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By Kim Estes
The feeling of fall is not quite in the air but one step into your local store and you will know that back to school season is in full swing!
Whether you are sending off your child to their first year of preschool or their senior year of high school there is a frenzy of back to school activity going on and lots of supplies that you will need to fill up those backpacks and lunch boxes.
This year, as your child heads off to school, it is equally important to fill up your child’s “Personal safety tool box” too!
Now is the time to talk about safety! Each school year brings new surroundings, new friends, new teachers and other adults that will interact with your children during the day.
Boundaries! Boundaries! Boundaries!
Talk to your kids about healthy boundaries, both emotional and physical. You can help small children with the concept of physical boundaries by identifying their “personal bubble” (usually arms length or about the size of a hula-hoop). Talk to your kids about how they might feel if when someone in their “space” is making them uncomfortable and what they can do and who they can talk to if they need help.
For older kids, identify the new adults (teachers, caregivers) that will interact with them this school year. Talk about what the “job descriptions” are for those adults.
Make sure you and your child identify a “safe grown up” that they can go to while at school. Practice some “what if” scenarios and what to do if a “tricky person” tried to get them to break a family safety rule (eg. Keeping a secret or getting into a car without checking first).
Make sure that your child knows that their bathing suit areas are private! If you have a preschooler, identify a safe grown up at school that is allowed to give them help in the bathroom if they need it.
Let your child know that they can come to you if anyone says or does anything that makes them uncomfortable or gives them the “uh-oh” feeling. Parents should make a point to ask their child each day, what their day was like. Ask open ended questions like “what was your favorite, least favorite, funniest, scariest, easiest or hardest part of your day?” Remaining interested in your child’s day to day activities is vital.
Take time during these last dog-days of summer to read some great safety books with your child. I Can Play It Safe by Alison Feigh , Please Knock by Erin Dolgan and It’s my body by Lory Freeman can help you to start the conversation in a non scary way. For a list of other recommended reading, you can go to our website www.pomwa.org
Feel free to contact us with your questions or concerns. We are here to help! Have a topic you want us to cover? Let us know!
About the Author: Kim Estes is the co-founder of the non-profit organization: Parent Education And Child Empowerment (P.E.A.C.E of Mind) www.pomwa.org . Kim has worked with parents for over 12 years, educating them on various parenting topics. Kim and her cohort in crime prevention, Sabrina, help liberate parents from fearful parenting! Through non fearful techniques and easy to apply parenting strategies they help empower families to be safe.
By Nancy Wurtzel
I’ve been experimenting with style this summer. Normally, at this time of year, I’m into a very “laid-back” look with an emphasis on comfort. This year, I’m going for a fashion statement that is a little more “with it” and chic, while still being comfortable.
My style update actually started last May when my hairdresser, Natalie – a young woman who is both charming and sweet – suggested a new haircut. I was ready for a big change, so Natalie worked her magic and gave me a terrific cut along with some fun color highlights that were perfect for summer. Isn’t it amazing how a really good hair style can make such a difference?
With a hint of warm weather in the air, I decided that I’d take my new look to the next level. I started with a major closet cleaning. Over the course of a weekend, I weeded out outfits that I’d had stashed away for decades. Out went the shirts that had seen better days, pants with pleats, jackets with huge shoulder pads and a variety of outfits that were just plain fashion mistakes.
It felt great to donate the boxes of clothes, shoes and accessories – and it was exciting to open up the closet space for new possibilities.
Then I hit the stores. When I started shopping, I kept in mind five things. First, I had to buy coordinates that could be easily mixed and matched. I was not going to fall into the trap of buying a skirt that was incredible, and then spend months looking for the perfect sweater to go with it. Next, the clothes had to look good and feel good, or I knew that I wouldn’t wear them.
Price was third on my list. Everything had to be either on sale or from a discount store, but this is pretty easy because that’s how I always shop. Fourth, even though I do shop with a sale in mind, I wanted to go outside of my comfort zone. So, the goal for me was to explore new stores and try different brands and styles.
Finally, I had to keep all receipts and not remove any tags until I decided that my purchase was something that I really wanted to keep.
The shopping actually went great, because for the very first time in my life I had a plan of action. I kept an open mind and ventured into stores and departments that I’d always previously avoided. Sure, I had my moments in the dressing room when something really looked ridiculous, but overall the shopping trips were pretty successful.
After I had the new clothes, I decided to wear them for everyday. In the past, I’d always “saved” my newest outfits and only wore them on occasion – a business meeting or having lunch with a friend. You get the picture. If I was just going out to run errands or a trip to the grocery store, I didn’t put much thought into what I was wearing. But this time, I decided to wear all of my cool new clothes – along with a little make-up and a few accessories.
The result has been pretty amazing.
My updated style has actually given me new confidence. I know this, because people are telling me that I look younger, happier and very “together.” Who wouldn’t feel a little more confident when people are telling you that? I’ve also been told that I look thinner – although, truth be told, I’ve not lost any weight.
I’m proud to say that I’m really developing a style that suits me. And, I’m not saving my new clothes for only special events – I’m wearing them everyday and loving it. It took me decades of shopping to get out of my comfort zone, but I’m not going to dwell on what could have been. I’m off to the grocery store in a new outfit and feeling great.
Just think it all started with a haircut!
About the Author:
Nancy Wurtzel is the owner of All About Baby at www.allbaby.com, an online store that specializes in personalized and memorable gifts for babies and young children. Nancy has over 20 years of marketing experience. She also consults with individuals seeking to enter the internet marketplace or grow their existing ecommerce business.
What is it that makes Paris Hilton such an American icon (albeit a questionable one) these days?
Is it her talent? Her money? Her looks?
No, actually it’s none of that.
It’s the fact that she seems to be all over the front page (both literally and figuratively) every where you look. She’s dining here, dancing there, on the arm of a new paramour today, arrested for drunk driving tomorrow.
She just keeps popping up – all over the place! And we can’t get enough.
What would that kind of exposure do for your next product (or program) launch?
Take a leaf from Paris’ page. When you’re promoting a new product or program, don’t rely on a single email to create the media frenzy that results in a big “Paris” splash. Make sure your product pops up everywhere – in your newsletter, in your press releases, in your emails, on your blog.
You don’t want every reference to be a specific pitch to buy. That would be pretty tacky, not to mention a bore for your fans.
You can mention it in passing - for example you could begin your newsletter with something like this. . .
“Sorry this week’s issue is late. I was up all night working on my new ‘How to Create Your Free Taste in 21 Days or Less’ product. It’s going to be fabulous, but it meant I overslept which put my schedule way behind! So here’s today’s article.”
OR you could do a blog post like this. . .
“Thank you to everyone who responded to my survey on what I should cover in my ‘How to Create Your Free Taste in 21 Days or Less’ product. Your suggestions were invaluable.”
OR you could include a PS about it in an email on a different topic.
Get the idea?
The level of income a product generates for you is much more closely related to how much publicity it gets than to how terrific it is. Your product deserves to be noticed, and that happens through repetition.
Sure, it helps that she has a famous last name, but Paris is now famous in her own right just by dint of the amount of exposure she gets.
So, give your next product launch the old “Paris Hilton” treatment.
P.S. Did you notice how I cleverly modeled my own advice and dropped hints about my upcoming information product, “Get More Leads! How to Create Your Irresistible Free Taste and Get It in Your Prospect’s Hands In 21 Days or Less” <wink, wink>
©2008 Helen Graves
Helen Graves, Grand Poohbah of Crackerjack Online Marketing Strategy, is an expert at showing soul-inspired entrepreneurs how to attract eager clients with simple, effective internet marketing strategies.
Visit www.Product-Campaign.com to get a hold of her online marketing campaign strategy resource, “The 5 Crucial Keys to Creating Desire So Your Products and Programs Sell Like Hotcakes”