I came across this article posted by Nanny.com and thought I would share it.
"How Was School Today?"
The Governor of Denver, John Hickenlooper, credits his mom for his teflon personality and ability to laugh in the face of mudslinging campaign ads directed at him. In one of his commercials, he takes shower after shower -- fully dressed -- to wash off the "mud" of negative campaign ads.
Such resilience is a quality all children could all benefit from -- Hickenlooper says that when he was a kid, his mom would talk to him each day after school, inevitably asking also, "Did you say anything mean to anyone today?" and "Did you say anything mean behind someone's back?" If he could honestly answer "No," he would get a star.
Note that Mrs. Hickenlooper didn't limit the conversation to this single question. The governor says that that she "would talk to him each day." Once you get it going, this kind of conversation is great for kids. Parents who get no response to "How was school today?" might try expanding things by telling what they themselves did, and how it worked out. Children need examples of how to communicate, how to converse. Let them know and feel the value of chatting about the day -- for a few moments or more, whatever it takes. Why should children be the only ones to tell about themselves?
For Hickenlooper there were gold, silver and red stars, and depending on how many he got of each, he would be rewarded. I didn't catch all the details of this story, heard on NPR, or know the nature of the reward, but the result was that Hickenlooper learned to laugh at himself and be kind to others.
What a Mom, that Mrs. Hickemlooper!
Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency
