Watching your child play video games all day will inevitably make you feel anxious and worried that your child may fall into internet addiction. At the “Walking with Children Who Are Addicted to Screens and Video Games” Seminar, Dr. Agnes Ip pointed out ways to help parents deal with this challenge.
Knowing the detrimental effects screen time can have on young kids, parents often wonder how to engage their children’s attention in healthier ways. Being busy parents, it’s hard to know how to encourage kids to play and grow. As a stay-at-home mom, I have struggled with this question and sought many ways to encourage active, creative and independent play in my children.
“If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got To Get Out of The Boat” is the first book recommended in our RE:NEW “Heart to Heart: U Read, I Read” blog. This book review challenges both parents and youth to step out in faith as Peter did. No matter what age we are, what occupation or cultural background we come from, God always calls us to live a life wholly trusting in Him. We hope as parents and youth read this book and discuss the reflection questions together, they can challenge and encourage one another to live more boldly for Christ.
While more and more parents are aware of the impact of gaming and internet addiction on the health of their children, many can be oblivious to the fact that bad habits such as obsession over video games and attention deficit disorder (ADD) can be caused by a parent’s decision to utilize electronic devices as an educational or accompanying tool too early in their children’s life. Contemporary studies have shown severe consequences for allowing toddlers access to electronic devices, which include the overstimulation of the brain, thus leading to a lack of focus both during learning and socializing down the line.
In the previous article, we talked about the first four tips of Dr. Agnes Ip’s “Correcting Children’s Behavior without Yelling or Hitting” seminar, which made me realize: guiding children requires your willingness to “spend time” and your unconditional “love”. If you feel that your children are often “unmotivated, having many issues, like to spend money, and hate studying”, and you wish they could be “obedient, well-behaved, positive and motivated”, I hope Dr. Ip’s remaining four tips can help you .
What most children want most is very simple: not material rewards, not praise in front of others, but just that parents “spend time” with them and give them basic respect, trust and a little understanding. As Dr. Ip shared: as long as a person is willing to “spend time” to practice these eight tips “with love”, parents can correct children’s behavior without yelling or hitting, and anyone can become a good father or a good mother.
Has a conversation with your children ever ended badly because of a misunderstanding? Do you find it hard to make sense of the things that your children value, their lifestyle, and how they use their time? Have they ever said anything that hurt your feelings? Do you feel that no matter how hard you love them, there is still a barrier? You are not alone if you can somehow identify with these questions because generational communication is not always smooth and without roadblocks. However, instead of getting frustrated, you can choose to be more open-minded, willing to listen and learn, wait for the opportunity to arise, or even restore the relationship. We hope that Presence’s “Healthy Dialogue” Series will bring hope and inspiration to break through generational barriers.
Have you ever tried reading books together with your preteen or teenager? Did you discover that your kid has already formulated their own views, possibly different from your own? What benefits or challenges did you experience in your relationship with your child from reading together? Let’s hear what Rev. Ching has to say about reading together with his son.
Since the onset of the pandemic, online learning and decreased activities have led to an increasing need for parents to take up the role of teachers. Some families have even chosen to homeschool their children. Not only can this lower the risk of contracting COVID at school, it can also prevent children from learning obstacles and losses due to the restrictions of the pandemic. Does homeschooling work? What are the pains and joys? May you be inspired by Stephane’s sharing.
I always ask myself, “Who are the people that I have the closest relationship with? Who would I like to have a close relationship with?” After reflecting on these questions, I would say that my relationships with my family members are the closest. Good friends do play an important role in our lives, but relationships between friends may change over time or because of geographical distance. Only family members will always have a special and unchanging spot in our hearts.
