NACD Newsletter - Volume 6, Issue 3 - May 2013
In this issue:- Confidence Through Chores
- Brag: Houser Men
- Announcing: NACD Science Corner
- Announcing: Bob's Blog
- Announcing: NACD Comprehensive Reading List
- Upcoming Evaluation Dates
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Confidence Through Chores
by Lyn Waldeck
NACD Developmentalist
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When I was pregnant with my first-born, I was given the very best piece of advice that I have ever received. Knowing that I was carrying a boy, my mother-in-law sweetly held my hand and said, "Raise him to be a man, not a grown boy." Such simple words made a significant impact on our future. Today I have 5 sons, the youngest of which is about to turn 14 and the oldest is 25. I have been involved with NACD for over 20 years and have worked with thousands of families; and I've been able to see the impact of early training in so many areas of life. The area that I write about today has to do with developing a sense of accomplishment and work ethic in our children from the very beginning. Tomorrow's ability to have confidence and accomplishment in the work place, as well as other areas of life, may start with the young child learning to wipe down the counter or sweep the floor.
Today's culture has so many things to "plug" young children into for entertainment and appeasement that often that is where too much of their time in general is spent. As a result we end up with children who are cranky unless things go their way, or who develop avoidance behaviors that carry over into their school and later work ethics. I can remember when Philip, Kenny, and Evan were young, I would repeatedly say, "I'm so glad to have boys. I carry nothing and I open no doors." These words and expectations watered and fertilized the tiny little seeds of manhood within their thought patterns. We were a homeschooling family with a mom who worked for NACD, so efficiency was a must. In the early years we ran on a tight schedule, each boy having their one-on-one time with Mom, each having their assigned program activities that they did with their brain-injured, visually-impaired bother, and each having household responsibilities. They learned to wipe counters when they needed a step stool to do so, and they learned to mow the lawn from the time they could safely hold the bar to push. Each day had a specified amount of time to get these things done, and then they got to go up to the NACD office to spend the afternoons. I noticed from a very early age a sense of entrepreneurial spirit develop in the boys. At the age of 8-9 they were negotiating items to sell door to door at Christmas time to raise money to pay for their select baseball season. At 10-11 they would ask for extra chores to earn the right to go to the batting cages at 3:00, where they worked out a deal with the owner to do cleaning and upkeep for 2 hours to earn unlimited hitting tokens. One of the boys worked out an arrangement to bus tables at the restaurant next to the office complex for extra spending money. It was amazing how they saw working outside the home as a privileged they could earn by doing well with their programs, school, and chores at home.
To read the rest of this article and view a slideshow of photos, click here
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BRAG: The Houser Family
by Kristina Houser & Lyn Waldeck
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In the years I have been associated with NACD, I have worked with a many wonderful families. Since I have been around long enough now (20 years + in one capacity of another), I have gotten the pleasure of watching many children become wonderful adults. At a recent evaluation I asked one of the mothers on my caseload to write an article on her young men and how well they are transitioning from "program world" to "work place." This is not a sudden move and the work that this mother has done on program for years now has served the purpose of preparing them to be productive, happy men who have a lot to contribute to the community and the people who are fortunate enough to be included in their circle of friends and family.
When Kristina first sent in her article, she was very good to point out some of the wonderful things that her men are doing; however, she was shy and a little on the humble side in including what a fantastic job she has done as their mother. At that point I decided that this would be an article that is co-authored so that families can get a picture of how her diligence has paid off without her feeling like she is tooting her own horn.
When I first met the Houser Boys, who we now refer to as the Houser Men, the ages were as follows: Erik age 11, Kristofer age 10, and Andrew age 8. All three boys had significant developmental delays and had been through years of school that the family was not satisfied with. Kristina began homeschooling the boys and doing program in 1996. Kristina would be the first to tell you that not every day is the perfect day, not every week is the perfect week, and not every year is the perfect year. The family has dealt with many life events over the years, as well as many stages of development that stalled at times in difficult places. There was also a time when Mom's health was such that just making it through another day was considered a success. What has remained important is her diligence to continue in putting the pieces together for her sons with the idea that some day they would be men. Along with program, Kristina has been very committed to teaching them many chores and continually raising their level of responsibility. The boys have been responsible for many aspects of running the house, from cooking to cleaning and even into home renovation when the need arose. They have also had the responsibility of assisting in care for extended family members. There was a time a few years ago when the boys were very engrossed with imaginary play. While this seemed harmless in younger years, the longer they hovered in that level of development, the more difficult things became. I remember one of the hardest transitions for them several years back was to take total control of their free time and direct it to more mature and engaging activities. Kristina really rose to the challenge in this area and redirected her boys into manhood. Today their maturity has really grown, and without the many years of sticking with program and taking the boys through the necessary stages, I know they would not be where they are today.
Click here to read the rest of this article
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Hopefully you have been receiving our emails that report on the latest research that directly relates to NACD and you. If you have missed any, you can find them here:
NACD Science Corner Volume 1
Cracking the code behind the cognitive development challenges of Down syndrome
NACD Science Corner Volume 2
Working memory training physically changes brain for the better, fMRI neuroimaging study finds
NACD Science Corner Volume 3
The Sleep Advantage of Homeschooling: Scientifically Verified
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BOB'S BLOG:
It Appears That...
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Don't miss Bob's blog, where he talks about his thoughts on current trends in education, world news, or most anything. The blog has been a big hit with our families!
Read the latest posts here:
He's My Best Friend's Boy
"Parents, sometimes you need to take a step back and look at your kids through some new eyes and gain a little perspective." - Bob Doman
Parental Lesson #1: Talk to Your Children
"We all have the potential to do better; we all have the ability to do better; we just need the opportunity to do better." - Bob Doman
Deadline 2025: ADHD
"Dateline 2025: 85% of all students are diagnosed with ADHD...
In today's New York Times there was an alarming article about the rise in ADHD diagnoses and the number of children being medicated for it. The article states that one in five high school age children have been given the "medical" diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 6.4 million children between 4 and 17 have been "diagnosed." This is for an imaginary disease that was only created in the 1980s. This is not only shocking but also ridiculous and horrifying." - Bob Doman
Or view the blog at: nacd.org/blog
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NACD COMPREHENSIVE READING LIST
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ANNOUNCEMENT
We have put together a comprehensive reading list to help you pick books to read to your child, for them to listen to as audio books, and for shared and independent reading.
Our list is organized both by genre and by reading level. Titles include everything from classic literature to contemporary literature to biographies and graphic novels! We have also included "hi-lo" lists. These are books that have lower reading levels, but more mature, high-interest content for older kids whose reading levels are not yet up to their age level.
(NOTE: Inclusion on the list does not indicate NACD's endorsement of content for any particular title. Parents must use discretion and choose content that is appropriate for their children.)
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UPCOMING EVALUATIONS
May 2013
Charlottesville, VA
Dallas
Bay Area, CA
Philadelphia
Ogden
Los Angeles
London, United Kingdom
Bucharest, Romania
June 2013
New York/New Jersey (Skype)
Orlando
Atlanta
Ogden
Chicago (Skype)
Minneapolis (Skype)
Dallas
India
For more upcoming 2013 evaluation dates, please check our website.
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NACD - The National Association for Child Development
549 25th Street - Ogden, UT 84401
801-621-8606
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