Parent Lounge

To have a positive attitude means being able to focus on the good things in life and not on the bad things that sometimes occur. Developing a positive attitude helps people cope. It is not necessarily something your child is born with, but can always be developed. As a parent you can help your child in developing positive attitudes about life, helping him face life’s challenges with confidence.

Diligently encourage your child to concentrate on doing what is important. This should be accompanied by positive words of reassurance, i.e.  “You can” and negative statements by a child, like “I can’t” should be corrected. The last statement can make the child feel inadequate and thus, using this phrase makes him feel badly about himself. Parents need to help the child realize that he may not always be able to do everything by himself, but with help most tasks can be accomplished.

Being positive is a decision. Every one of us has the option to choose how to react.
People and situations can make us feel bad but we choose whether or not to dwell on it and allow it to change our mood.

Find reasons to smile and laugh, and demonstrate that to your child: watch funny movies, read good meaningful stories and above all develop a lifestyle of appreciation. Research shows that by smiling and laughing; it will change your brain chemistry and make you feel better. A home full of laughter is a happy home.

In addition, by learning something new can always helps a child feel satisfaction. It increases confidence and provides something for him to focus on. Having a hobby that he is good at is important, so whatever your child’s hobby is, let him know that you recognize and value his passion.

Shimon

Tags: A positive child, better parenting, parenting information, parenting skills, positive parenting, positive psychology, positive thinking

To be a self reliant adult means you trust your own judgment to control your life, and you are free to think for yourself. A child who is self reliant is more independent in his feelings and actions, and will grow through time into a secure adult.

As parents, building self reliance in our children is not easy. If you don’t give your child enough independence and freedom he will come to depend on you for everything; be afraid to make decisions for himself, and may question his own ability. On the opposite end if you let go too soon then the child is in danger of feeling insecure.
Self reliance should be targeted while the child is young, by allowing and encouraging him to do the things he can do. When your child is a little older, start teaching him about responsibility and help build a self-reliant lifestyle. Teach him how to deal with money (especially on how to save), do household tasks and more. So that when the time comes that he is on his own, he will be confident in managing the things he needs to do. Young adults today rely too much on others and not on their own abilities.

Hold your child accountable for the task you give him, whether it is a household chore, school work or watching over his sister. Children often rise to the occasion when they realize that if they don’t complete a task it will not get done.
It is also important to give your child the opportunity to makes decisions and choices. That will allow him to make decisions later on in life: when playing, deciding what to wear, eat or what sport to play. Never force your child to be involved in something that doesn’t interest him just because it is your dream. Be especially aware of that, as it is hard for us as parents to separate our ambitions from our children’s future ambitions.

On a continuing basis, encourage your child to set goals for himself and to try and achieve them. This can be simple goals like choosing the classes he wants to participate in, and devoting efforts in getting good grades, and later on a career. This may include trying something new, and it might involve trial and error, so remember it’s a process with long term aims.

Your approval should not be conditioned upon success and praise should be given for efforts, not necessarily success.

We all want our children to become happy successful adults and one way we can help them along the way is to teach them to be self-reliant. Remember the saying:”it’s not if you win or loose, it’s how you played the game!”.

Shimon

Tags: An independent student, better parenting, parenting information, parenting skill, self reliance

Dear parents,

The Assembly has been moved from the 26th of Febuary to the 19th of March.

Dear parents,

The International Fair scheduled for the 26th of Febuary has been moved to the 19th of March.

The idea behind this Fair is to teach students cultural awareness and appreciation, and is in conjunction with the School-Wide Theme this month (International Cultures Month).

Hope to see you there!

 As a token of appreciation for our Parent Reps, for all their commitment, time and devotion, Mr. Chang rewarded the PTO with a deserved Chinese lunch on the 28^th of January.

Parents reflecting on the 1^st semester parent activities, plus discussing      events and parent involvement for the new semester.

 Thank goodness the meeting is over!! Parents make their way to the restaurant.

 Will someone please stop spinning!!

 Parent Reps look on as Mr. Chang shows the correct way to eat ‘Peking Duck’.

Wells International School will host a TEDx event on the 30^th of March.

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.

Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives.

The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included:

Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self- organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event.

This is a unique opportunity to hear new and interesting ideas, as well as meet your fellow parents.

On the 26^th of January, International Parenting Network (IPN), hosted an event titled “Homework Without Tears”.

IPN is an organization which offers parenting support services to parents through events, seminars and workshops. It provides parents with family-based resources, learning opportunities, and effective techniques and strategies designed to support the raising of well-balanced children.

The event was engaging and helpful tips were given.

Please take a look at:  http://www.ipnthailand.com/index.php/gallery/index/1/view/37

Another helpful website for parenting we recommend checking is: http://www.atocbkk.com/index.php

We all know that setting boundaries for our children is important, but the majority still have to think twice about how to actually set them.

Children also learn by modeling an adult’s behavior. A parent may stand up for himself/herself, (imposing the boundaries for example), and in the process the child will learn and internalizes it.

Many parents find it difficult to impose boundaries, since they want their child to be independent and prepare for adulthood, but they also desire a certain level of obedience, which is needed at a stage of intense learning.

Here are some suggested practical and helpful tips:

1. Be consistent – if you, or your spouse, set a boundary –   

keep it!. Setting a boundary and then backing down sends the

opposite message, and makes setting future boundaries

more difficult.

2. To avoid the need to back down, think in advance about the

boundaries you set. Make sure they are practical.

If you need to treat your child to enforce the boundary, perhaps

you aimed too high (?)

3. Never use “I told you so”. Always explain the child what is the

rational for  the boundary. It is ok to say to a child “today we will

not go to eat outside since I have to do some work at home”.

This is an important part of the child’s cognitive growth process.

4. It is ok to be angry sometimes, we are all human and being a

parent is a  complicated task. If you do get upset, when you

calm down, always explain  yourself.

Tags: better parenting, parenting informaion, parenting skills

Dear Parents

I would like to wish you all a happy and prosperous new year to you and your loved ones.

This semester we have plenty of activities and events which will be running, so there is lots to look forward to.

We will be starting our parent involvement later in January with a fun and interesting workshop which will be facilitated by our Ms. shimona. The topic is on ‘Third Culture Kids’ where we will be exploring the difficulties and the advantages that Third Culture Kids face every day.

We also have other workshops scheduled in the calendar which details will be revealed at a later time.

Ways in which parents can get involved this semester; bake sales, OLET Trips, country celebrations i.e. Chinese New Year, supporting the children at the football matches, plus others.

Any questions you may have, please feel free to contact Mr. Trevor or one of our PTO reps.

Best wishes,

Mr. Trevor

17 December