Last week’s Purim lunch break webinar was a great success, drawing viewers from around the country and in Israel as well. Didn’t get a chance to tune-in? Watch it now:
We covered the following topics:
- Simple ways to protect your children from unsafe behavior
- Enabling your children and teens to make good decisions
- Teaching children and teens to resist negative peer pressure
- How to make Purim a healthy experience for young children and helping prevent the inevitable Purim meltdowns
- Recognizing how Purim may impact your introverted child
- Creating a seuda that is child-friendly
First and foremost we discussed that if we want to protect our children from unsafe behaviors we need to role model for them how to act appropriately. This is particularly important around Purim time where we there are many issues surrounding underage drinking.
We also discussed that in order for us to be good role models for our children, we need to establish a good relationship with them.
We learned effective ways to maintain a good relationship with our tweens and teens, by talking to them in a way that is respectful, loving and kind. We now all understand that anytime we communicate with our teens we need to do so in a way that lets them know that we have confidence in them that they will make good decisions (even when we are not around.)
Here are some examples on how to help your child practice making good decisions all year round:
To encourage a feeling of autonomy:
- “Would you like a sandwich or pizza for lunch?”
- “Do you want to make the sandwich or should I?”
- “Would you like to ride your bike or take a walk over to the park?”
To encourage involvement in making rules:
- “When is a good time for you to set the table?
- “Would you like to say excuse me or pardon me when you leave the dinner table?
- “What is a good amount of time for computer use for kids?
To encourage kids self-care:
- Do you want to take a bath or a shower?
- Do you want to use bar soap or baby soap?
- Do you want to get a blue or green toothbrush?
To encourage decision making:
- Do you like the blue or clear bowl?
- Do you think Grandma would like flowers or a gift card for her birthday?
- What should we make for dinner, chicken or noodles?
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.