Family Time
On Course
Patrice Jones, contributing editor
Kickball
Soccer
Basketball
Tennis
Football
Acrobatic Tricks
Dodge Ball
Juggling
Running
Science
Golf
Build Puzzles
The mind of a child is an amazing thing. When I asked my 5 year old son, Jayson, what he thought of when I said “On course,” he answered all of the things above. He said he gave those answers because “If you want to win in sports, you have to stay on course; and if you want to be a good Scientist, kids have to pay attention in their courses in school and do a good job.” Yes, he is only 5 years old!
Most often, children know what it takes to achieve their goals. However, it’s the responsibility of the parent to give them the tools they will need to focus and stay on course. For example: eliminate distractions, provide daily positive reinforcement and encourage them EVEN when they feel they’ve failed. To stay on course, means to maintain a level of unbreakable focus. It is important that our children realize what distractions are. It may be a good idea to sit down and discuss possible distractions with your children. It will give them a chance to vent about kid-life issues you may have been oblivious to. From that discussion, you can effectively help them learn how to combat distractions and intervene when necessary.
Get to know your child and what makes them feel special? What makes him or her feel confident? What are some things that kids at school may say that cause them to feel discouraged? How would your child like you to get involved in helping them achieve their goals and stay on course?
Very often parents are quick to throw a child into a sport or activity because they think it will be good for the child, or they think the child may need additional discipline outside of the home. However, what he or she may need is extra encouragement from within the home to help them shine outside of the home in whichever activity they find enjoyable to them. Staying on course and winning doesn’t necessarily equate to making a touchdown in football, or scoring a goal in soccer. It simply means to maintain focus on a goal and follow it through to ACHIEVEMENT!
