Sharing Strengths: Family Life Education
Support and Skills for Family Life. Workshops in the Corvallis, Oregon Area. Blog on parenting and family life
03/08/2024
Argh just realized Daylight Saving time is this Sunday. It would have been better to start the following suggestions earlier but perhaps these might still help
Daylight Saving
It’s coming…aargh! The worst day (and week) of the year: the switch to Daylight Savings Time.
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This can be really hard on families with children and teens. Not to mention every other person.
Here are a few strategies that have helped me as an adult and a few ideas I’ve found online. Please share your own strategies.
Start now by moving bedtime a little bit earlier each night—if you have a lead time of five nights (Monday-Saturday) then 12 minutes earlier each night gets you to an hour.
Some people recommend simultaneously waking up earlier as well. I’d suggest NOT doing that or at least not doing that until closer to Sunday. My rationale is that it’s better to get as much sleep as you can in advance of the change. Many of us are already short on sleep. See waking up strategies below.
Practice healthy sleep habits:
Fresh air and exercise during the day
De-stressing/relaxing times during the day and/or evening
Dark room
Cool room
Shift meal schedule gradually as well (if possible) It isn’t just bedtime and morning that gets thrown out of whack by the time change. If you can’t move meals try to incorporate more snacks (healthy ones and maybe some high tryptophan foods for dinner and bedtime snacks). See https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/food-and-sleep
NO CAFFIENE!
One hour before you want to get to sleep: No screens. No full spectrum, LED or fluorescent lights. Use a yellow, amber or red bulb for reading (see https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/how-blue-light-affects-kids-sleep). Red Christmas lights work well as nightlights. Googling “blue light blocking products” will get you to many sources of bulbs. Candlelight probably works as well, but please be careful!
Change your clock during the day on Saturday (if at all possible). I got this idea from crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship. Going east, they changed the time at noon (since they had total control over the schedule, this was possible). I don’t know if part of it was psychological but it really helped. The change made dinner earlier so that also contributed.
Waking up. Just as light interferes with going to sleep, it helps us wake up. Gradually increasing the light in the morning will help you (and the kids) wake up. There are products “dawn simulators” that provide this (sorry to keep you Googling and spending money but it can be a good investment-some are less expensive than others so research options). Or you can do this manually for your children.
Make morning a pleasant time: snuggling, talking, reading with your child can make for a happier transition. Breakfast in bed anyone? Allow enough time for morning routines.
The real key to happy waking up is getting enough sleep the night before. Most of us don’t get enough sleep so this is a good time to focus on more sleep. Here are some more guidelines and resources.
https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Supports-Childhood-Sleep-Guidelines.aspx
Sleepless in America by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. She also has a website with a free download of sleep suggestions http://www.parentchildhelp.com/Resources.cfm
Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, EdD-Videos & Podcasts Mary Sheedy Kurchinka is a licensed educator of children and families, your guide and
04/26/2023
Throwing Children by Ross Gay - Poems | Academy of American Poets Throwing Children - It is really something when a kid who has a hard time becomes a kid who’s having a good time
04/06/2023
Recess Is Good For Kids. Why Don’t More States Require It? Several years ago, a team of sociologists flew from California to an East Coast school to observe the kindergarteners’ recess for their research. The team waite…
04/06/2023
Recess Is Good For Kids. Why Don’t More States Require It? Several years ago, a team of sociologists flew from California to an East Coast school to observe the kindergarteners’ recess for their research. The team waite…
It’s Not the Hormones: Reflections on a Teenage Girl’s Traumatic Crisis | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Mental health issues and real, traumatic experiences are pinned as a “normal part of growing up” or “just a phase.”
“It’s the small experience of being bad at things, repeatedly, and finding something of worth on the other side that lets us trust it’s worth struggling when the stakes are high.” Leah Sargeant
01/02/2023
The 5-minute daily playtime ritual that can get your kids to listen better : Life Kit Called "special time," the strategy is widely recommended by children's health professionals to help reduce behavioral issues in young children. Here's a guide on how to do it with your kids at home.
This has broad application so sharing it here
Anosognosia: A Big Word for a Surprising Condition | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness A broad familiarity within our society about this condition would be life-changing for people with SMI.
Understanding The Early Warning Signs of Mental Illness | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Here are a few considerations to help you address your own warning signs.
05/08/2022
https://www.gocomics.com/jumpstart/2022/05/08
JumpStart by Robb Armstrong for May 08, 2022 | GoComics.com View the comic strip for JumpStart by cartoonist Robb Armstrong created May 08, 2022 available on GoComics.com
03/18/2022
How recess helps students learn The physical activity and social connection that take place at recess help children be more engaged once back in the classroom.
03/13/2022
How to help your kids reframe their anxiety — and reclaim their superpowers : Life Kit Kids have anxiety — but it's not always a bad thing. Renee Jain and Dr. Shefali Tsabary have some ideas about how to help children use those feelings to their advantage.
03/07/2022
Daylight Saving
It’s coming…aargh! The worst day (and week) of the year: the switch to Daylight Savings Time.
Leave a reply
This can be really hard on families with children and teens. Not to mention every other person.
Here are a few strategies that have helped me as an adult and a few ideas I’ve found online. Please share your own strategies.
Start now by moving bedtime a little bit earlier each night—if you have a lead time of five nights (Monday-Saturday) then 12 minutes earlier each night gets you to an hour.
Some people recommend simultaneously waking up earlier as well. I’d suggest NOT doing that or at least not doing that until closer to Sunday. My rationale is that it’s better to get as much sleep as you can in advance of the change. Many of us are already short on sleep. See waking up strategies below.
Practice healthy sleep habits:
Fresh air and exercise during the day
De-stressing/relaxing times during the day and/or evening
Dark room
Cool room
Shift meal schedule gradually as well (if possible) It isn’t just bedtime and morning that gets thrown out of whack by the time change. If you can’t move meals try to incorporate more snacks (healthy ones and maybe some high tryptophan foods for dinner and bedtime snacks). See https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/food-and-sleep
NO CAFFIENE!
One hour before you want to get to sleep: No screens. No full spectrum, LED or fluorescent lights. Use a yellow, amber or red bulb for reading (see https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/how-blue-light-affects-kids-sleep). Red Christmas lights work well as nightlights. Googling “blue light blocking products” will get you to many sources of bulbs. Candlelight probably works as well, but please be careful!
Change your clock during the day on Saturday (if at all possible). I got this idea from crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship. Going east, they changed the time at noon (since they had total control over the schedule, this was possible). I don’t know if part of it was psychological but it really helped. The change made dinner earlier so that also contributed.
Waking up. Just as light interferes with going to sleep, it helps us wake up. Gradually increasing the light in the morning will help you (and the kids) wake up. There are products “dawn simulators” that provide this (sorry to keep you Googling and spending money but it can be a good investment-some are less expensive than others so research options). Or you can do this manually for your children.
Make morning a pleasant time: snuggling, talking, reading with your child can make for a happier transition. Breakfast in bed anyone? Allow enough time for morning routines.
The real key to happy waking up is getting enough sleep the night before. Most of us don’t get enough sleep so this is a good time to focus on more sleep. Here are some more guidelines and resources.
https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Supports-Childhood-Sleep-Guidelines.aspx
Sleepless in America by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. She also has a website with a free download of sleep suggestions http://www.parentchildhelp.com/Resources.cfm
Dr. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, EdD-Videos & Podcasts Mary Sheedy Kurchinka is a licensed educator of children and families, your guide and
03/05/2022
The Parenting Success Network is full of class offerings this spring for parents-only and parents and child! If you have never checked out the PSN calendar of classes, take a look: https://www.parentingsuccessnetwork.org/events/ Find the age of your child on the calendar tabs and explore the offerings.
You will find in-person classes as well as online, and some a bit of both. With every description you will find the way to register. To get you started take a look at the attached flyers.
We hope you find something that interests you - please share!
Local resources for parenting education and support https://www.facebook.com/parentingsuccessnetwork
Parenting Success Network The Parenting Success Network is a coalition of organizations in Linn, Benton & Lincoln counties de
03/04/2022
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/news.html
How to Talk to Your Child About the News (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth News reports are often educational. But when stories are about violence or other disturbing topics, parents can find it hard to explain to kids. Here are some guidelines.
01/21/2022
https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2021.8.11
Building Resilience in Our Children for the Aftereffects of COVID-19 | Psychiatric News Children and adolescents have the capacity to become resilient and adaptive when we give them the opportunities and resources to do so, but half to two-thirds of those needing mental health service...
Stress Less with Mindfulness
online parenting classes from Michigan State University
https://www.canr.msu.edu/stress_less_with_mindfulness/
canr.msu.edu Stress Less with Mindfulness is a six-class series for teens, adults and seniors that introduces mindfulness concepts and practices to reduce stress and related symptoms.
helpful suggestions for understanding and processing feelings
It can be easy to get caught up in your emotions as you’re feeling them. Most people don’t think about what emotions they are dealing with, but taking the time to really identify what you’re feeling can help you to better cope with challenging situations.
Staying Close To Home: Entertaining Our Children - La Leche League USA
Ideas for activities
https://lllusa.org/staying-close-to-home-entertaining-our-children/
First of All | Made of Millions Foundation
Resource https://www.madeofmillions.com/series/first-of-all
madeofmillions.com Harm reduction drug education for today's teens, teachers and parents
We're All Grieving
Helpful ideas https://www.uaex.edu/life-skills-wellness/personal-family-well-being/family-life-fridays-blog/posts/grieving.flf.aspx
uaex.edu Everything is being canceled or postponed. Things we worked hard to plan, rehearsed to perform, studied to complete, saved up to explore, looked forward to, or took for granted are now gone for good or moved to a distant or undefined later date. All of the uncertainty, forced change, stress, and anx...
Good advice for all
Sharing Strengths
I meant to share this earlier but there is still time to prepare http://sharingstrengths.com/?p=202
Homepage
Resource: https://parentandteen.com/
parentandteen.com The Center for Parent and Teen Communication is your guide through the journey of adolescence.
Mailbag: Help children by helping parents
gazettetimes.com While I applaud Sara Gelser’s efforts to advocate for children who have been abused and neglected, as a certified family life educator (and as a parent and grandparent) it grieves
Drug Policy Alliance
Joe Rubin teaches health at a public school in San Francisco.
In 36 years of teaching, he’s never seen anything quite like DPA’s Safety First. Listen in as Joe and DPA’s Sasha Simon dig into this curriculum from the teacher’s perspective.
LISTEN🔈:http://drugsandstuff.libsyn.com/episode-28-joe-rubin-taught-safety-first-in-his-health-classes-heres-what-he-thought
Things Not to Say to a Parent of a Child with Mental Illness | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
nami.org We must push back and speak up for our kids when they cannot yet advocate for themselves.
Temper Tantrums powerpoint fuel
A look at your child
Examining the factors related to your child that influence tantrums
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
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