Everyone is Talking
About the Winter Olympics.
Why do I care?
There is much to learn and ways to grow alongside your kids through the Olympics and the many stories behind the Olympians. It’s a great a time to find stories of resiliency, bond over the excitement of your home country earning a medal, and exposing your kids to other cultures outside of their own.
Tell me more.
In addition to the excitement and fun, the Olympics is the perfect segue to important life lessons. When it comes to inspiring athletes who have overcome obstacles, the Olympics is usually stacked with them, and this year is no different. Exposing your children to the backstory of a few of their favorite Olympians will offer them example after example of pure drive and a never give up attitude.
Important life skills for anyone.
Looking for additional resources for using the Olympics as a teachable moment? Check out:
- Norwich, Vermont and the story of 11 Olympians
- Play Olympic Bingo and tackle these expanded activities. Your kids will work to find South Korea on a map, learn about the Olympic rings and their meanings, and visit the official Olympics website to learn about this year’s mascot (yes, this is apparently, a thing). The post offers a ton of great kid-friendly ideas all in one place. From books to geography to math and some crafting to round things out.
- Teach your kids how Olympism is a way of life because, “The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”
Have fun!
Put Your Best Foot Forward
What does passion after kids look like in your relationship? Lauren Eberspacher gives some real talk on TODAY about how things have changed since having kids. She talks about how the days of spontaneity in their relationship have been replaced with a conscious choice to make it happen in spite of pure exhaustion and being overextended.
Lauren goes on to share that she struggled, like many new moms, with postpartum depression. She highlights that she had to come to terms with her new body (we feel you, Lauren), and that her spouse has patiently walked beside her through it all. Through all of this, they have come to a renewed commitment to stay intimate.
She says, “We choose to take that first step forward. I choose a moment of passion over a week of exhaustion. I choose a moment of physical intimacy over a days worth of being mauled touched by my children. I choose a moment of pure desire that makes me remember the wholeness we both feel when I’m close to him.”
Her post is a great reminder to drop the dish towel and make some naked time happen with your honey.
And, yes, we just said that. You know we’re right.
Because you’re both worth it.
Your Digital Kid
How many of you tell your kids to ‘do the right thing, even when no one is looking’ ?
It’s a message we hope will permeate their minds so when temptation comes along, they’ll think twice. This mantra has become even more important when it comes to online integrity. We live in a time that hiding behind a screen offers the illusion of anonymity and as a result, may give way to impulsive actions by our kids. Kids are getting online earlier and earlier, so thinking ahead about how to tackle this stage is key.
This post, Raising Kids with a Conscience offers some great ideas for integrating good decision making into your child’s everyday life as they enter the digital age. Equipping your kids with perspective and strategies at a time when they are dealing with peer pressure, self-doubt and anxiety about fitting in is good plan.
Some ideas offered to keep the online integrity conversation going:
- Use uplifting viral videos and memes to illustrate kindness and infuse positivity into their media consumption.
- Keep regular conversations going about what they are seeing online (while monitoring them for yourself), how it makes them feel, how they intend to react if anything negative is sent their way, and as a discussion starter for how to manage the noise and highlight reels that they will inevitably see.
- Work together to seek out positive role models online. This list on Common Sense Media is a great place to start.
Trending Plate
Bananas Foster meets cheesecake – it’s healthy because it’s made with bananas. Right?
DID YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU READ? PLEASE SHARE US WITH YOUR FRIENDS! WE’RE BRAND NEW AND WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THEM READ US. HELP GROW THE VILLAGE.
Did we miss a great story? Email us at theparents@trendingparent.com