BARB'S GENEALOGY TIDBITS-FAMILY STORIES HELP SELF-ESTEEM

The whole notion of telling your children and grandchildren about their family history having a ripple effect on mental health is a good thing.
How many family historians are concerned family members will just ditch their stuff?
Well the theory now is knowing about your family and where you belong in the world have beneficial mental health consequences.
The biggest buzz word is enhancing a child's self-esteem.
Go figure.
Personally my family history journey started 35 years ago. Along with knowing my ancestors and digging deeper for their stories was my therapy.
The knowledge of what my ancestors experienced gave a greater understanding of the people I knew and me.
Knowing my roots gave a calming effect to my life. Knowing those people who gave me my gene pool gave a sense of belonging.
Children need to belong. So understanding their roots, their cultural base, their family members is a good thing.
So the next time someone poo poos your genealogical endeavors bring up these points. It's good for your self-esteem and that's that!!
#familystorieshelpselfesteem#genealogicalpursuitshelpmentalh#reflectivethoughtsbybarbara#barbaradimambro3writingthosefamilyhistorystories

NANA SAYS ENJOY YOUR CHILD'S LITTLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

And they will lead to good self-esteem. Parents have a lot of power in their children's lives. They are always looking to us for approval. Look at my drawing! Read to me! With older children, they may tease the younger ones just to get your attention. Comparing children's school achievements can be very touchy. There will always be a brighter child in any family. The parenting skills come with acknowledging each child uniquely and not comparing. I remember when my girls had their first part-time jobs. Actually for both it was in a donut shop. I went and visited them to see how they were doing. I saw the pride on their faces when they were serving a customer well and tidying the tables. All the birthday parties were at home. The girls planned the menu and decorated with me. I was proud of their organizational skills developing. Guess what? When it came to planning their weddings, both girls tackled it with skill, knowledge and organizational abilities. Little accomplishments lead to big accomplishments. We have a role as grandparents too in valuing each grandchild individually. More than one fridge in any family can become full of "art work" by little hands. Attending concerts or sports and encouraging our children in all walks of life is important. Occasionally, our children pay us back by telling us what a good job we are doing or thank us for being there during all the rough patches. Have you told a little one today how proud you are? Do you acknowledge the accomplishments of the children/grandchildren in your life?

STRESS WITHOUT DISTRESS

Was a book written by Hans Selye in 1974. He was a professor at the University of Montreal. It was a marker for theory on stress. He really advised observing the wisdom of the body. Mr. Selye believed in altuistic egotism by helping others, gaining their goodwill and trust for your good. Thus you have a sense of security and self-esteem. His motto was to earn your Neighbour's love. Interesting to revisit a book from university days. Stress does mean different things to different people. Some stress in our lives gives us motivation to perform, strive and even achieve. Too much negative stress can cause heightened anxiety and even affect our immune system. Too little stress can lead to boredom. There is so much literature written on stress and how to cope with it. Do you have strategies you use to cope with the stressors in your life? Are you tired of being told don't stress the small things? When we take care of the little problems, the big problems take care of themselves! It is also wise advice - I just don't know who said it first.