What's in a 'parent quiz' of only one question?
Giggles from the kids because they see Mom and Dad going through what they get in school. From the parents, I have seen genuine concern over not knowing the answers and MAJOR GUESSING!! MAJOR!!! Don't they know quizzes are supposed to be fun? Don't they know there are a LOT of right answers?
Ok, now that I've proven I'm a goofy guy, here's the question and I may give you all the answers here or I might give you a couple of answers here and clues where to find the rest. hmmmm... : )
The question:
"Do you know how making paper airplanes can help your child in life?"
It might seem like a silly question but it's semi-serious at the same time. Do you know that 'road rage' is much more common than it used to be and it's not just because of more drivers on the road? "Frustration tolerance" learned early in life HELPS kids grow into adults that don't do that!
That's actually the second psychological skill that I usually talk about... before that is "delayed gratification." If you don't follow instructions and fold EVERY fold the way it's supposed to be, you won't have two wings. Most kids understand that, without two wings, airplanes won't fly except straight down and where's the fun in that? If that's your definition of fun, then pigs can fly, too - splat!
"Following instructions"... that's an important skill, too.
Let's revisit "frustration tolerance". Do you want your kids to drop out of school because they don't like one teacher? Should they quit a job because they don't like the boss? Should they handle life badly when every customer for a product doesn't say yes on the first sales call? Trust me! Learning and practicing frustration tolerance will have a big payoff in life.
"Leadership" goes hand in hand with anything fun in a kid's life. "Let's play hide and seek!" "Let's play dolls!" Do you notice they have FUN in common? Did you notice the leadership?
"Let's play cowboys and Indians!" FUN! AGAIN!
For those who aspire to be politically correct, yes, some games are labeled in ways that can be touchy... at the same time, it presents a perfect time to talk with kids about why the term "Indians" is sensitive.
I have taken the Parent Quiz to Kids' Days, festivals, and other places mostly to call parents' attention to the matterS of early childhood development and being aware of psychological skills that maybe we emphasize less than we could. Kids, after all, are the building blocks of our future society.
Dr. Joseph Strayhorn, M.D., in his book The Competent Child, presents a list of sixty-two psychological skills which, if learned early in life, make the child's life better. Not only that, it improves the quality of life around the child. Tantrums? Not for me, thank you, and they are usually not displayed by children who can tolerate frustration and "comply with reasonable authority". Yes, parents, that comes from you and it can be the result of fun activities!
"Sharing" is another big skill, whether it's two or more kids sharing one paper airplane or sharing the knowledge of how to make paper airplanes -- I've seen both. One way to introduce the idea... who can fly the same airplane further? Kids have to take turns to find out.
With one young lady diagnosed ADHD, I brought her into my presentation with a simple proposition, "If you can pay attention for a couple of minutes, I think I can make you a leader." Before we were done, she knew how to make paper airplanes and could show others how to make them. Better than that, she learned the importance of "listening and not interrupting", because we covered that, too.
Talk to your kids about these skills and their benefits when they are the right age, maybe as young as four or three. You'd be surprised at how much they can learn. If they recognize and understand the skills, they might see someone acting up in school and think "I don't want to do that. I don't want to be like that."
If you care to, drop by the website below where you can download the folding instructions for paper airplanes the way I learned - it's a single page document in PDF format. You can also ask me questions and add comments to my blog.
It's been fun sharing with you -- have a great life!
Carl Bromley is CEO of Local4All.com, a small company helping nonprofits via self-publishing and a sponsor-centered fundraising program. Third of seven children, Mr. Bromley's passion for helping others started early in life through church, Grange, and family activities. He is available for interviews about the Parent Quiz and will share other family-friendly stories about times that sometimes started out uncertainly and had heart-warming results.
A few of them are:
Drop by http://afunparentquiz.local4all.com to get your free download and say hello.