Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness.

Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness.

The hours spent viewing TV are hours not available for actively participating in the real world, or playing, or being involved with friends and family. Watching television is an individual activity that tends to discourage interaction with others; as viewing time increases, family communication time decreases. As family communication decreases, people grow more distant from each other and may even forget how to carry on a good conversation.

Before I had my first child, I never really looked forward in anticipation to the future. As I watched my son grow and learn, I began to imagine the world this generation of children would live in. I thought of the children they would have, and of their children. I felt connected to life both before my time and beyond it. Children are our link to future generations that we will never see.

The Golden Rule of Parenting is; do unto your children as you wish your parents had done unto you!

In healthy families, children discover (through being listened to) that what they have to say is important and that their experiences and ideas (and they themselves) have worth. They are encouraged to think for themselves, express opinions, and make decisions for themselves. Parents supporting them in standing on their own two feet and doing what they think is right. Trusting and gaining confidence in themselves, they develop an inner locus of control.

We all enter the world with fairly simple needs: to be protected, to be nurtured, to be loved unconditionally, and to belong.