INDEPENDENCE MESSAGE : NIGERIA @ 60

Independence Day is an official national holiday in Nigeria, celebrated on the 1st of October every year. So going with Nigeria's calendar, today being the 1st of October is Independence Day. 

There is this song I had while growing up, sung by a child. It goes thus: 

I know a lot about my country 

I know a lot because I care 

I know a lot about my country 

I know a lot because I care 

Nigeria my beloved country 

Working together is so sweet 

Nigeria my beloved country 

Our future is you and me. 

These words made me picture what I will be in future back then. So the question is: How do we want the future of this country to be? The future lies in our children because they are the future leaders , please let's help them be responsible leaders of tomorrow. Also always pray for The Peace of our nation. One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE.

Tantrums : What you need to know.

 Tantrums: a sudden short period when someone, especially a child, behaves very angrily and unreasonably.

T- Terrible

A- Annoy

N- Nasty

T-  Threatening 

R- Revenge

U- Upset

M- Mean (violent )

S- Sad

Temper tantrums are unpleasant and disruptive behaviors or emotional outbursts. They often occur in response to unmet needs or desires. Tantrums are more likely to occur in younger children or others who cannot express their needs or control their emotions when they are frustrated.

Tantrums can be frustrating for any parent. But instead of looking at them as disasters, treat tantrums as opportunities for education.

Temper tantrums range from whining and crying to screaming, kicking, hitting, and breath holding. They're equally common in boys and girls and usually happen between the ages of 1 to 3.

Some kids may have tantrums often, and others have them rarely. Tantrums are a normal part of child development. They're how young children show that they're upset or frustrated.

Tantrums may happen when kids are tired, hungry, or uncomfortable. They can have a meltdown because they can't get something (like a toy or a parent) to do what they want. Learning to deal with frustration is a skill that children gain over time.

Tantrums are common during the second year of life, when language skills are starting to develop. Because toddlers can't yet say what they want, feel, or need, a frustrating experience may cause a tantrum. As language skills improve, tantrums tend to decrease.

Toddlers want independence and control over their environment — more than they can actually handle. This can lead to power struggles as a child thinks "I can do it myself" or "I want it, give it to me." When kids discover that they can't do it and can't have everything they want, they may have a tantrum.

ARROGANCE IN CHILDREN : DEAL WITH IT.

Arrogance stems from negative emotions, and from its stems impulsive and dangerous behaviours. Though not all egocentric behaviour is by default problematic, as a parent you should at least be aware of the reason for this behaviour. 

I guess the problem is that most parents do not know when they have arrogant children. You might not see it when they are with you, but when they are with their peers or even people older than them.

What are these behaviours? 

📌Putting blame on others , not accepting their wrongs.

📌Like to interrupt 

📌Have the believe that they are better than others.

📌They loved to be talked about.

📌They can't stand people who are not like them.

📌Seeking for attention by raising false alarm

The above examples could be traced back to the way we parent which comes in two forms: Pompous parenting and Inattentive parenting. Being pompous teaches a child that vanity is acceptable while being inattentive gives children and impetus to draw attention to themselves. 

Side effects of arrogance include:

🔸Bullying other children. 

🔸Cheating 

🔸Playing dangerously. 

How to deal with it.

📍Talk to your child in non-judgmental fashion.

📍Ask questions triggering your child to reflect on his behaviour.  

📍Locate the negative emotions driving the behaviour - inferiority complex or need for attention. 

📍Discussion and agree on how to handle those emotions. 

📍Let the child know the consequences of such arrogant behaviours.

PERSISTENCE

 Persistence means the fact of continuing in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Persistence is a very important trait to develop in life because it is intimately interlinked with ones own personal development and self-improvement. You will only get better in life by failing at things, learning from those experiences and moving on. So this trait is very much needed in parenting. For example, when you see that a particular negative issue or bad habbit you are trying to correct in a child proves abortive, persistence comes in.

PERSISTENCE stands for:

P- Perfect

E- Effortless

R- Rewarding 

S- Simple

I- Intelligent 

S- Secure

T- Trusting

E- Effective 

N- Natural 

C- Clean 

E- Earnest

AVOID BAD UPBRINGING

And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.

 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.

And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. 

Parents should note that feeding, clothing and provision of formal education are not their only responsibilities. The quality of your children's life is dependent on whatever you sow into them. It is what you so that you will reap. The godly lifestyle and influence of parents go a long way in helping children make decisions for Christ. Children are the sum of what parents contribute to their lives. Practice what you preach.

 

MAN UP

Telling someone is the first step to take in solving this problem. Keep telling until something is done. Learning the facts is the first step to preventing child sexual abuse. 

Do you know that:

1) 90% of child abuse cases are perpetuated by a family member or other trusted person.

 2) 30% of perpetrators are family members of the Victim. 

3) Any form of abuse during childhood becomes included in the brain. The memories become tyrannical, heightening the risk of high rates of depression, anxiety disorders, low self-esteem, post-traumatic stress orsuicide. 

4) According to studies compared to those with no history of sexual abuse, young males who were sexually abused were more likely to cause teen pregnancy and three times more likely to have multiple sexual partners.

5) One in four girls and one in ten boys will be sexually abused by age 15.

You can help out as an adult by listening and being attentive to your children and wards. Teach them to "man up" in other words speak up so that they can be helped. These children are our future so let's help them so that our future will be better.