Seeing God Work in All Things
When Jesus turned death on its head and rose from the grave, he truly showed his followers - us included! - how the most painful circumstances could usher in God's greatest blessings. As you prepare for Easter and think about God's grace in your own life, we want to challenge you to focus on the life-giving things God is doing within
your families. We give you some creative and practical ways to acknowledge and nurture blessings in your kids, review a couple of books that could help you raise healthier boys and girls, and share an important resource related to children and depression. And, of course, we give you the scoop on all the fun and growth happening this spring and summer at SpringHill. Get it all from The Source!
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What's Happening at SpringHill
Camp 39°
It's not too late to register your child for the greatest week of summer! No matter what your camper's age (1st-12th grade) or interest, SpringHill has a program available. No child should miss the kind of take-your-breath-away fun, warm-your-heart friends and
all-that-I-need Truth that SpringHill provides. Get all the details on our website.
Experience loads of wild-and-crazy SpringHill fun. Yes, you! Join your child in a ride down the zipline or a plunge from the blob at Family Day on May 6, 2006. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. SpringHill will be open for you and your family to experience a whole day of FREE fun. This is just too great to miss!
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Accentuate the Positive
Studies show that most parents spend very little time talking with their kids and, when they do, it's often to register a complaint, a command or a request for assistance. Too often we concentrate on eliminating our kids' weaknesses rather than encouraging their strengths and showing them how much they are loved, appreciated and valued. Here
are some ideas for ways to accentuate the positive in your home:
- Count your blessings. List out the blessings and gifts God has given to each of your children. Spend time in prayer thanking God for these blessings.
- Catch them doing good. Make a conscious effort to commend each of your children on something positive they do during the day - from finishing homework to playing well with a sibling to hanging up a jacket in its proper place.
- Use sugar words. Use 10 everyday phrases to instill confidence, self-respect and thoughtfulness in your children: Thank You, Tell Me More, You Can Do It, How Can I Help?, Let's All Pitch In, How About a Hug?, Please, Good Job, I
Love You, Let's Pray about It
- Get it from the source. Ask your child "What have you done that makes you feel proud?" Knowing what gives your child pride can give you insight into who he or she aspires to be. The answers may surprise you!
- Listen to the little stuff. If your kids know you're really listening, even to everyday stuff like schoolwork or what a friend got for his birthday, it helps make them feel valued. Plus, they are more likely to trust you with the deeper things on their hearts, and more likely to listen to you.
- Pass it on. Together with your kids, write down specific blessings your family has received in the last week. Try
to assign a dollar amount to each blessing. Take 10 percent of the total and create a "Blessing Fund." Together decide where to donate this money so your family can pass on the gift and share the blessing with others.
If you have ideas for ways to accentuate the positive that work for your family, please email us. We'd love to share your ideas with other SpringHill parents!
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Reading Between the Lines
For Parents with Sons
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson
This enormously compelling book provides insights into boys' emotional development from
birth through the college years, showing how our culture's dominant masculine stereotypes shortchange boys and lead them toward emotional isolation. Topics covered include encouraging a boy's inner life; recognizing that boys have a higher activity level - and accepting it; communicating with boys in a direct and respectful way, and enlisting them as problem solvers; using discipline that is instructive and fair rather than harsh and crushing; and teaching a boy that there are many ways to be a man. Such issues as drinking, drugs and the "culture of cruelty" among adolescents also meet with sensitive treatment. Separate chapters examine the relationships between fathers and sons and
mothers and sons, and show how these can be protected and redefined. Recommended to anyone with a vested interest in raising happy, healthy, emotionally whole young men.
For Parents with Daughters
Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls
by Rachel Simmons
Sadly, many girls experience being "odd girl out": the silent treatment, note-passing, glaring, gossiping, ganging up, fashion police, and being nice in private/mean in public. Girls' bullying, the author writes, "is epidemic, distinctive and destructive. Unlike boys who tend to bully acquaintances or strangers, girls frequently attack within tightly knit networks of friends, making aggression harder to identify and intensifying the damage to the victims." The author examines anger and why it is taboo for
girls to express feelings directly. She guides readers to nurture emotional honesty in girls and offers sample dialogues for talking to daughters and exercises for girls and their friends to explore and resolve messy feelings and conflicts head-on.
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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9
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Family Matters
About 2.2 million, or 9 percent, of American youth suffered from major depression in 2004, according to data released by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (The study identified "major" depression as two weeks or more of behavior that included a loss of interest, depressed mood and at least four other related symptoms.) This included 12 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds, 9 percent of 14- and
15-year-olds, and 5 percent of those 12 or 13. These teens were twice as likely to smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs. Adding to the problem is the controversy surrounding anti-depression drugs for youth; studies have linked these drugs to suicide risk. Researchers encouraged parents to be more aware of their children's mental health as a part of their overall well-being. [Source: Reuters, December 29, 2005]
Talking with your child about depression can be rocky terrain, but it's a real problem for many families. Here's one doctor's very practical advice.
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