On Thursday 4th May 2017, the internet and social media was agog with the story of the “evil” perpetrated by some pupils of Falomo High School and Ireti Secondary Schools in Lagos, Nigeria, who chose a very unconventional and bizarre … Continue reading It’s Time To Act
These are the kind of stories that warm my heart. Enjoy! Continue reading From Gateman…Your Gift Will Make A Way
I was particularly saddened by the story reported in Daily Mail UK of Samantha MacDonald a 20-year-old University student who jumped to death because she felt that her exam results (2:2) weren’t good enough. It set me thinking about how … Continue reading Handling Setbacks
A few hours of having my children home for the Christmas holidays and the “fun” has already begun! I am blessed with two amazing young adult children (girl and boy) who love and get along with each other quite well. Sometimes they do have rather unconventional ways of showing their love for each other with jabs and teasing that leave me in “pain”. Not sure if it’s just me but have you ever watched your children (no matter what age) bicker or have “friendly” banters with one another? I’m usually tempted to jump in and remind each of them of … Continue reading Sibling Kindness
About two weeks ago, I came across an interview on YouTube held with the first deaf-blind Harvard Law graduate – Haben Girma. To say I was impressed would be putting it mildly. I was also very curious to know her story and how she accomplished such a feat – I can only imagine the effort and adjustment being deaf or blind would require but to be both and graduate from Harvard…with a Law degree…wow!!!! After getting over my initial amazement, I listened intently to the interview and there was something Haben said that has kept ringing in my head. The interviewer asked … Continue reading Connecting with People who are “Different”
Last week we started our discourse on inculcating a kindness culture in our children. Kindness is multifaceted – it finds expression in several ways – being generous, caring, understanding, forgiving…but my focus today is on Kindness expressed by being friendly, and how we can help our children develop social skills that result in positive & healthy friendships. How many of us have had our kids say to us “John doesn’t want to play with me again”? Or perhaps your child is the one who says, “Bella is not my friend again.” How do you react to these seemingly childish reports?… … Continue reading A Culture of Kindness…Friendship
I find it quite interesting how from the month of November, the “Christmas buzz” fills the air…. physical and cyberspace bustling with Christmas sales, décor, gift ideas… Parents, family, friends and organizations shopping around for gifts … It has become a culture that cuts across different ages, races and beliefs. What if we cultivated a culture of kindness – all year round? How about letting kindness be a part of our everyday life and showing our children what it really means and how to be kind? Imagine the difference it would make. One of the beauties of kindness is that it … Continue reading KINDNESS… A Culture Worth Preserving
In the spirit of Thanksgiving and with the end of the year around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to focus on another TTV -Gratitude – what it really is and why is it important for our children and us, to practice it? Beyond showing good manners or simply being thankful and appreciative, gratitude is a mindset, a lifestyle – it’s an attitude that yields immense benefits. A study conducted by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, reveals that cultivating gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25 percent. It can also cause … Continue reading I’m Thankful For…
Last week we started a discussion on “This Entitlement Mentality Issue” and the feedback ranged from hilarious to very thought provoking. Almost everyone had a story to tell. As a matter of fact I remembered an incidence that happened to my company a few years ago. We wanted to develop a software solution for one of our services and we asked this young, sharp gentleman to send in a proposal for consideration. He did and by the time we looked at it we weren’t convinced he could handle the project because of its complexities. So we nicely communicated this to … Continue reading This Entitlement Mentality Issue – Part 2
Over the summer I found myself repeatedly having “fights” with my children over MY car. Ever since they learnt to drive and got their licenses, there seems to be some assumption on their part that my car has become our car and they are entitled to use it whenever they want. One day I read the riot act when they had the audacity to “vex” because I needed to send the car for repairs and they had plans (without my knowledge by the way) to use the car. To be honest I was quite livid not just with them but … Continue reading This Entitlement Mentality Issue – Part 1
At a program I hosted for teenagers on “Goals”, I asked if anyone had goals they wanted to share with the class. A boy of about 14 or 15 put up his hands and as nicely as he could muster, said, “Aunty, my goal is to get out of this class as quickly as possible”. Note that this was just the beginning of the program so trust me it wasn’t that we had bored him to frustration. He was probably reacting to the fact that his parents asked him to attend the program when he had “better” things to do! … Continue reading Cute or Rude?
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