Cornucopia Kids

It is entirely possible to remain an affluent, achieving parent and avoid raising Cornucopia Kids, but it takes a little know-how. Here are seven of the most commonly encountered parental vulnerabilities that lead to loss of parental power and untimately, the inability to parent effectiviely:

Dynamic #1: Giving as a way to avoid confrontation or rejection.
Dynamic #2: Giving "things" as a substitute for time.
Dynamic #3: Giving as a response to marital conflict.
Dynamic #4: Giving as a compensation for childhood deprivation.
Dynamic #5: Giving to compensate for puritanical parenting.
Dynamic#6: Giving as a response to community image needs.
Dynamic #7: To give is easier than to deny.

Certainly not all kids who grow up in middle-class families will become Cornucopia Kids. In fact, effective parenting , combined with the opportunity afforded by relative affluence can be a very positive effect on childrens' life skills. At all ages, Cornucopia Kids exhibit a pattern of behavior characteristics that together define this very maladaptive style of relating to work, to others and to life in general. Here are ten signs to look for.

Characterisitic #1: Your child demands only the best.
Characterisitic #2: A high need for constant stimulation is present.
Characterisitc #3: There is a consistent pattern of incompletion.
Characterisitc #4: There is a deep need for acceptance by others.
Characterisitc #5: The capacity for compassion is underdeveloped.
Characterisitc #6: A clear contempt for material things.
Characterisitc #7: Self-indulgences and excess are behavior themes.
Characterisitc #8: You see an all-to-easy deceitfulness.
Characterisitc #9: Problems with performance.
Characterisitc #10: There is a strong 'present' orientation.

No matter what their age, now is the time to begin Mastery Motivation in all your children. Healthy parenting values are perhaps the strongest possible way to do that. Here are 10 suggestions to help you instill Mastery Motivation in your children.

Motivator #1: Give your child regular work responsibilities.
Motivator #2: Refrain from giving your child so many 'freebies'.
Motivator #3: Severely limit television viewing, especially any violence.
Motivator #4: Give your child sensitivity training.
Motivator #5: Insist on completion as a personal value.
Motivator #6: Help your child deal adaptively with failure.
Motivator #7: Legitimize personal values over conformity.
Motivator #8: Make your child personally accountable.
Motivator #9: Engage your child in cooperative projects.
Motivator #10: Create clear boundaries for work.

"Character is destiny." As a responsible parent, it is your mandate to instill integrity instead of indulgence; to create character, not conformity; to build motivation rather than materialism; to demand sensitivity in lieu of selfishness. Through that process, you will grow in wisdom and your child will grow in maturity.

Bruce Baldwin, " Giving Children Too Much May be Giving Too Little"

From The National Institutes of Health

Under the direction of the NIH, the National Institute of Child Health and Development, the findings concerning the debate on infant/child swim lessons in their update of March 2, 2009 were announced:

Providing very young children with swimming lessons appears to have a protective effect against drowning and does not increase childrens risk of drowning, reported researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

The researchers state that the findings should ease concerns among health professionals that giving swimming lessons to children from ages 1-4 years might indirectly increase drowning risk by making parents and caregivers less vigilant when children are near bodies of water.

"Swimming lessons are appropriate for consideration as part of a comprehensive drowning prevention strategy," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the NIH Institute at which the study was conducted. "Because even the best swimmers can drown, swimming lessons are only one component of a comprehensive drowning prevention strategy that should include pool fencing, adult supervision, and training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation."

The findings appear in the March Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.



My comments: This is the first extensive study done. One day the researchers may also include the safety factor of "Summer Safety" that many swim schools have in their curriculum. La Petite Baleen was one of the first in the nation to have such a curriculum. Since we have known for decades that a child's brain is developed for gross motor skills from before birth to four years old, and the best window of opportunity to easily teach a child swimming is at this time. It is wonderful to see the two pieces of information coincide...finally! So often we have had amazing stories of our own students who have used their swim skills wisely to keep a situation from turning sad.

Happy Splashing,

Lita-Irene