Creating a Caring Community for You and your child

Parents:  If you belong to a group, an organization, a business, a church or if you live in an apartment complex you may need to help your children adjust and adapt to a group setting. 

Here are 10 good ideas for you and your children:  

• Start with a Smile: A smile changes our face.  It is a welcome gift we may not know we are giving to a friend or a stranger. Without our smile we may give the impression that we are mad at them or don’t like them.
• Always be willing to make new friends: Old friends are wonderful but don’t be reluctant to add new friends. We can never have enough good friends and we may cheat ourselves and others by limiting ourselves.
• Set Boundaries: We need to know that it is always good to set boundaries. Some of our boundaries may be:  No uninvited guests, No late night calls or texts, No negative people in our friend circle.
• Help: Do you see anyone lost or new?  Help them out. It may only take a few minutes but it is remembered and appreciated when we are helpful.
• I missed you: Has someone just returned from a trip, was sick, or in the hospital?  We need to tell them that you missed them. It is such a great feeling when we know that someone missed us.
• Enjoy the Diversity: We are all different in so many ways. We are a mix of cultures and backgrounds. It is a wonderful adventure to be introduced to these differences and find the common threads we all have.
• Share only the GOOD stuff: We may tend to gossip or pass rumors around in small communities.  The angels of our Higher nature would have us share only the good about the person and keep the not so good to ourselves.
• Join in the dialogue: Listen and share. No monologues or long, sad stories from the past. It is fun to hear from everyone and great to share what we want to say. Be the one who, not only shares, but listens to others.
• New Activities: We may be afraid to try something new. We need to be willing to risk learning how to play: ping pong, Pinochle, bowling, Chess, Cribbage, Uno, art, knitting, watch a game of football, baseball, or soccer.
• Be ready to laugh: We need to be able to laugh at ourselves. It is good to be ready to laugh and have a good time whenever we can. We need to show that one of our main attributes is that we have a sense of humor and we enjoy connecting with others who share that attribute.

These are a few ways to build a caring community. So often today it is easier to put in the ear buds and get involved on our ever present phones.

I challenge you to step out of that phone ‘comfort zone’ and begin a conversation with someone new. Tell me in the comments below what your favorite way is to “Break the Ice”. Did you discover another person who was happy to chat with you?

A recent podcast episode on Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam dealt with the issue of loneliness for boys and men. I believe this extends to all of us especially when the phone distraction is involved.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain
Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.

As always, email me with any questions.  Roberta@RobertaMacdonald.com
Would you like to tell me your story and get some additional help? 

Roberta

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