On the dawn of my daughter entering Pre-K, I have been engaging in much conversation about the public school system and what is expected of our children.  This lecture is at the root of my concern for pushing children so hard in the academics at such a young age.  It is part of my concern for the lessening of programs such as art, music and even recess.

What are your thoughts?

Not all school systems are bad and not all teachers are unmotivated.  Parents should keep a pulse on how the children are thriving… not only academically, but how they are thriving as children, young adults and creative beings.  All children are different, learn differently and have individual and unique needs.

My husband and I have enrolled my four year old in pre-K this week… half way through the school year.  It seemed to be the right time and the right school for both my daughter and me.  Today we visited the Montessori School and feel it is a great match for her for next year.

I feel blessed to have opened my mind to looking into these schools and for the people I have had many long and intense conversations around this subject.  I want to thank my brother, Steve, who has been a teacher, principal and Superintendent of school districts for having patience, guidance and love in watching me grow through this.

This video was sent to me tonight by @ParentsWhoCare.  Steve, thank you for being you and for caring!  You are awesome!

To all those seeking and all those who come into our lives and enrich us with knowledge- as Steve says, “People come into your life for a reason.” Thank you Steve (both of you) for coming into my life!

Do you school, home school or un-school? I would love to know you thoughts, inspirations or feelings on this hot topic! Please leave your comment!

Follow me on this thought while watching this video. I think you will agree with me that this child has his mother’s outlook on the world…. and the world looks back in awe!

Smile and the world smiles back… what inspiration! I love how this mother from the beginning spoke to this child of what he COULD do and not what he was lacking. I love that she allows him to go into the world and not feel like she has to protect him from getting hurt. This is a brave woman and I honor her. It is not easy to see our babies hurting, we naturally want to protect them. Sometimes we protect them by allowing them to fly, like the eagle has to push the baby out of the nest and watch them develop their wings on the way down, so are we called to let our children be the biggest, strongest and best they can be. It is not always easy, but it what we mothers are born to do!

My heart and my love go out to all you mother warriors out there!
Christine Hiebel

You will discover many tributes from EFT’ers as well as an exclusive interview with Gary Craig, especially recorded for the first day of the tribute.

Join the rest of the EFT community in celebrating the work, passion and commitment of Gary Craig and hear how he hopes the process will progress. He talks about his work with war trauma and the veterans, and also answers some of those questions that are currently being asked about his retirement, his website and other topics.

From Sunday the 10th of January at 3 p.m. EST / 8 p.m. GMT you will be able to hear the first four audios and over the seven days a total of over 30 audios, given including:

Day One:
Gary Craig, Ann Adams, Patricia Carrington, Carol Look
Day Two:
Emma Roberts, Alina Frank, Gwyneth Moss, Marie Holliday
Day Three:
Sue Beer, Brad Yates, Andy Bryce, Judy Byrne
Day Four:
Rue Hass, Maryam Webster, Sophia Cayer, Jacqui Crooks
Day Five:
Rick Wilkes, Pamela Bruner, Paul Zelizer, Tania Prince
Day Six:
Linda Wood, Gwen Bonnell, Tapas Fleming, Steve Wells, Karin Davidson
Day Seven:
Sue Beer, Ingrid Dinter, Sasha Allenby, Jacqui Davis, David Rourke
and bonus audio!

Also join Gary Williams and EFT Masters and Practitioners for a live broadcast! The first at 3 p.m. EST / 8 p.m. GMT on Sunday the 10th of January. Also Thursday the 14th of January, and the last day, Sunday the 17th of January, all at the same time as above. We look forward to sharing and discussing the future of EFT with you.

Sign-up and find out more…

http://www.thetappinghub.com

I hope you can join us and I would also like to thank all who have helped to make this Gary Craig tribute happen.

Many Blessings
Till & Tappy

P.S
All the above audio will be available in the EFT World Hub after the event.
http://www.eftworldmagazine.com

Give your own tribute and sign-up for the event at:
http://www.eftworldhub.com

Seat With A View

I am writing this from 36,000 ft in the air! I am flying on Delta and they have WiFi internet! How fun it that! I have been skyping my four year old (who is vacationing with her friend Ethan in Florida! ). I think it is great for parents to travel away from their children every once in awhile. It is always hard for me, but I think it is the best thing for both of us (first knowing that she is safe though!)

I believe that the few trips has helped my daughter to understand that I will come back after I leave! It is amazing how many children are still struggling with that at the age of four. There is a fine line of not enough independence and too much independence. It is good for a child to start understanding they can be safe and the parent will come back. Getting a baby sitter, having them in play dates, pre-school and other activities are great for helping your child begin to develop their independence muscle.

If your child experiences separation anxiety, it is important to work towards a confident child that knows they are safe and will be reunited with their caregivers/parents. For the child with acute separation anxiety, I suggest the use of tapping (also known as EFT or Meridian Tapping). This is a gentle, yet very successful way of helping the energy dissipate around emotionally charged challenges. I highly recommend using Tappy Bear for child (and many adults enjoy Tappy as well. Both my daughter and I have one).  There is also a wealth of information on how you can use EFT with or without a Tappy Bear.  If you find the information useful, be sure to check out the series “Parenting Can Be Easier“.  This is a series of six interviews with EFT Masters and practitioners.  You will find practical, hands on examples of how you can use EFT for illnesses, special needs, sibling rivalry, how to discuss difficult news and how to process grief with your child.

As much as I am missing my little girl, I know that this time away…. this mommy time is important for me.  Remember to make time not only for yourself (many mothers find the “lose themselves” when they have children), but to make time for your partner.  I like to make dates with my husband…. I did not do it for the first two years and I wish I had.  It is important to make your partner feel as special as that baby.  My relationship has deepened since our date nights began!  It was fun finding that relationship in the midst of parenthood!

Here’s to being a Passion Parent!

Christine Hiebel

Grandma Jo and McKenna reading

Many parents are concerned about their child’s education.  And these days, many parents are not only concerned if they are learning what they should be learning, what what they should not be learning at their age.  Sex and drugs have found their way into many elementary schools.  Then other parents are worried when they send their children out the door if their child will be safe.

Searching for answers to these challenges, many parents are turning to various types of homeschooling.  Money CNN just posted this about online education

(Fortune Small Business) — The Internet is making the world of learning smarter — and more profitable.

Students who took online courses scored an average 10% higher on tests than peers who received extra instruction face-to-face, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education that analyzed more than 1,000 studies conducted from 1996 through 2008.

Some parents have doubts that they would be able to fulfill the role of educator for their children.  Here is some great news, due to the large movement of people looking for alternative education, there are many resources available these days.  Here are some tips when you begin looking at homeschooling:

• Follow your heart and your instincts.  You know more more than you think you do!
• Look online for resources, there are a ton!  There are many educational videos, classes and tutoring online.  Here is a tutoring company that gives you a 20 minute session for free!  www.TutorTeddy.com
• Find a local coop group that fits your interests and beliefs.
• Go to a homeschooling convention.  The wide range of curriculum will amaze you!
• Many local attractions have home school events.  The Georgia Aquarium has a day for homeschool students to attend the aquarium.  They have tours and boths to teach the students about aquatic life.  The Jacksonville Zoo has a summer program where the child can attend an afternoon each week with the zoo keepers to learn about the animals.
• Join a homeschooling online support group… there are many!
• Find another homeschooling mom and ask questions.  The more you know, chances are the less fear you may have and the more you will know if it is something that will work for your family.
• Remain open to new ideas.  The type of homeschooling can range from maintaining a very strict schedule like at school to letting the child lead the education like unschooling.
• Don’t let the “advice” of friends and family sway you from trying it out.  Take a deep breath and remember they think they are helping you with their good advice.

What homeschooling resources do you have that will help?  We would love to hear your advice and resources!

Here’s to being a passion parent!

Christine Hiebel

Wouldn’t you know, the half tailed lizard McKenna named Hammy sunning himself on the deck.  She caught him and kept him for another day and a half.  Then it was time to let him go again.  She was getting attached to this little lizard, this time she really did not want to let him go!

The next day, McKenna went to the deck to find Hammy…. there he was, sitting in the tub she had kept him in!  Yep, that silly lizard crawled back into the tub (the lid was off).  Seems Hammy the lizard was fond of McKenna as well!

Not all children (or adults) are so fond of crawly things.  The little boys in the neighborhood are not as brave and it can be uncomfortable to have a girl that holds the bugs and animals for them.

This sweet story by Charlotte Kamman is a great way to help your child know it is OK to have a little fear of bugs… not all bugs should be held or played with.

Tappy and the Beetles
by Charlotte Kamman

“Tappy, Jake!!” Mom stood on the porch and called.

Finally the so long awaited trip was about to begin. Tappy had barely been able to sleep the night before. The event was going to be really great. He would be together with the family of his uncle and they were all going to spend a few days at a lake in the Mountains.

Tappy and his cousin Jake heard her voice in the distance. They were playing on the shore of the big lake, skipping stones on the water.

They heard a call, and stopped to listen closely. When they heard it was Tappy’s Mom, they started running, as both were thinking the same thing, ‘She might have an ice cream for them!’

Once they took the turn, in front of the cabin, they saw that it was not as they had imagined. Although disapointed, what Mom held in her hands spiked their curiosity. “Look what I found!” Mom said, as she held up a green long bag.

“What is it, Mom?” Tappy asked, not knowing what to expect.

“It’s a tent!” Jake shouted. “A tent! WOW! Can we go camping? Oh please, please?”” Tappy’s Mom smiled at them. “Yes, you can, that is what I was going to ask you. Do you want to camp in the garden tonight?“”

Jake couldn’t stop jumping up and down, and Tappy was all excited too. This was better than ice cream. Wow, camping, that would be really fun!

After the tent was set up with a little bit of help from Tappy’s Dad and Uncle, they went off to the lake again to go swimming. There was still a lot of time before the night, and they decided to spend this time doing what they loved most; swimming.

Later on that afternoon, Tappy and Jake laid in front of their little tent as they were drying up in the sun. Suddenly, Jake jumped up and caught something in his hands. He put it in an empty jar he had brought, and he came jolting back to Tappy to show what he had: A beautiful coloured, huge shiny beetle. Tappy tried not to scream, he bit his lip and said in a small voice: “Eh, Nice”.

Jake looked at him. He asked “You’re not afraid, are you?” “Nah.” Tappy mumbled, as he carefully got up and started backing away. Jake noticed it and put the beetle very close to Tappy’s face.

Tappy jumped back and while running towards the house, he called over his shoulder. “I just have to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back!”!”

As Tappy sat quietly in a corner near the toilet, he sighed. Jake had done it again, and he had been a wimpy bear again…

He tasted salty tears on his upper lip. He was not going to cry, not now. Jake was probably coming to find

Tappy and Beetles

him, together with the beetle… He shouldn’t think of Jake galloping up to him now, with some giant bug in his hands. He was shivering at the thought of it. He thought of the giant bugs Jake was surely now catching to tease him…

Suddenly a different thought came to his mind. How could it be that he, Tappy, was so scared of beetles, while Jake adored them?

Tappy thought of the song Mom would sing for him when he was afraid of something. It went like this:

Tap along with Tappy
Tap your troubles away
Tap along with Tappy
Tap in the good today…

Tap Tap Tap Tap, Tap Tap Tap….

As he was humming the Tappy song, he started to feel a bit better. He got up on his feet, and while he tapped his tapping buttons, he invented a little dance.

He envisioned the Bugs, and tried to remember what about them made him feel so scared. So, he began his tapping routine.

“Even though I am scared of Jakes bug, I am a good Tappy.”
“Even though I am not sure about bugs, they scare me, I am a good Tappy.!”
“Even though I am a scared, I am a good Tappy.“

And, he began Tapping repeating:

“This fear of Bugs,.. This fear of Bugs,..“

When he was finished, he saw the bugs a little differently, not as scarey anymore. So he kept on humming his song.

Tap along with Tappy
Tap in the good today.

He was actually having real fun as Jake arrived; surely with a jar with a bug in it.

Tappy looked at the jar, and saw that Jake had caught another beetle. But now he was not terribly scared! Not at all! He actually took time to see how pretty the beetle was!

He asked Jake if he could hold the jar for a bit. Jake looked puzzled, but gave him the jar. Tappy looked at the beetle, and said:

“He is beautiful, Jake! Shall we go out and catch some more beetles together?“

Jake thumped Tappy on his arm with a big smile on his face, because in the end, playing with Tappy is much more fun than teasing him!

So, they ran out and started catching lightning bugs to have some light in the tent that night.

What a fun night this would be.

Click here if you would like to print the coloring page and story.

Feel free to visit Tappy Bear to find out more interesting stories and helpful tips for parenting with ease, for Parenting Can Be Easier!

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You will be taken to a page to view this month’s magazine. If you like it, you will be given an option to have it mailed to you every month.

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It’s the only magazine dedicated to the emotional
and spiritual health of children and families.
–With an EFT article in every issue!

It’s been called
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This is a magazine like no other:

It’s real, it’s positive, and it’s inspiring.

*~*In fact, it’s even been featured
in Unity magazine.*~*

And, it’s now available online.

And I have worked it out so I can give it to you FOR FREE!

Yep! As of tonight, you can now get a subscription
to the magazine dedicated to conscious parenting
and empowered kids totally FREE!

And, it’s online, so there’s no waiting for it to be shipped.

You can read it right NOW!

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Just Click Here and you can read through
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Please share this with anyone else you know
who could benefit from this incredible magazine.
It is so good, you will want many of your friends and family
to get their free subscription too!

Love and Laughter,
Christine

P.S.– Look for the article on EFT & Hugs by Syandra Ingram.

One of the interviews in “Parenting Can Be Easier” I created, I spoke with Gene Monterastelli from EFTQandA.com. He speaks of some work where he was able to clear some allergic reactions a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The child went from being diagnosed at functioning at an 18 month level to 5 years in two and a half weeks.

I believe that Charlotte with EFT4ADD also does this type of work and has had similar results. Me personally, I would try something like working with them or the allergy ellimination that Dr. Rapp, M.D. speaks of in this video.

Another great resource for looking at this subject is a book by Dr. Mark Hyman called the

The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First

. I love what he says in the book about disorders… ADD/ADHD is not a Ritalin deficiency, depression is not a Prozac deficiency…. what we are seeing is a gut problem showing up in the mind.

I highly recommend this book for everyone, not only parents that have special needs children.

Here’s to being a Passion Parent!
Christine Hiebel

What I can tell you is, she totally believed those crabs were after her. She climbed up on me in the middle of the night faster than I have ever seen anyone move. There is no way that you would have been able to peel her off me.

How do you handle night terrors or night mares? I recently spoke to Jan Luther, an EFT Master about how talking to children about grief. One of the things she mentioned is that when a child is in fear, telling them it is OK, there is nothing to worry about is not validating who they are. To them, in that moment it is 100% real, and so is the fear. Think about a noise outside at night that scares you into calling the police… to find out it is dear in your backyard (OK, I was alone with my new born baby that night while my husband was working out of town!). That fear is real until you are able to calm down and perhaps find out it is really nothing. But, to tell a child that there is nothing to be afraid of is not validating the fact they ARE afraid.

One of the tools I use and we talk about in the series is how to use Tappy Bear and tapping to clear the fears we have, especially the ones we know are truly False Evidence Appearing Real. If you are interested in hearing more about the series of interviews I did, please leave me a message or send me an email at christine@passionparent.com.

Enjoy McKenna and the ghost crab!

Here’s to being a Passion Parent!
Christine