>>Valley Patriot>> |
Rate your "Raise 'Em Right" ability. Find the mistake in the following scene shown as part of a television commercial. A child of about ten years old is pictured sitting in his dark bedroom with the covers propped up to make a tent over his legs. He has a flashlight on as he plays with some toys. Mom comes into the room and says, "How about putting those action figures away?" The child complies immediately. In real life- where did mom go wrong? By asking a question when she meant to tell the child what she wanted him to do. In T.V. land of course the child did what the mom meant. In real life, mom has just opened herself up to some of the following responses: "I don't want to," "Just five more minutes, please," or "But Jimmy gets to stay up late!" Parents will get better results if they consistently say what they mean and do not give choices when there is no choice. (When you ask a child a question, you run the risk of them not giving you the answer you are really seeking.) In the "Raise 'Em Right"
scenario, mom enters the child's room and says,
"Lights out. Put the toys away. Good night."
and expects obedience. When mom acts like this time after
time, she will get the desired results.My eighth grader
has begun writing compositions regularly for English
class and has no trouble getting his thoughts down on
paper. However, he has difficulty with some of the basics
of grammar and comes to me with his questions.
Truthfully, I haven't written anything beyond a short
note in years, so some of the questions A great book for middle school students that is written in an upbeat manner is called Nitty - Gritty Grammar (Ten Speed Press, 1998). Written by Fine and Josephson it contains cartoons and wacky drills on correct speech that are memorable. Your student will find it fun and helpful. Twice, I have caught my son, who is fourteen, riding his bike without his helmet. Our state law requires that children under sixteen wear a helmet. What can I do make him see the seriousness of this? Know any nurses or doctors that might arrange a visit to a ward where there are people suffering from head injuries? This might help you make the point. Remove the bike from the garage and store it at a friend's house until he agrees to obey you. Why all the hoopla about children "watching too much violence" on T.V.? I grew up in the '70s watching all the cop shows and there is nothing wrong with me. I have never even hit anyone-other than my brother when we were growing up. Seeing all that stuff sure didn't make me violent. I don't see why there is so much concern. Studies indicate that by the time they are eighteen years old, the average television viewing child has seen 18,000 murders and/or acts of violence portrayed. Inundated by violent behavior on television, in videos, and in computer games, researchers believe that some children are becoming desensitized to brutality. Meaning that robbing, stabbing, or killing someone or seeing someone commit these acts has no affect on the viewer. You be the judge of what is enough ortoo much for your family. Sociologists studying this topic hypothesize that some are more prone to violent behavior and that seeing this stuff constantly can set them off onto a violent path in life. Whereas, others can be exposed to the same information and it has no influence on them whatsoever. Please send questions to RAISE ‘EM
RIGHT™, P.O. Box 831, Carlisle, MA 01741 or e-mail
to RAISEEMRIGHT@aol.com. Marcos Devers is a memebr of the Lawrence City Counicl and is a past president. He is the former acting mayor and a member of the Lawrence City Democrat Committee. *Send your questions
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