Kids Are People Too: Loving Heart, Mindful Speech

a guest writer — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:00:10 +0000

Danielle LaPorte is the co-creator of Style Statement: Live By Your Design and the co-founder of CarrieAndDanielle.com – a resource for living an inspired life and making a difference in the world. Danielle’s Style Statement is Sacred Dramatic. Her almost five-year-old son keeps her real.

“When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.” - Louis Pasteur

How would you feel if, when you first met someone new, they said to you, “Are you going to play shy?” or “Looks like someone’s in a bad mood.” What would you think if, when you needed a good boo-hoo, your friend said, “You’re fine. Don’t cry.” And if someone had an issue with you and they let you know about it in front of everyone in the room, how would that go down with you?

Grown-ups say the darnedest things to kids – things we’d never dare say to a fellow adult. And in the process it can create tremendous confusion between a little person’s genuine feelings and what they’re being told to feel. It’s a discombobulation that many of us carry far into adulthood as we fumble to “get in touch with our feelings.”

THIS WEEK: Be conscious of your power with kids. Whether you’re a Mama Bear or a distant big cousin, this basic approach is divine: don’t say anything to a child that you wouldn’t say to a grown-up you adored. When you were a kid, how sparkling, and “in,” and loved did you feel when a big person talked to you as though your feelings and opinions truly mattered?

Whether sad, mad, silly, or giggly, having your feelings respected fuels your shine – at every age.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Plan to Eat - meal planning made simple.
The Justice Conference - Justice hangs by a thread.
Lil' Soak - Sewing hope with handmade goods.
Treed - A simple, flexible, effective project planning tool.

Kids Are People Too: Loving Heart, Mindful Speech is a post from Simple Mom

© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

Q&A Tuesday: In What Way Are You…?

Tsh — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:20:32 +0000

Carrie & Danielle is a duo-authored site dedicated to living an inspired life and making a difference in the world.

They ask their readers a daily question, which range from deep and thoughtful, to light-hearted and whimsical. They also feature regular interviews with people – recently they queried Guy Kawasaki of “The Art of the Start,” Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, Erin Doland of Unclutterer, and Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge.

They kindly asked to interview me, so I did my best with their outstanding questions – you can read the interview here.

Today’s Q&A Tuesday is also posted over at Carrie & Danielle. I’ll be over there with my own answer, along with reading all of yours. Comments are closed on this post – so click on over, and I’ll see you there!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Plan to Eat - meal planning made simple.
The Justice Conference - Justice hangs by a thread.
Lil' Soak - Sewing hope with handmade goods.
Treed - A simple, flexible, effective project planning tool.

Q&A Tuesday: In What Way Are You…? is a post from Simple Mom

Simple Mom » Carrie and Danielle

Kids Are People Too: Loving Heart, Mindful Speech

Q&A Tuesday: In What Way Are You…?