Teamwork

The Key To Success is attainable by most children. It becomes a matter of how much each child wants to achieve it. How each child gets there varies, as they encounter different obstacles, expectations, and guidance. Some children can instinctively do a skill with great ease, while others may have to work hard to obtain a higher level of success pertaining to a specific skill.

Children need to understand that parents want what is best for their kids. Once Mom and Dad became Parents, their lives changed forever. Their mission is to provide the best life possible for their children, and to prepare them to go off on their own one day.

As mentioned on the home page, the obesity epidemic facing the youth of the world influenced the design of this web site (read here). It is important to understand that learning about effort can help a child lead a healthier lifestyle.

Concern/Suggestion

This section was complied by dozens of families though a short survey. The concerns and suggestions come from both parents and children (ages 5-17). Each member of the panel was asked to write down one comment about effort. Once the comments were collected, the panel came up with the best possible solutions for each specific situation. As more credible concerns and suggestions are sent in, they will be posted here. Hopefully, the suggestions here will be useful to the visitors of the web site. Please note: Not all concerns or suggestions listed here are health related, but possibly a blue print for success that may be applied to other areas of life, including children's health or fitness.

Please note: There may be spelling or grammatical errors in this section as the concerns and suggestions were placed exactly as written by the volunteer participants.

Concern: My child gets involved in too many technology projects and seems to have too little time to exercise or perform school work! Their use of technology has caused their grades to deteriorate, and caused them to become sedentary. I just do not feel like they are giving 100% effort.

Suggestion: Learn to balance your child's schedule. There is time in the day for technology, exercise, and school work using basic time management skills. Children should sit down with their parents and work out a schedule with them that includes:

• Some of the things children want to do.
• Some of the things parent's want their children to do.
• Expectations for both parent and child.
• Boundaries.

This way, the parents know children are accomplishing their school work and getting involved in some form of exercise, while the children still do some things that are important to them. Remember to compromise and be fair. A little extra effort goes a long way.

Concern: My parents seem to get very mad at me if I do not succeed in my academics. They ask me to go to my room and study more. They tell me they are practicing tough love, but I just do not understand what that means.

Suggestion: The term tough love refers to the tough manner in which your parents handled a situation. For example, if a child failed their science test because their parents allowed them to watch TV instead of studying, the parents did not practice tough love. But - if the parents made the child go to their room and study instead of going to the movies with their friends, the parents did practice tough love. They know that tough love will help you to succeed in life.

Concern: I always feel like I have to yell or punish my child when they do not meet my expectations. I need to tell them to go outside and play over and over again. When it comes to homework, I always have to ask them to do it. I just feel like they are not motivated to achieve success unless I push them.

Suggestion: Children should tell their parents they do not need to be reminded to play outside or do homework. Children should let the parents know it will get done on its own everyday, without reminders. Children should prove to their parents this is something they can achieve on their own. Just a reminder to the children, if you fail to produce, you are back to square one again.

Concern: I see other children achieve higher levels of success quicker than my child. I don't feel like they give their best effort. I would like them to go the extra mile, instead of just status quo.

Suggestion: Talk to your child's teacher or coach to see their thoughts. If they feel the same way, let your child know gently that there has to be some type of improvement, and an increase in effort. Communicate with your child giving as much positive reinforcement as possible.

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