How about for your entire family?

Dear Parent,

In our “Ohana SEL+ Program” we have been focusing on HARD WORKand HABITS. These are the key to your child’s success now and in the future. Remind them “Hard work beats talent and brains every time!”

So, how has your child been doing with their morning routine habit? Don’t expect them to be perfect. Just keep them working on it and above all, do not let them give up! Like everything else in life, habits just take practice.

If your child has done well, congratulations as a parent. Now what? Don’t lose this opportunity to keep the momentum going. Help your child figure out what their next habit will be. Just start a discussion about what area of their lives they want to change the most. Give them the responsibility of choosing. Then support them and hold them to it. Why? Because it is your family culture and “just how we do it in our family”.

Want to take it to an even higher level? What about a new “family” habit? Maybe sit down as a family and let your child come up with a habit for the whole family. Maybe it is getting up 15 minutes earlier and everyone in the family sitting down for a nice calm long breakfast/talk where you are not in a hurry. How about making sure everyone eats a nice dinner together. Or, maybe setting aside 10 minutes at the end of dinner where the whole family has a good family talk. How about a 15-minute walk and talk in the morning before heading off to school? Or, maybe a new eating habit.

Then, let your child be in charge of making sure your family does the habit, not you.

If you do go this family habit route, let me know. I would love to hear what you’ve come up with and how you do! (Besides, if you let me know what you are doing it helps by making you accountable.)

Yours for strong kids,

Sensei