Posts

Showing posts from March, 2022

Hugs

Image
Hugs Harold (Harry) Hugginton at Stilwell's Learning Center SV location "A hug is two hearts wrapped in arms." - Unknown Author Even cows like hugs. When I (Chuck Stilwell) was a boy, we lived on a ranch.  My father would milk our cow, and we would have wonderful creamy  milk and butter. The cow and my dad didn't always get along. She  would often wait until the bucket was nearly full and then kick it over.  This would greatly anger my dad.  Then, to make matters worse,  Bessy, the cow, would get halfway through the gate to return to the  pasture and refuse to move until she received a hug from my father.  She would not be budged. Finally, my dad would cool off and  give her a hug and tell her she was a good cow and she would moo  and amble off to the pasture.  Sometimes as parents and grandparents  we can become frustrated or angry with  our children's immature actions.  Yet, a hug, a word of encouragement and the  reassuring words, "I love you"  can us

Spring Break and Vacations are GOOD

Image
Spring Break and Vacations are GOOD      Parents often ask me if they might continue to have their child come during a Spring Break or other one or two-week time when there is no school.       It sounds like a good idea, but I have found it counter-productive. One of the reasons for the break in the first place is to give students an opportunity to rest their brain and get ready for the next step in learning.      During the week off, it would still be good not to start bad habits of binging on TV or video games or just sleeping all day. Those habits are hard to break, even after only a week. Here are some suggestions:  If one parent is not working outside the home, you could plan each day to do something special you could not do during the school day.  Go to the river, hike in the mountains, visit some historical sites, have game competitions, ride bikes around the city or other places.  Take walks together and talk about all the interesting things you see.      If the parent works ou