Dear Readers,

Putting H20 to Go! in Perspective, too!

I thought it might be a good idea to take a moment,

and let you know how  H20 to Go! moves along. 

I suddenly realized that this is not like an actual book

where you can flip through the content page and see future chapters.

I have been entering them as we go along.Content Page/Links

So, how would you know how it all connects?

 

We move from Heart in Chapter One to Humor in Chapter Two  to Perspective in Chapter Three on the road to Optimism. 

There is lot to cover in Perspective, especially in relationship to specific school issues:

Bullies, Popularity, Teachers and Grades

In each of these specific categories, I try to offer practical applications.

 

I also talk about coaches/extra-curricular-When Not To Quit which continues my emphasis on how to redirect focus

more positively, so that kids do not get stuck in a moment in time by any one person or in any one circumstance.

and why having a passion might conflict with the here and now, but can also be a Godsend for middle and high schoolers.

The negative side of Having a Passion is Being Advanced but Not Mature and I show how talent can mislead us into thinking

our kids can handle a lot more than they can actually support emotionally.

 

There is also Homework for the Road--for us and for our children. 

For us, it is establishing moral grounding so that our children can travel with empathy, ethics, and emotional strength,

as well as presenting a philosophy about two very significant issues-

Manners and Money

Equally important is our Second Parent Moment of Truth--being there for our children.

 

For our children, homework is learning How to Take Responsibility for actions and decisions

and how to act towards others in the outside world. I discuss the Philosophy of Money and Manners.

Again, these are long-term life lessons.

Whatever I talk about can be applied to life,

and so it is, in effect, emotional skill building for our children's adulthood.

 

Then there are the Trips and Stumbles,

Falls and Crashes that will inevitably occur

in some form with all children. 

When things really get out of whack or off course,

Heart, Humor, Perspective and Optimism join together

to play a powerful group role in guiding our children

out of harm's way and back on a safe path.

 

Finally, I move from Middle School to High School when we need a fresh and honest assessment of our child as a 9th grade student;

when future thinking becomes important and Optimism comes to fore.  

High School becomes a look forward. 

All the groundwork laid by Heart, Humor, Perspective and Optimism

come into play with peer issues and moral dilemmas, academic pressures and pursuits.

Optimism will fuel motivation and motivation will set goals. 

Disappointments, setbacks and redirection are all part of this scenario just as they are a part of Life.

Our high schoolers are re-examining who they are, and face a host of Moral dilemmas and Tough Choices that I like to 

call the graduate course of talking responsibility. Here is where their future character really starts to developand be tested.

They also must absorb a great deal of Optimism, and understand that their present is only one moment in time,

and as long as they continue to grow, and move forward,

they will reach a very positive future destination. 

 

 

Everything in H20 is connected. 

Heart offers trust, security. warmth and the joy of laughter. 

Humor, a balance, an outlet, and future perspective. 

Perspective a focus and an escape route.

They are all steps to growing emotional resilience

and protecting our children from the dangerous elements as they journey to adulthood.

 

The bottom line is this:

I want with all my heart for children to grow enough emotional resilience

to face whatever life throws at them. 

I want with all my heart for the suicide rate to go down, amongst teens and young adults 

I want with all my heart for children to believe in a tomorrow,

and in their power to direct their future.

It is crucial that kids learn how to overcome and move forward

before they graduate from high school, leave home and enter the next phase of their lives.

But, while I might be knee deep in talking Perspective,

there is always space to just look at our child and hug him/her and say-

I love you so-o-o-o much/I believe in you/

Tomorrow is another day/Good Times always follow bad.  And just as importantly,

there should always be time to laugh about a predicament,

to find the silly in someone, or the whimsy in something.

 

God Bless,

And God Bless our children, twice.

Margo Judge

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