September Changes Fill the Air with Anticipation

I can feel fall changes in the air.........

Our 1985 cream-colored colt churned and turned around the Rocky Mountain roads like a champ. I could hardly contain myself as I took in the sheer beauty of orange, yellow, and multicolored leaves. The breath-taking scenery was like going to a church revival. My whole outlook on life was renewed.
We had been to the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina almost every year, but never in the fall. You have to remember that living in Florida, one does not experience a definite change or temperature, nor do we see beautiful, colorful leaf changes.
However, like everyone else, even without fall leaves, September means change. It means the beginning of school, migration for birds, a new football season, chili, and new fashion for clothing.
Even though the temperature in Florida still looms around the low 90s, I can still feel a twing of something about to change.
Perhaps it is this change in the air that is somehow flowing to my heart and giving me a sense of newness and a longing for positive adventure. After all, change is the only certainty in life.

For inspiration, here are some quotes regarding change:
Tolstoy: Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

Oliver Cromwell: He who stops being better stops being good.
Anne Frank: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world.

Teen awareness month to give wake up call to teen trends. (Select here to read this valuable article). Evangelicals have name September for this timely cause.
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September also is a time to thing about safety for children and teens:

Parents, Grandparents, click here to learn about how to protect children through the Power of Parents Program. This is a nationwide child safety program provided by Duracell and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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Bullying and Cyberbullyiing – great information:
Here is a family's true story about cyberbullying that you don't want to miss. Read how the middle school did NOT do anything to help.
More about bullying: http://www.linkup-parents.com/bullies.htm contains a heart-warming and wisdom-packed letter to Sam, an autistic child by Daniele Gottlieb.
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Did you know that are young people are dropping out of high school in large numbers? Oprah has been talking about it. Is there anything we can do? Click here to read Connect for Kids annotated links to key reports on this dropout crisis:

Frannie’s’ s picks for Family Fall Fun:

Celebrating The Fall Harvest~Games & Activities For Kids

Fall Activities - crafts for kids, word searches and autumn ...


Thirty days hath September
,April, June and November;
February has twenty eight alone
All the rest have thirty-one
Except in Leap Year, that's the time
When February's Days are twenty-nine

This September poem that dates back to the 16th century has helped me since I was a child: (We can now pass it on to our children and grandchildren.) See my web site for an exciting creative contest regarding poems that teach things to children. Just log on to http://www.goodcharacterpress.com

I hope your Sept. Days are fun-filled, healthy and happy!

Fran,

web mistress for Good Character Press.

How Will Your Teen Face Bullying and Peer Pressure When Going Back to School?

As I was reading the wonderful articles on teaching teens and children about such issues as bullying, self esteem and peer pressure, I thought to myself, If only this had been available for me when I was in school. I wonder if my life would have turned our differently? I wonder if my life would have been easier?Yes, my parents loved me and provided for me, but somewhere along the line I missed the boat. My parents always looked at my report card, but there wasn’t some kind of report card to see if I was coping with life or even knew what to do in certain situations.Since I was the youngest of three girls and my parents were not into sports, I couldn’t even throw or catch a ball. At school, two good players were chosen by the teacher as team leaders. They, in turn, would then “pick" their team. One team leader would call out a name and then the other team leader would call out another name until everyone was on a team. I was always the very last one to be chosen. I wish I would have know how to deal with that. And how not to feel bad the rest of the day and dread the next day when the same thing would take place.At least I did have the “honesty thing" down pat. One summer, during my high school years, I received my report card in the mail. I knew I didn’t deserve the grade that was given to me. Now you are going to think I am a little bit touched in the head, but I just had to contact the teacher and tell him it was a mistake. It wasn’t a mistake. The teacher graded on the curve. Even now, I only want what is honestly mine. On occasion, when I tell a white lie, I think to myself how futile this is and sometimes wind up confessing. Due to my Christian up-bringing, to accept otherwise would cause me lack of peace and nothing is more precious than peace. That philosophy has served me well, as life has been good to me. Please don’t get me wrong. I am not a saint. I have plenty of faults and am still learning some life lessons. Why didn’t someone tell me about cliques? Why didn’t I know just to be myself, my real authentic self, instead of trying to fit into a group? If someone would have said, “Will the real Fran Larson please stand up," maybe I would have stood and found where I belong. I would have been enormously happy and would have seen that I was an “OK" person.I think I would have been forever grateful if I had been taught, “How to deal with peer pressure." When I was a teenager, my friend talked me into staying out hours after my curfew. I was convinced it was “ok" because she said it was . I learned the hard way how miserable you can be when you succumb to peer pressure.. When I got home and saw the worried and hurt look on my parent’s face, I was totally devastated. I wish I would have tried to please my parents that night, not my peers. Would a lesson in peer pressure have helped? Did I even understand what peer pressure was? Perhaps a class discussion on the subject would have been remembered or even a book that explained these issues.I didn’t know that even as an adult, I would remember the look on my mother’s face the day I lied to her…………it still haunts me………I was just thinking……..
Tips on How to Stop a Bully

Use positive body language. Stand up straight. Look the bully in the eyes. Walk with your shoulders back and your head held high. Your body language should say, "I am strong and in control!

Use mind control. Think to yourself - you don't deserve to be treated like this and you are not afraid of a bully. The bully has no control over you. You are now in charge.

Develop some strong and true friendships. Find others who share your interests and values. Stand up for your friends and they will stand up for you.

Surprise the bully by doing something really unexpected. A funny quote or silly joke can catch the bully off guard and make him or her back off and think of you in a whole new way.
(From Our Book: Character Keys to a Bright Future. See our site at: http://www.goodcharacterpress.com