FIRST DAD'S MESSAGE OF LOVE

FIRST DAD'S MESSAGE OF LOVE OBAMA'S LETTER: 'WHAT I WANT FOR YOU & ALL KIDS'

When I read this letter, I thought “Wow!” Not just because Barack Obama is going to be our president next week, but look at the love! Feel the hope!

I always speak and write about parents nurturing and loving their children. And one does not have to be a president to do this. Loving children, yours and other people’s takes compassion, and a deep caring for our most innocent – our children.

And you don’t have to be a parent to nurture and love children. Many single people or couples without children can show the same compassion, love and nurturing that President Elect Obama shows and feels. WHY? Because if we don’t, what will our future look like in 10 or 20 years?

If we don’t, we might be looking at a generation of adults who didn’t have a good education and can barely earn a living. Or a generation of adults who are criminals or substance abusers, or child and spousal abusers. Or a generation of adults who are filled with hatred for their fellow man because that’s what they were taught by their role models. Or… sadly, a generation of adults who continue the cycle of how badly there were treated.

Certainly none of these scenarios would have challenged these adults as children, nor would they have been inspired to do better or to create a safe and prejudice-free world. None of these scenarios would bring us future leaders and people who give back.

To love and nurture children and want the very best for them, you can be an ordinary parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, neighbor or friend. You can challenge and inspire them, and instill in them self-esteem and confidence, so that they can strive to be anything –even President of the United States. It just takes love, nurturing and respect.

If you need help, ask someone. Take parenting classes. Contact Love Our Children USA.

If President Elect Obama’s letter of love and hope for his children and all children hasn’t challenged and inspired every parent in the U.S.to be the best and most loving parents they can be, then it’s a sad time for the future of our children, their children, and future generations.

Why not write a letter of love to your children – today? Give your children hope for their future.

You can read the First Dad's Message of Love this Sunday in Parade Magazine or click here to view at Parade online.

Ross Ellis
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Love Our Children USA

Renew America With A Day of Service January 19, 2009

Ordinary people living ordinary lives is all it takes to make things happen in your community. President-Elect and Michelle Obama are asking the country to volunteer and renew America on Monday, January 19th … One Single Day of Service.

It can be handing out flyers about bullying prevention which has reached epidemic proportions, mentoring a child, cleaning up parks, volunteering at a homeless shelter, serving food to the hungry … or anything that will help those less fortunate.

Contact Love Our Children USA if you want to hand out flyers on Bullying Prevention or visit USA Call To Service to find an opportunity in your area.

No matter what you do, you will helping to renew the USA, offering help and hope. Please join the Obamas and Love Our Children USA! Make it a day of service… a day of caring … a day of renewal!

Positive Parenting

Knowing that the world we live in today is very different, Love Our Children USA recognizes that we must redefine parenting.No one is a perfect parent and there is no magical way to raise children. And we know kids can be challenging!Parenthood and caring for a child is a gift bestowed upon us which comes with the greatest responsibility and pledge … to guarantee the safety, nurturing, loving environment and physical and emotional wellness of our children … for ALL children!Anyone and everyone can learn good parenting skills. Even parents who are overwhelmed, or alone. The first three years of your child’s life are crucial. Those are the years that your child will develop significant intellectual, emotional and social abilities. That’s when they learn to give and accept love. They learn confidence, security, and empathy … they learn to be curious and persistent …everything your child needs to learn to relate well to others, and lead a happy and productive life. The first three years are the doorway to forever!Positive Parenting Means:- Treating Kids With Respect, Kindness and Compassion- Showing your love – Nurture your children and tell them every day "I love you. You're special." Give lots of hugs and kisses.- Understanding- Negotiation- Listening to your children tells them that you think they're important and that you're interested in what they have to say.- Giving Praise and Encouragement - When your children learn something new or behave well, tell them you're so proud of them. Criticize the behavior, not the child. Teaching your child to do the right things is better than constantly punishing bad behavior.- Reinforcing Positive Behavior- Providing order in their lives. Keep a regular schedule of meals, naps and bedtimes. If you have to change the schedule, tell them about the changes ahead of time.- Setting Boundaries- Make Your Children Feel Protected. Comfort them when they're scared. Show them you've taken steps to protect them and keep them safe.- Reflecting on Our Parent Role Models- Helping Kids Find Solutions to Their Own Problems- Building Children's Self-Esteem- Teaching Kids How to Deal With Sibling Rivalry, Anger, Peer Pressure, Bullying, etc .- Spending Time With Your Children. Do things together, like reading, walking, playing and cleaning house. What children want most is your attention. They usebad behavior as a way of getting your attention.- Being Consistent and firm in enforcing rules and explaining the reasons for the rules in words your child can understand. Consistent means the rules are the same all the time. If two parents are raising a child, both need to use the same rules.Do you feel like you need help?You can contact Love Our Children USA for parenting classes in your area, sign up for parenting classes offered by hospitals, community centers or schools. Read parenting books or magazines. Talk to your pediatrician, family doctor, a minister, a priest or a counselor. Don't be embarrassed to ask for parenting help. Raising children is not easy and no one can do it alone. Your doctor can also help you find local groups that can help you learn better parenting skills.To receive Love Our Children USA’s newsletters and updates visit www.loveourchildrenusa.org

Continuing the Cycle of Love and Nurturing
When a child pushes a parent’s buttons or misbehaves, sometimes all a parent can do is to lose their temper or speak harshly to their child. And sometimes …a parent treats their child the way they were treated …with anger and violence – continuing the cycle. Today, parents are more sophisticated than they were 20 or 30 years ago. And they’re busier and overwhelmed. By continuing the cycle of how our parents treated us when we were children isn’t necessarily positive parenting. That doesn’t always mean our parents were bad parents –it might mean they were continuing the cycle of how they were treated. It’s time to break the cycle today! Whether you’re a parent who is over-whelmed or one who is continuing the cycle … think back to your childhood. How were you treated?Did you live in a loving home? Or did you live in an angry and violent home?If you lived in a loving home, then you will want to continue that cycle with your children.If you lived in an angry and violent home, you remember what growing up was like. It was sad, lonely and frightening.Is that the kind of home you want your child to grow up in?By loving and nurturing your children and treating them with kindness, respect and understanding, you are ending an old cycle and beginning a new one.You CAN stop the violence, anger and neglect BEFORE it ever starts!Take a deep breath, count to ten, seek help through anger management and parenting classes or consult with a psychologist. The caring, compassion, love and respect you show your children will make such a difference in your relationship with your children and you -- and your entire family. Children understand positive behaviors.Become a parent who loves and nurtures your child enough to grow up to become a happy and healthy adult who continues that cycle!What a wonderful gift to give your children ... and their children, and theirs, and theirs, and theirs ... etc!If you need help or resources to break the cycle of anger and violence and begin a new cycle of love and nurturing, please contact Love Our Children USA.