Tag Archives: Susan Case

Valentine’s Day 2013…The Many Faces of Love

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Valentine’s Day is a holiday that celebrates love. It began in honor of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Valentine’s Day was first associated with romantic love by Chaucer when he wrote a poem in 1382 to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.

“For this was seynt on Volantynys day

When every bryd cometh there to chese his make.”

Back in college, I took a course on Chaucer and Old English…it was the only college course I ever dropped…but here’s a translation those two lines: “For this was sent on Valentine’s Day, When every bird comes there to choose his mate.”

By the 15th Century, lovers would give each other flowers, candy and cards (which were known as Valentines.

Valentine's Day,The Many Faces of Love,www.positiveparentalparticipation.com

Then there was Hallmark…and the rest is history!

Valentine’s Day celebrates many types of love. According to psychologist Elaine Hatfield, there are two main types of love: Compassionate Love and Passionate Love. Compassionate love features mutual respect, attachment, affection and trust. Passionate love is filled with intense emotions, sexual attraction, anxiety and affection. Ideally, passionate love, which is transitory and short-lived, turns into compassionate love, which is enduring and long-lasting.

C.S. Lewis, in The Four Loves, identifies four categories of love: Affection or storge which is fondness through familiarity, Friendship or philia which is the strong bond that exists between people who have a common interests, Romance or eros, which is being in love or loving someone and Unconditional Love or agape which is the love of caring regardless of the circumstances.

But what of a parent’s love for a child…what type of love is that?

Valentine's Day,The Many Faces of Love,www.positiveparentalparticipation.com

Last night, I watched one of the old Leave It To Beaver episodes and I witnessed the four loves described by C.S. Lewis.

In the show, little Beaver loses his lunch money several days in a row. His parents warn him that he will be in trouble if it happens again. His father gives him money to go to the barber shop to get a haircut, but when the little boy gets there, he realizes he has lost the money again. His older brother agrees to help him and, when this results in ‘the haircut from hell’, the boys try to fool their parents by wearing hats.

  1. Affection or fondness through familiarity: This is evident in the day to day interaction…Beaver’s brother is almost always willing to help him; Beaver’s mom and dad are caring and understanding.
  2. Friendship or strong bond that exists between people: Beaver’s mom, “Kids are more afraid of losing their parents’ love than of being punished.”
  3. Romance or loving someone passionately: Beaver’s dad, “The trouble with being a parent is that you love your kids so much, you scare the pants off them.”
  4. Unconditional love: Beaver’s brother, “You can come to parents with any problem and they will understand.”

Happy Valentine’s Day! What are your plans for today? If you have young children, have fun with them…why not go for a walk, play ball, sing a silly song, draw a picture together, read a book with them. SHOW them as well as TELL them that you love them…every day. It will make a positive impact on the rest of their lives.

www.positiveparentalparticipation.com

There is still time to nominate your favorite literacy organization to win the International Book Giving Day $25 donation…please leave a comment on my post. Tomorrow we will choose the winner with Random.org.

And if you have the time, you can take a look at the Valentine’s Day/International Book Giving Day YouTube video I made yesterday with author/educator Susan Case: SHOW THE LOVE: INTERNATIONAL BOOK GIVING DAY. We shared several picture books and crafts and ideas on helping kids celebrate Valentine’s Day and International Book Giving Day. Susan is giving away TWO copies of her fantastic Happy Mommies Handbook…don’t miss out…leave a comment on her blog post: http://kindergartenbasics.blogspot.com/2013/02/celebrate-international-book-giving-day.html

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Halloween Hangouts on Google+

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#Halloween fun for #preschoolers

 

Need a few fresh ideas for Halloween?

 

Join these moms, teachers and other parenting experts in a Google+ Hangout!

 

I’m joining author and educator Susan Case on Thursday at 3:30pm CST…I hope you’ll hop over and say hello!

 

A full line up of HOAs celebrating
#parenting , #kids , and all things #Halloween
Monday
+ Join +Angelique Felix at 2:15 PM CST for a Witches story and cupcakes
Tuesday
+ Join +Angelique Felix at 2:15 PM CST for a Monster song and craft
+ Join +Susan Case and guest +Rachelle Doorley at 5:30 PM CST for Spooky Simple Science Recipes
Wednesday
+ Join +Holly Homer at 9:30 AM CST and guests as they discusses Candy Control
+ Join Kimberley Blaine and guests at 1:00 PM CST as they discuss children’s age differences and participation in Halloween
+ Join +Green Kid Crafts at 2:00 PM CST for Greening Your Halloween
+ Join +Angelique Felix at 2:15 PM CST for a Ghosts! story, song, and craft
Thursday
+ Join +Angelique Felix at 2:15 PM CST for a Black Cat! story and song
+ Join +Holly Homer at 9:00 PM CST for a discussion on Homemade Costumes
+ Join +Susan Case and +Vivian Kirkfield at 3:30 CST for Halloween book reading, craft and discussion on how picture books help children deal with their problems
Friday
+ Join +Angelique Felix at 2:15 PM CST for a Pumpkins! rhyme and song
Please come and connect with me and Susan Case on Thursday at 3:30CST…Halloween story reading by Susan…and a great Halloween craft with me…and how picture books can help your kids with their challenges!

Our show will be streamed to YouTube where you’ll be able to view it later on.

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Sunday Post: People: Who Are the Most Important People in Your Life?

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Jake at Time after Time has a Sunday Post Challenge and every week he provides a theme…this week’s theme is PEOPLE.

When I saw the theme, I immediately began thinking of the most important people in my life.  First, I thought of my husband.  We’ve been married over 45 years and still enjoy sitting on the couch, watching a good movie and walking down a country lane, hand in hand, talking about anything and everything under the sun.  Yes, I know, we are so very fortunate.

A WORD TO THE WISE:  Every relationship has its ups and downs and no one is perfect.  We all make mistakes…don’t be ashamed to say, “I’m sorry!”  Be consistent, be compassionate and think before you speak.

Then I thought about my children and grandchildren.  I love spending time with them…and count myself fortunate that they enjoy spending time with me as well.

WORD TO THE WISE:  Parenting young children is a difficult task…you need patience and energy and lots of love.  We all make mistakes…don’t be ashamed to say “I’m sorry!”  Be consistent, be compassionate and think before you speak.

Then I thought about my friends…some I’ve known for many years.  Jane and I met each other when we were only two years old…we played house and Superman and colored in coloring books and had picnics together in the park.  When we each got married, we continued that friendship and now, after sixty-three years, although we live thousands of miles apart, we are close in heart and soul.

WORD TO THE WISE: Friendship is a skill we need to teach our kids…how to care for and respect one another.  We all make mistakes…don’t be ashamed to say, “I’m sorry!”  Be consistent, be compassionate and think before you speak.

Then I thought about the friends I have made this past year in the blogging community…especially those who blog about writing and illustrating for children.  There are dozens of them…authors, illustrators, librarians, teachers, moms…and they inspire and encourage me to pursue my dream of seeing my own children’s picture books on the bookshelves of libraries and homes around the world.

Does this dream sound familiar?  Would you like to pursue your writing in an unbelievable setting?  Have you always wanted to go to Italy, but hesitated because you didn’t want to go alone or with a group of travelers with whom you have nothing in common?  Here is your golden opportunity to spend a week in Italy, learning and writing with a fantastic group of like-minded women.

A writer friend of mine has organized an amazing retreat for women writers in Florence, Italy.  It will take place from April 7-13, 2013. I cannot attend, but you might like to go. Julie has an overview of the retreat on her website, plus specific information about the Program, Faculty, Accommodation and Rates. If you do register, please let Julie know I sent you!

 

We have ten more days for nominations to give a dozen free copies of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cookingto schools or other childcare facilities.  Nominate your child’s school, or your own school if you are a teacher, in the Show Me How School Initiative by leaving a comment and telling us why you’d like that school or classroom to have this book.  If you don’t have young children, but know people who do, please tell them about the free book their child’s school can receive!  Please tweet this or spread the word across any of your social media networks.  At the beginning of October we will use Random.org to choose 12 lucky schools.

Author and educator Susan Case just did a fantastic review of Show Me How! on her Kindergarten Basics blog.  Click on the link if you’d like to see what she thinks about this award-winning resource that makes planning activities and spending quality time with your kids a SNAP!

Want to scoop up a copy of Show Me How! while you can still get FREE SHIPPING and a BONUS GIFT?  Please visit my book’s website.

Want more information about Jake’s Sunday Post?

http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/

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