Giving Tuesday

Tomorrow Tuesday November 24, 2016 is Giving Tuesday. This is a new American Tradition where folks are asked to give to their favorite charities. I want to ask you to consider PT&A in your giving.

Parents, Teachers, and Advocates is dedicated to training parents and ministry volunteers to inspire, motivate, and empower children to become remarkable adults.

Here is what folks have said to us about our programs:

“Thank you for mothering me. Now, I can be a good Mother to my kids.” Marisol P. 2006

“This is awesome! Every new Mom should take this class.” Nita W. 2008

"I have taken classes with DFCS (Division of Family and Children’s Services) they kinda helped; your class is the best I have ever taken. You have helped me a lot. Thank you.” Anonymous, 2010

“This class has helped me and Tracy to both be a stronger couple and better parents.” Phillip H. 2013

“The class helped me to understand and do what is needed in my blended family.” Kevin J, 2015

Barb,  thank you and I hope to plan some events for the parents next year as well! Patricia C, 2016

Helping parents to grow and develop is the joy of my life. You can go to the link below to help us move forward into 2017 training parents and volunteers to train up children in the way they should go. If you would like to donate and help train adults the site is ptanda.org.

Believe in Parenting

Barb

Making the Holidays Holy

Next week we begin the holidays with Thanksgiving. As a Christian who is attending a Messianic Jewish Congregation I have struggled with Christmas. However, I know after seeking the Holy Spirit Christmas for me is about celebrating as in Isaiah 9:6 Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. Because of this I think it is incumbent up us to help our children understand the holiness of this time of year. I think we need to set aside the cutesy sayings like "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" and instead give ourselves over to recognizing the sole purpose of this child's birth is for us to be redeemed by his death; without the death of the Messiah we would not celebrate his birth.

So as you begin this season with Thanksgiving start by thanking God for sending his most cherished son to be your Passover Lamb. Give the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the praise due them for being Elohim. Give the Lord, Sovereign God King of the Universe the praise He deserves by talking to your children not only about Him, but the grace He gave them by allowing them to be born here in the United States where even our poor own shoes.

Teaching holiness only begins with thanksgiving. It continues with giving back. Teaching children about love means teaching them to be givers of themselves, their time, talents, and treasures. Sit down as a family and plan family activities centered around giving to others. It could be baking Christmas cookies for the neighbors, serving at a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, planning an angel tree gift, or participating in Operation Christmas Child and packing shoe  boxes. I have participated here and think is this a great way to give to children around the world.

Holiness we need to remember is not the condition of ones hair or dress rather it is a condition of the heart. Teaching our children to not consider the outward appearance of a person is best taught by example. Give every person the respect due a human being through the extension of love, kindness, and respect. During this season while we celebrate the joy of the King coming to the Earth we need to also be sober minded and remember it is not about making things perfect for our kids. Rather it is about teaching them the joy of giving and service. Once you teach them these principles you ensure their  joy of the season will never be about what they get, but rather how much they can give to God and other people.

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Today is the Last of the High Holy Days, The Days of Awe

Last night I attended the final official Shabbat of the High Holy Days on the Jewish Calendar. Called Simchat Torah, in English the Joy of the Torah. It is the eighth day of Feast of Tabernacles. Rabbi Kevin spoke of this celebration last night in a way I have never heard or thought about before. He said it is a looking forward to a time where the Messiah will once again live or Tabernacle among His People. I always thought of it as a looking back as a remembrance when in fact as I am learning the Hebrew culture often looks back, at the present, and in the future all at once.

In fact the Hebrew culture makes thing so much different in learning about the Bible. One such example is in Jewish culture the day starts and does not end at sundown. Which I had never thought about, but if your read in Genesis it always says it was the evening and the morning of the day. This is why I say today is the final day of the Feasts. Because the Day started last evening. The first thing I did in the day was to celebrate the Torah.

Another part of the festival is a joy to my heart. The children are brought to the front a prayshall is spread over them. The Rabbi speaks to them of the importance of the Torah in their lives and how important it is for them to recognize not only the importance, but the sweetness of God's Word. Then the Aaronic Benediction is said over them. Then the party sttarts as the children dance and sing as the Torah is carried around the sanctuary.This is Psalms 78:6 in action.

This Feast specifically the eighth day signifies also reaching the end of the Torah and rolling the scrolls back to the beginning to Genesis. This is one great Jewish party. People dance, sing, and celebrate the word of God. By the Word of God I mean the giving of the Ten Commandments, The coming of the Messiah, the writing of the new testament as well as the day of Pentecost where we received the Holy Spirit who writes the word on our hearts. This is one of the festivals the Torah commands be celebrated forever and in Revelations it speaks of us celebrating the festival in the Millennial Reign. Both the final of the 52 week reading of the Torah was read and the first reading of the Torah was read. This begun the reading of 5777. I am sharing this with you now. So, next year on October 13 the next day of Simchat Torah you will understand what all the partying is about. You will be able to tell your children to get ready because someday they will celebrate too the Joy of the Word.

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Parent Engagement Month November 2016

November is Parent Engagement Month it (PEM). PEM is a way for schools to ask parrents to become more engaged in the process of education. What educators know and too few parents know or even understand is the absolute importance adults play in education. Children, Teachers, School Principles, Parent Leaders, and districts need the parents of each child to be actively engaged. This blog will give you some ideas on how to engage on all of the various levels.

CHILDREN

 When children understand your absolute seriousness about their education it becomes apparent to them you expect them to do well. Many parents ask question like what did you learn today. Or what did you do at school? These questions can be a little intimidating to children. Here are a few other things to ask:

• What was the most favorite activity did you do in class today?
• Is your teacher reading a book to the class? What is the most interesting thing which happend so far in the story?
• If you had to name one thing today that bored or excited you today what would they be?

TEACHERS

According to research teachers tend to pay more attention to children whose parents are actively engaged in education. Active engagement could be maximized by volunteering in the school on a weekly or monthly basis. It can be as minor as calling, texting, or emailing the teacher monthly to see how your child is doing in school and asking how you can support them at home. There are other Offer to ways to engage the teacher as well.

• Share your child's Multiple Intelligence
• Offer to talk to the class about your work or hobby.
• Offer to head up the phone tree to reach out to other parents for volunteering opportunities.
• Become a Room Parent

SCHOOL OFFICE/PRINCIPLE

Schools often need volunteers in the office to do a variety of things. Speak with your School Secretary to see how you may best be of service. The principle may need help with security during the school day or some other kind of administrative task be sure to check in with them too.

PARENT LIAISON/PTA/PTO

Today's school has a lot more leeway for parent to engage. There could be everything from helping with bulletin boards, to organizing fund raisers, organizing after school activities, running the parent library, keeping the parent room organized and stocked. Working directly with the Parent Liaison or Association/Organization leader to plan meetings, invite speakers, or set-up/down meetings. Engaging your parent leaders is a great way of engaging in the school.

SCHOOL DISTRICT/BOARD

Running for office as a School Board Member is probably the most engaging way for a parent to get involved. I suggest before you get involved at that level you begin to attend or watch meeting sessions. Get to know the issues you care about and find out who is in charge.  You may find you are better utilized outside the political arena and have more leverage as a concerned parent.

Parent Engagement is about each adult becoming actively involved in the educational process in whatever way is comfortable to them. I urge you to become as fully committed to engaging in your child's educational life as possible. The more you know about what is going on, the more effective you will be in ensuring your child is properly educated.

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Teach them to love HIm

When I was 12 years old I went forward at New Missionary Baptist Church to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. I was baptized and over the years I had been watching my Mom and Dad read the Bible, sit at dinner and talk about Him, and how He was leading them, and we read the Bible together. It was at this age I began to seek the Lord to use me. I began to talk with God and develop a relationship with Him on my own.

I have been observing parental influence on children and their faith since my years at Oral Roberts University in 1992. What I have noticed is what has become a crisis of faith. We have been so focused on giving our children a "biblical world view" we have failed to help them to develop a relationship with Messiah. So here are some tips to help your children develop a true relationship with our God.

1. Start talking about God to your children when they are young. Children are very susceptible to spiritual things. Teach them about how Messiah cares and listens to them when they talk to Him.

On of my favorite stories about teaching your children about faith was told some time ago by Pastor Bayless Connolly. Pastor Bayless told of how he was teaching the congregation once you ask God for something, we must believe when we pray we receive it. After the prayer we are to then move on and thank God for answering our prayer. Pastor's son  had been wanting a dog. After hearing the sermon he began thanking God for his dog. Over the course of several weeks Pastor heard his son thanking God for his dog. He finally told him to stop it, because he was not getting a dog. Very soon there after the Holy Spirit said to Pastor Bayless he taught his son God answers prayer and to thank God for the answer. Therefore, he needed to take his son out to get a dog. Of course he got up the next morning and took his son to get a dog. Teaching our children about faith is not always easy or convenient, but teaching our children about His willingness to listen and care is invaluable.

2. Teach your children about God's word and how God uses it to speak to you and others.

Many years ago as I was working with two and three year olds. We were working with parents to teach their children the word by sharing scripture verses for them to share at home. We talked with them in children's church and encouraged parents to talk about the scriptures and go over them at home. One Tuesday evening a Mom came and told us this story to illustrate how our collaboration was paying off.

She shared how she had been spending hours trying to wallpaper a room in their house. Her daughter was sitting obn the floor of the room playing. Mom got so fed up and frustrated she let out a cry and through the wallpaper on the floor and said, "I can't do this!" Her daughter looked up at her and said, "yes you can Mommy, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you." Needless to say we all had tears in our eyes, even as I write this my eyes are welling up. When we put the scriptures into the minds and hearts of our children we give them a foundation based on truth and they will not depart from its truths.

3. Tell your children to reach out for God when they need Him and He will be there.

When I was at Oral Roberts studying for my MA in Early Childhood a Mom told me this story.

Her son was going through a period of having nightmares. She had not had a full nights sleep in over a week. She prayed about the situation and the Holy Spirit instructed her to tell her five year old to ask Jesus to come be with him if he woke up with another nightmare. Because Mommy was so tired and needed to sleep. Several days later as she was fixing breakfast for the family he asked her a question. "Mommy, why is Jesus' face so shiny?" She turned and looked at him with a puzzled look on her face and asked "what?" He answered, "Last night when I wok up I asked Jesus to come sit with me when I woke up from my nightmare and He did, he told me some stories. Why is his face so shiny? It looks like the bowl on the table in the living room." Curious, she asked her son to tell her what else he remember Jesus looking like. Her son described Jesus exactly how John did in the book of Revelations as He stood among the lamp stands. She was stunned. Her five  year old knew nothing of the book of Revelations yet he described very succinctly almost the exactly what John saw in his account. This mother knew she had heard from the Holy Spirit what to say to her son, yet had no idea Jesus would actually come and tell her son stories as she slept.

Our God is passionate about building a relationship with us, especially, the children. He said, "Do not make it difficult for the children to come to me, because the Kingdom of Heaven is made up as such as these." Do what you can to encourage your children to seek God and build a relationship with Him. Our children do not really need a "biblical world view"; they need a relationship with the Lord, Sovereign God, King of the Universe whom you know, love, and serve.

Believe in Parenting

Parenting Tip: Create Intimacy

Patr of being an effective teacher is connecting with your students in ways that mean something not only to them but, to you. The same is true being a parent. As I sit here on this rainy Sunday Atlanta afternoon.  I'm thinking back over the kids that I've known one comes to mind her name is Hawrrah. She was  student of mine at Dewey international Elementary School in St Louis Missouri. She was a beautiful Bosnian Muslim  and always wore scarf over to cover her hair. This is traditional in Muslim women.  One afternoon she asked me if she could come up to the classroom early from lunch I told her that it was okay. She wanted me to see her hair.  For a Muslim woman showing someone your hair is a very personal, private, and important experience. I felt honored she wanted to shared this with me. 

Looking back on this experience shows me how important it so to have on genuine personal, private, and important experience beween each parent and child. It starts with the adult making space and time for these interchanges to happen. When Hawrrah asked to see me during lunch I had no idea what she wanted. It was my making time and space for it to happen imandatory the experience affected and  impacted me deeply. This happened 16 yeas ago and it still affects me deeply. How much more will it affect your life with each child by making space for personal interactions?

This kind of personal interaction will build your relationships. Become intimately involved with your children and,as always,

Believe in Parenting and

A Practical Guide to Back to School

Now that Labor day is over and the kids are back in school. Here are a few practical tips to help your day go smoother.

1.Your kids have been sitting in the classroom all day. Give them a chance to get outside and get some exercise before homework. Kids have less and less time to be outside in the fresh air and play. Let them in the backyard or take them to the park so they can get all of their wiggleses out and be ready to sit down and do homework.

2. When you get home there should be 30-45 minutes of quiet time.  This can be homework time.  But, I recommend that it just be down time before the kids do their homework, so they're more relaxed and able to think.

3. If you haven't already developed a homework area for your child based on their multiple intelligence. This will spark their brain. Which will in turn make the learning easier. (Remember that kids don't actually learn in school. They are instructed  in school. They learn when they do their homework.)

4. Be sure you have an extra stash of everything they need in order to get their homework done. This includes pencils, crayons,  colored pencils, paper  lined and copy paper. I suggest that when you buy all the school supplies for school, you also buy the same supplies for home.

5. Please make sure your kids get protein in the morning. This is especially important if your kids are on the free food program. Make sure they at least drink a glass of milk before they leave for the day. The government food program at schools usually does not include protein in the morning.  Kids need protein in order to think and maintain brain function through to lunch.

Last suggestion make sure you are getting in touch with your children teacher on a monthly basis. This will allow you to see where they need help. Don't wait until parent-teacher conferences talk to your child's teacher often about the way which is best to contact them.

You want to do this for three reasons the first is teachers who know their parents care are more likely to pay attention to those parents kids. Secondly, your development of a relationship with your child's teacher letsaid your  child know that you think education is important. The last reason is because you want to stay on top of your kids education.the You want to stay ahead of the game. I hope you have a wonderful school year.

As always,

Believe in Parentingg