Short Answers

Young children talk in little spurts.  One moment they are talking about a bug or a tree, the next about being hungry or something else totally unrelated.  They don’t stay on one topic for long.  And they are not interested in listening to one topic for long either. 

So when they ask a complicated question, with a long adult complicated answer forming in your mind, you often lose their attention by the time you get a few sentences into any well thought out answer.  So what to do?

Keep it simple!  And also keep in mind that when they ask a question, they have already been thinking about the subject, so you might want to ask them what they think before even attempting to answer.  Then, if you provide an answer, try to keep it short – the younger the child, the shorter the explanations.

Spirituality and Happiness

Here is a link to an article by The Washington Times reporting on two studies done on children and spirituality.  The studies found that children with a sense of spirituality, not necessarily religion, were significantly happier than other children:

"The study itself did not emphasize the importance of institutional religious practices but focused more on the child’s sense of “personal meaning” - and their sense of such basic values as kindness toward others, altruism, meaningful relationships and volunteering."

What do you think?

Being Thankful

We all get caught up in the stressors of the day.  It can be very easy to forget the good things that are around us. An easy way to let go of the demands of the day is to remind your self of the things you were grateful for that day.  Even if it is just that you have a roof over your head.  Being grateful puts things into perspective and teaching your children this valuable lesson can help them with their stressful world too.

Sunday Morning Report on Past Lives

Some children spontaneously remember details of other lives.  Most adults need some help to activate those kinds of memories.  Take a look at this interesting report:   Sunday Morning Video about Past Lives

Pregnancy dreams

Vivid dreams are common during pregnancy.  Sometimes a mother dreams accurately about meeting her baby while she is pregnant:

I knew I was pregnant with my first child from the moment of conception.  I don’t know how, but I just did.  I had conversations with this baby all the time I was pregnant with her, and I knew it was a girl I was carrying.  I would often see the baby in my dreams looking at me lovingly and waving at me.

When I went for my first scan, I was very excited, like all first time mothers-to-be and couldn’t wait to get a glimpse at this tiny life growing inside me.  Once the doctor had got a good glimpse of the baby, he turned the screen toward me so that I could see the baby.  What a surprise I got!  The baby started to move its hand around, waving at me.  I knew then that I was right in sensing that this was a girl.  She was waving at me the same way she had done when I saw her in my dreams! (Story told by Charmaine in the book Psychic Kids by Lynne Gallagher.)

Did you have any memorable dreams during pregnancy?

Book Review: Life Before Life

Many parents relate experiences from their children that could only have come from a previous life.  One parent told a story where her 2 year old daughter saw a picture in a calendar of the Golden Gate Bridge and she said, "Look, California."  The mom then asked, "have you ever been there?"  To which, the daughter replied, "yes, on a tall ship." 

For some parents when their children speak of a previous life they can feel isolated, as the "odd man out."  They can believe they are the only ones around having this experience, when in fact this is a very common occurence. 

Dr. Jim Tucker is a physician and researcher at the University of Virginia and he has spent a lifetime collecting and evaluating children's stories of previous lives.  Dr. Tucker has also travelled the globe and has talked with thousands of individuals.  His book, 'Life Before Life' chronicals a few of the thousands of cases he and others have catalogued in the Division of Personality Studies.

These stories are fascinating and in most cases extremely detailed.  In one case he talks of a young Turkish boy, who recalled a life in Instanbul, a city 500 miles away.  He said that his last name had been Karakas and he had been a rich Armenian Christian who lived in a three-story house.  He had a wife and three children who all had greek first names.

While these stories intrigue us and perplex us, the author does state that in most cases children forget these details by the time they are seven years old and continue with this life happy and healthy.

What a Child Sees

Practicing visualization with kids can be entertaining.  One of the group members did the Protective Egg exercise with her young daughter to help her relax and feel safe in bed after a long and active day.  The girl imagined being enclosed in an egg made of white light. 

“Mom, the egg broke and half of it fell on the bed.” 

Mom thinking quickly: “Okay, then imagine a new egg made of light surrounding you.”

“This one is colorful like a rainbow with flowers on it and my body is tingling.”

“Good.  You can imagine this egg surrounding you and protecting you any time.”

“But mom, I can’t walk or run in an egg!”

“Oh, maybe at night you can imagine the egg and during the day you can imagine the light being more like a suit like the one Super Why wears?”

“I’m like Super Why!  Crocodiles are in eggs too.”

“Yes, they are.  Time to go to bed now little one!”

Try one of the visualizations in our blog and tell us how it went!