with Kaleb winning more often that anyone else, I might add…miffed.

We went into Wal-mart and headed for the toys section. A dazzling array of cars covered almost half an aisle and as Kaleb looked for his, I looked at the goofier ones (a hot rod hearse caught my eye.) After a few minutes, Kaleb came up to me with three cars in his hands and an anxious look in his eyes. “Dad,” he said, “I like these.”

A dollar each. Three dollars total. But I’d said–and he’d agreed–we’d get only one. “Pick one,” I replied. His eyes darkened.

He set the three cars on some empty shelf space. In a few seconds, he took one car and placed it aside. Two cars. Two dollars. It’s only an extra dollar, right? He stared at each car. Then again. I noticed I was holding my breath. I tried to relax. He leaned over a little, looking even more closely at the cars. Now my heart was pounding. It’s only two dollars. Two dollars! I waited. My heart pounded out the seconds.

Suddenly Kaleb hunched over, his body a tight fist in struggle. He was trying so hard… I forced myself to wait and to my surprise, I was fighting back tears. Why am I doing this to him? It’s only a dollar!

I waited.

Then, like water, he straightened up and looked at me with a beautiful smile of happiness. With no hesitation, he held up one car and said, “This one!” Before I could reply, he took the other two and put them back. Gave me time to wipe my eyes.

We walked to the checkout, my hand on his shoulder as he looked at the car. His car. The one he had chosen when choosing was not the easiest path.

I’m not sure if Kaleb remembers this incident, for although children (especially him) have a remarkable memory for key moments, what happened that day was more remarkable to me than to him. I was trying to teach him about the power of choice, and yet I ended up learning so much more: about him and his wondrous qualities and about me and the love I feel for my son. For you see, I could have done the easy thing and chosen to buy both cars. It would have only taken another dollar. But I loved him enough not to, even though it caused me pain. So we both learned more about the power of choice.

Not all our decisions as parents have that trade-off, but isn’t it wonderful when we get them right, when we choose the path that empowers?

 

Photo by wriccobene

Filed Under: Choices, Fathers, Lessons, Papá Heroes, Wisdom Tagged With: , , , ,

Breaking the Rules

December 2, 2011 by 1 Comment

"Rule Maker Breaking Rules" by: Askgandhi on Flickr.

In school, I remember how teachers used to tell us that there were always exceptions to the rules. Even at home, Dad would tell me the same thing. Problem was, when I chose to disobey and break the rules (therefore making an exception) it was not taken so lightly. But I digress.

Late Night Dinner

A few nights ago, Master Yaddle and I arrived late to pick up our kids. By the time we got home, it was already sleeping time for them. We were awfully tired and hungry. Instead of helping them put on their pajamas and washing their teeth, we chose to grab a bite. When they saw we were eating, the both wanted to eat as well.

We looked at each other and said, “What tha’ heck”. I cooked them their fourth meal of the day. They quickly ate their food and we were astonished. Afterwards, I concocted a delicious Hot cup of cocoa for all of us. While we sipped on our cups, jokes flew around our household and we played around. We opted to be silly when our usual selves would’ve sent them straight to their beds. That was our exception.

A Night to Remember

When we finally ended playtime, they were exhausted (of course, so where we!) and fell asleep almost instantly, leaving Master Yaddle and I with a huge sense of peace and very nice smiles on our faces. Although we cannot do this every night, breaking the rules… OUR rules made the night an amazing one. A night we’ll talk about for a long time.

On the downside, the very next morning had an awful start. Complete with grumpy moods and sleepy eyes. But at least we were happy to have had a very special night before.

Taking a lesson and applying it elsewhere

So, my spanish teacher was right. There’s always an exception to the rule. And like my art professor in College used to say, “you must learn the rules to know how to break them. And when you decide to break them be sure to do it to improve upon what the rules were set out to accomplish”. Professor McKinnon nailed it there. And, hey!, no one yelled or punished me for having my way this time! Win.

How about you, have you ever broken any of your own rules and did not regret it afterwards? Can you tell us without stepping into some trouble? Then, DO TELL!

Filed Under: Choices, Papá Heroes, Wisdom

Back to the Future

October 26, 2011 by 4 Comments

Back to the Future Delorean from Wallpaper Vortex.

Ever since I was five, and the first installment of Back to the Future came out, I was hooked on the topic for life. I remember dreaming of what my parents were like when they were my age. A few years later, and after listening to the same response from various sources when I asked to do something my age wouldn’t allow, that: “You’ll be able to do that when you’re older” got to me to the point where I wanted to become an adult pronto! Fast forward two decades and I was happy to be one.

Everything in life has its moment

Although it may seem harmless at first, wishing I were an adult, got me thinking diferently than the rest of my friends. Even now, I feel much older than most. Sometimes, even older than my parents – - but that’s another post entirely. What my Dad used to tell me, should’ve become my motto. Words to live by: “Everything in life has its moment”. Bah! I used to say, but now I look back and wish I could re-live some of those child memories. Moments were no cares where in sight. Innocence was running rampant. Politicians were good, honest and trustworthy men and women. Crime was something cops prevented and never caused, and if trouble came, Superman was always near by to solve it. So while I looked towards the future when I was young, I now look back to the past that brought me up.

Not making the same mistakes

I’ve told my children a few times, that they’ll understand when they’re older and that when they’re bigger, they will be able to do this or that. I need to stop that. After all, there’s no better time that the present. We can’t know what the future will bring and the past, well … already passed. I’m going to make an extra effort to remember that kids will be kids and when they’re adults, no more babies will roam around doing silly things and making us laugh. Everything will be more serious and complex, so why rush it? I will destroy my time machine today.

It’s all Flash’s fault

Why am I thinking of this now, you may ask. Well this past weekend I hung up a poster on my son’s bedroom (that a friend gave to me about seven years ago, and I never framed) of Flash. And while putting it up, I looked at my reflection on the glass with my son’s bedroom decorations reflected there as well, and for a brief second, I remember what it felt like being a kid, with superheroes on my walls. I started analyzing (and over-analyzing) my time travel addiction, and promised to change this time around. Funny how our minds give us these memories when we least expect them, right?

Detail of my son's "New" Flash Poster drawn by, now deceased, Michael Turner.

So, what do you think? Should we never mention the phrase: “When you grow up…” to our kids? Will it help them if we don’t? Give me your input, I’ll be delighted to know your thoughts.

Filed Under: Choices, Lessons, Papá Heroes Tagged With: ,

The Human Torch

September 29, 2011 by 2 Comments

The Human Torch by Wayne Nichols on DeviantArt

Being a Daddy is the best job I’ve ever had. Seeing my kids grow up and come up with the most amazing occurrences sets my heart on fire. There’s nothing as gratifying as seeing them smile and tell me they love me. I feel completed every time. You could say my heart is set on fire every time I’m near them.

My Children Light my Fire

Today I thought about that for a little, and got to the conclusion that my heart is on fire when I’m near them because as their father, I’m their guiding torch. I’m like a thick branch, taken from a powerful tree whose top ending is covered with cloth, embalmed with oil and lit on fire. My light will show the way my children need to follow. It’s a huge responsibility, I took about six years ago and continue to do so every day. I need to make sure I light the correct way. Otherwise, I will loose them to the void.

Many Rocks on the Path

There’s so many things on the way that can harm kids learning their way through life, that as parents, we cannot ignore the risk ,and let them learn on their own all the time. We must become their bodyguards, their guarding Angels, their Superhero or any other metaphor you wish to become. But the important thing is that they are vulnerable and without guidance, they most likely will walk away from the path we need to be lighting. Give them space to learn, but be ever-watchful if they get off the correct road.

Leading the way with Light

The torch reminded me of the way we should to lead. Always towards a bright future. It reminded me that we are here to help others. To serve as a comforting hand, to give warmth when others feel empty. The torch is a great metaphor from which to extract inspiration on how our behavior should be.

Today, I make an oath to myself to become an everlasting torch to my loved ones. Their future is invaluable to me, and I cannot afford to let it be lost. I shall be their torch, their guide and their friend.

How about you?, will you become a torch for your children as well? Take the oath, and lead them!

Filed Under: Choices, Fathers, Papá Heroes, Wisdom

To Sleep or not to Sleep (With you)

August 29, 2011 by 6 Comments

Sleeping like a baby from: jovanto on Flickr

Ok, this is one of those tough subjects, I’ve had to argue with a lot of people recently. Do you let your kids sleep with you? Let me begin saying that, with my first born, we counted the days until she could not sleep with us any more. We were selfish to the point of returning her to her crib, even if she had just let us know that she preferred to sleep with us. The excuse was always the same: “I need my beauty sleep”.

With our second child, we practiced a different approach. See, we learned how sleeping with the parents, the children are less afraid of things/situations and have more self esteem. All of this from a simple gesture of letting them sleep with me?! Seems that, when they shut down, they feel secure to know we’re there and our loving support encourages them to feel safe all the time.

Nowadays, we sleep with my boy’s foot in my face and his hand up my wife’s nose. We wake up destroyed but fulfilled knowing that he’s growing up with less fear. At first we were concerned about a baby in our bed. After all we could roll over and squash him at any time, so we came up with a simple, yet brilliant solution: we pushed the bed a little to the side and placed his crib right next to our bed. we took of one of the rails and voilá! we had ourselves a bed/crib contraption. He would sleep with us in the middle and after a while, my wife would slide him to his crib.

My son is almost two already, and I can assure you he is way more secure than my daughter. He’s like a little explorer. Like a little version of Capt. Jonathan Archer dwelling into the unknown with high hopes and his fear in check. Trouble is, I still second-guess myself wether it was his sleeping with us that did it or if he was built that way. Guess I’ll never know.

Anyways, the purpose of me writing this here is to ask you: Do you let your kids sleep with you? Why? Why not? Shed some light into this mystery, will you?

Filed Under: Choices, Fear, Lessons, Papá Heroes, Parental Advice

Practice Makes Perfect

August 25, 2011 by 2 Comments

Practice Makes Perfect by: Thoughtbrain o Flickr

Writing about this subject for UNDOdigital, this week got me thinking of my children a lot. I remembered all those times when I gave some task to my daughter and she came back telling me she couldn’t do it. After inspecting her approach, most often than not, I see a lack of willingness to do the task. I then correct her: “You can do it, maybe you just don’t want to. Let’s try it again.”

Delegate tasks

As a parent, I must give tasks to my children so they understand that we’re all on the same group. We all need to work together to achieve our goals. When we help each other (as a family) we create a better bond and we get things done faster. Plus you can bet it’ll be easier for them to help us when they’re teenagers, if we’ve taught them to work since they’re little.

Never let them Give Up

I never give up on my children, and am always remembering them that they can do it. If something seems difficult, I encourage them to try harder, and keep at it until they achieve it. Perseverance was an important lesson, my father taught me and I intend to pass it along. And if they see how I don’t give up on them, it’s more than likely they won’t give up on themselves either.

Protecting them from their Future Selves

When older, we more bound to give up at first glance. If a task seems impossible, we let it pass us, not even trying. But if you are brought up to look at impossible tasks in the eye and not be intimidated by them, you’ll be a better adult for it. So the next time you child says: “I can’t do it” reply with a loving and strong: “Come on! you haven’t tried hard enough! I know you can do it”

Doc Brown had it right

“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” Doc Brown from Back to the Future told that to Marty back in 1985, and when the latter got stuck in 1955, he impressed the thought upon his teenage father.  Besides thinking how big a geek I am for remembering such trivial stuff from movies, you have to admit that it makes a lot o sense. The same thing applies to children. If they play a video game, they will not drop it until they complete it, right? well, what about the daily tasks at hand? If they devote at least half of the energy they devote to the Nintendo 3DS’ and PSP’s, to the tasks we give them, they will master them in no time. It all comes back to perseverance. Doing things with passion and not letting the ball drop until the task is accomplished.

Do things as many times as you need to, until you are satisfied with the results, and teach the same to your kids. Remember… Practice makes perfect! Makes sense? How do you do it?

Filed Under: Choices, Fear, Lessons, Papá Heroes

Updated: Giving the Benefit of the Doubt

July 26, 2011 by 17 Comments
Converse Shoes Designed by Brian Keith Miller

Shoe Design by Brian Keith Miller

This past saturday I went, alongside my fellow UNDOers (Artists from UNDOdigital: Puerto Rican Collective of Digital Artists) to an event called Converse Open Gym. There, we helped Brian Keith Miller with his Sole Plus efforts.

Brian gives blank sneaker templates to kids so they can design their hearts out and create a unique Converse Shoe. At the end, the winning child, would be given a new pair of Converse shoes. Brian will contact the winning child so he/she can go ahead an do it for real, painting over a new pair of Converse for a later event he’s planning where he’ll take the child and have him give the pair of shoes he/she designed to a poor / homeless or otherwise person with lots of needs. He works to make sure kids view other sides of reality and less fortunate people get shoes and help from his organization and Converse. Amazing, I know.

Heart Felt Gratitude

At the end of the event, a kid who was designing shoes earlier, came back with something in his hands. Brian was speechless when the kid told him he had found his iPad in a far away table. Someone had left it there.

He remembered the iPad belonged to my friend Brian and brought it back! Getting his vocal chords in order again, Brian told me to ask the kid his shoe size. In gratitude, Brian gave him a brand new pair of Converse shoes. The kid left dancing.

Giving the Benefit of the Doubt

Later, the boy’s Father came dragging hi son right in front of us. He was steaming. They boy managed to get away from his dad and came back to us. He said: “Tell him, it was you who gave me the shoes!” Before we could put all the pieces back together, the Father ran in, grabbed the boy by his arm and pushed him towards the crowd and the exit. I tried following, but it was to late.

A Huge Misunderstanding

Brian went to another Converse table, where his gift to the boy was being held. They told him, the angry father gave it back, believing his son had stolen the shoes.

Our fears were confirmed. The Boy’s Dad, couldn’t believe his son’s story. He jumped to conclusions and acted upon them. Then he took his family and ran out of the coliseum. We felt helpless.

Something to Think About

This whole experience with the boy and the shoes gave me lots to think about.

It made me realize how we jump to conclusions and bark orders to our children more often than not.

Also, how we should first listen to all the sides of a story before imparting any judgement. Even when the history of our child, tell us he can do mischievous things, we should try and listen. Maybe this time, they acted different. Lastly, it made me think that we should never loose hope on our children, if they are accustomed to doing bad things, we have to believe they can change.

How about it, any thoughts on this from you? I’d love to hear it!

 

Update:

Just found a picture of the boy in SolePlus’ Facebook page. So if anyone knows him, please let his parents know about this situation. Here’s the photo (he’s the one on the right, sitting down):

Filed Under: Art, Choices, Lessons, Papá Heroes
«Older Posts