We went Sunday to see the last Harry Potter movie. Taking Xavier to the movies is always an adventure. He's getting better but we have to be clear with the rules when we get there.
Xavier loves to talk through movies especially when it's characters he knows. I can't stand watching comic book movies with him or ones adapted from cartoons because he has a pre-conceived notion about how the characters should behave.
He wasn't too bad through this movie. It was long for a movie but he didn't get to antsy which just goes to show how much he liked it. He's getting really tall so I ended up getting kicked and kneed a few times as he repositioned himself. The chairs are not that big at the theatre and he likes to sit with his feet under him. It was not really successful at the theatre but he managed.
He didn't talk to me much through the movie but that may have been the stern warning I gave him before it started. He did whisper to his father now and again but it didn't seem to excessive (and he remembered to whisper as quietly as possible).
I love movies adapted from books when it comes to sharing movies with Xavier. Sometimes the movies are so good, we can talk him into reading the book. He has listened to Harry Potter books on tape/cd which is a good start.
I've been trying to get him to read books this summer with the idea that I would read them too and we'd watch the movie but I can't get him through a book. He does like graphic novels and just devours them so it's not all bad.
This post is more scattered than I meant it to be but that is life in our house. Xavier is sure growing up and I can see some things change. Ten years of watching Harry Potter movies and I get to see my boy grow up with them. I can't believe he was only 4 when the first movie came out. I know we didn't see the first few in the theatre - the idea of going to a movie with Xavier was not fun. Even getting him to sit through them at home was hard. Now I think he'd sit through a whole marathon but he'd do a lot of talking because he knows the stories so well.
For those who might watch a movie with Xavier, never watch a movie for the first time with him if he has seen it before - he loves to talk about what's going to happen. He has a really good movie memory and gets overly excited when he knows something good is going to happen. He doesn't care if you talk through the movie nor does he mind knowing what's going to happen. It's all fun to him (he can watch the same movie over and over, still). Fortunately, he watches lots of movies so it's rare that we see the same one twice in a month unless it's airing on tv.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Raising Respectful Children (pt 1)
I'm currently reading Raising Respectful Children in a Disrespectful World by Jill Rigby. The book was given to me a few years ago as a gift. It's not a bad book but the author does have a tendency to get overly religious and preachy in spots. I'm nearly done with chapter 3 and have already found some really useful bits.
In chapter 3, the author talks about the different ages/stages and how a parent should "lead" during those stages. She, also, talks about different questions children are seeking out during those stages. I like this bit.
I want to share some of the things she says.
Ways to discipline with love:
Speak in a firm voice without sarcasm
Say to your child "I love you too much to allow you to..."
Don't berate your child, but correct the misdeed
Don't lose your temper
Turn a negative situation into a positive situation
What should authenticity look like:
Be the same on the inside as you appear on the outside
Don't say one thing and do another
Be honest in your business dealings
Don't show hypocrisy
Connecting with your teen:
1. Allow your child to experience consequences of poor choices.
2. Allow mistakes to mold character.
3. Ask thought-provoking questions.
Helping your teen succeed at being in charge of their life:
1. Put teens in charge of developing their own talents.
2. If you haven't given cooking lessons yet, this is the time to start.
3. Ask your teen's opinion on current events.
4. Encourage decision making.
5. When mistakes are made, don't rescue your teen; instead, help them resolve the problem.
6. Help teens develop goals and develop a method to accomplish those goals; then step back and watch.
7. Wait to be asked your opinion.
I have a problem being a very hands on parent that I forget to step back and let Xavier take the initiative. It's a tough balancing act with him because if we completely step back then he's not able to fully step up. I am learning to teach him how to self regulate but then I'm still working on that with my husband (apparently I have taken on way too much responsibility with them and they forgot how to do it).
I think it's a problem with mom's in general. We have a tendency to be efficient and then take over everything without thinking about the consequences. My mom was one who always cut our meat. It wasn't because she didn't think we could cut our own but it was her way of making sure everyone got a fair share of the meat. When I was an adult, I didn't know how to cut my meat and the first dinner date I made I cut the meat in the kitchen (poorly) and brought the plates out. That was how it was growing up. We eventually all learned how to cut our steaks in public with no embarrassment but it's just a reminder of all those little things we learn growing up.
In chapter 3, the author talks about the different ages/stages and how a parent should "lead" during those stages. She, also, talks about different questions children are seeking out during those stages. I like this bit.
I want to share some of the things she says.
Ways to discipline with love:
Speak in a firm voice without sarcasm
Say to your child "I love you too much to allow you to..."
Don't berate your child, but correct the misdeed
Don't lose your temper
Turn a negative situation into a positive situation
What should authenticity look like:
Be the same on the inside as you appear on the outside
Don't say one thing and do another
Be honest in your business dealings
Don't show hypocrisy
Connecting with your teen:
1. Allow your child to experience consequences of poor choices.
2. Allow mistakes to mold character.
3. Ask thought-provoking questions.
Helping your teen succeed at being in charge of their life:
1. Put teens in charge of developing their own talents.
2. If you haven't given cooking lessons yet, this is the time to start.
3. Ask your teen's opinion on current events.
4. Encourage decision making.
5. When mistakes are made, don't rescue your teen; instead, help them resolve the problem.
6. Help teens develop goals and develop a method to accomplish those goals; then step back and watch.
7. Wait to be asked your opinion.
I have a problem being a very hands on parent that I forget to step back and let Xavier take the initiative. It's a tough balancing act with him because if we completely step back then he's not able to fully step up. I am learning to teach him how to self regulate but then I'm still working on that with my husband (apparently I have taken on way too much responsibility with them and they forgot how to do it).
I think it's a problem with mom's in general. We have a tendency to be efficient and then take over everything without thinking about the consequences. My mom was one who always cut our meat. It wasn't because she didn't think we could cut our own but it was her way of making sure everyone got a fair share of the meat. When I was an adult, I didn't know how to cut my meat and the first dinner date I made I cut the meat in the kitchen (poorly) and brought the plates out. That was how it was growing up. We eventually all learned how to cut our steaks in public with no embarrassment but it's just a reminder of all those little things we learn growing up.
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