Impressions

Deborah Tompkins Johnson/Columnist
Published: June 21, 2008

Parents, my hat is off to you. So many of you do amazing things and make daily sacrifices to ensure your children are prepared to compete in our society, enjoy life and help others.

One such parent is a friend of mine whose daughter just graduated from high school. I was so proud of young Carrie and her mother. Her mother, who is a single parent, has groomed her daughter into a polite, intelligent and caring young lady. This accomplishment amazes me. In fact, usually when I meet a young person who has excelled in some manner, I congratulate the par-ent(s).

For those of you who have mastered child rearing or if you just work at it, again my hat's off to you. But there are some of us, and maybe you, too, who could use help in some areas of child rearing or nurturing. I say child nurturing for those of us who have children in our lives, but the children don't live with us. They are our grandchildren, nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends.

Standard Publishing offers a set of books entitled "I Want to Teach My Child About . . .." The series covers a broad scope: "I Want to Teach My Child About Man-ners," "I Want to Teach My Child About Fitness," "I Want to Teach My Child About Sex," "I Want to Teach My Child About . . ." "Money," "Media" and "Values."

The publishers call it "an on-the-go-guide for busy parents." Each book has 91 pages of text, photographs, lists, charts, quotes and colorful graphics. It is small enough to fit into a purse or briefcase, and maybe into a pocket. The books also list Web sites, books, games, toys, CDs and videos for parents and for kids.

Would you like to know a couple of the tips?

Each book has several "parent pointers." From "I Want to Teach My Child About Fitness," one suggestion is "If your child is overweight or lacks coordination, choose activities he can enjoy-without embarrassment. Go on walks, ride bicycles, or take a hike. Creatively insert exercise into his daily routine without making him feel self-conscious."

In "I Want to Teach Your Child About Manners" and all other books in the series, the authors include "target moments" like this one: "Remember: Your encourage-ment goes further than your correction. Take every opportunity to praise your child for heartfelt, good manners!"

I believe there's a child in all of us, regardless of our age. So, I am first going to read all of the books in the series, before I pass them on.

Read more about these books at Standardpub.com.

Please do let me know if you decide to read any of the books in the "I Want to Teach My Child About …" series.

Deborah Tompkins Johnson can be reached at .