10 Building Blocks for Helping Your Kids Become Champions in Life

This is a link to an article by Jim Burns at Homeward.com

What does it take to become a champion in life? Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Pat Williams, who has worked in the sports world for four decades. Currently, Pat is the Senior Executive Vice President for the Orlando Magic, one of the teams in the National Basketball League. Both in his professional life and at home, Pat has proven over the years that he knows what it takes to build a champion. Together, we were able to discuss his new book, Who Wants to be a Champion?, in which Pat shares his knowledge on what it takes to become a champion in life. As parents, we can help our kids become champions as we commit to laying a solid emotional and spiritual foundation for them, and as we make the effort to believe in their potential to become all who God has designed them to become. Here are Pat’s “10 Building Blocks for Helping Your Kids Become Champions in Life.”

1. Encourage them to think the right kinds of thoughts. Every action – whether good or bad – begins as a simple thought. Therefore, it’s vitally important that we teach our kids to exercise control over their thought life. Kids who become champions learn to think positive thoughts, correct thoughts, big thoughts, pure thoughts and unique thoughts. Train your kids to think on only things that are good and beneficial. See Philippians 4:8.

See the other nine points here :)

USA Today - Higher Percentage of Fatalities in College Freshman

An article in USA Today, January 25, 2006 of special interest to parents.

A USA TODAY analysis of 620 deaths of four-year college and university students since Jan. 1, 2000, finds that freshmen are uniquely vulnerable. They account for more than one-third of undergraduate deaths in the study, although they are only 24% of the undergraduates at those institutions, according to National Center for Education Statistics data analyzed by the American Council on Education for USA TODAY.

See the rest of the article here

The Power of a Father's Blessing

What former NFL pro Bill Glass has learned after 36 years of prison ministry.
Interview by Nancy Madsen, Christianity Today

What is our country's biggest problem? A lack of the father's blessing. The FBI studied the 17 kids that have shot their classmates in little towns like Paducah, Kentucky; Pearl, Mississippi; and Littleton, Colorado. All 17 shooters had only one thing in common. They had a father problem. I see it so much; it's just unbelievable. There's something about it when a man doesn't get along with his father. It makes him mean; it makes him dangerous; it makes him angry.

Read the rest of the article here.

H.A.L.T. - 4 Sure Signs You Need a Break

Author: Jim Burns, Ph.D. & Dr. Bill Gaultiere

Parents and spouses need to understand that in order to keep relationships strong, it’s vital to manage stress levels before anger or fatigue get the best of you. One way I’m working on this area myself is that I have a piece of paper with four words on it – Hurting… Angry… Lonely… Tired. These words form the acrostic “H.A.L.T.” So, when I start feeling stressed, this acrostic reminds me that I need to H.A.L.T. and gain some perspective.

The reason parents and spouses need to watch out for these four feelings especially is because they are the kinds of conditions under which we are most susceptible to overreacting in a way that we will regret later.

Read the rest of the article here at homeword.com

Pete Townshend Warns IPod Users - Turn Down the Volume

Guitarist Pete Townshend has warned iPod users that they could end up with hearing problems as bad as his own if they don't turn down the volume of the music they are listening to on earphones.

Check out the rest of the Story at this site.....

It Won't Happen in My Home - And Other Myths About Internet Pornography

Article from Christianity Today

What myths do you believe about Internet pornography?

"I'm sure that my husband would never access Internet pornography; he is a strong Christian man."

"If I were more sexually available to my husband, he would not indulge in Internet pornography."

"If we get rid of the computer in our home, my husband will stop accessing Internet pornography."

"Internet pornography isn't that bad. Men have used magazines such as Playboy for entertainment for years; Internet pornography is just the modern version of the magazine."

Read rest of article here.....

Parents - Don't Ignore Talking to Your Kids About Sex

Washington Post Article Link: Sex at School Increasing, Some Educators Say

Upon finding students having group sex in the auditorium:

"Miller, the T.C. Williams graduate, said she didn't understand why adults were so shocked. "Our parents are the ones who had the sexual revolution, so why are they surprised?"
Parents at Osbourn said what happened in the auditorium went far beyond their own teenage activities, and some added that they were confident that their children would not get involved in such an incident.
"Maybe I'm a naive parent," said Ted Hauffe, whose son, Daniel, is on the football team, "but I will say my kid would never participate" in group sex." (Famous last words)

Even with sex as prevalent in the media as it is, most parents are not talking to their kids about sex.

Parents, please don't ignore this issue. Buy one of the many written books on sex from a Christian bookstore and learn yourself, and then teach your teen, your child. Start at nine or ten years old. Most parents are shocked to find out their child has been having sex. They usually find out through a pregnancy or in dealing medically with a Sexually Transmitted Disease.

Connect with your kids on this subject.
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