Current Connection 2.1 Choosing What to Say to the Child

In an article called "5 Things Parents Shouldn't Say To Their Kids", posted on Yahoo! Shine, Charlene Prince Birkeland, a Team Mom, addresses the issue that the choice of words parents use to communicate with their children directly impacts the parent-child relationship long term.

According to Birkeland, a commonly used ultimatum that is "sure to freak your child out [is] 'I'm going to leave without you!'" When I was told this as a child, I was scared at first, and I even had bad dreams about them leaving me behind. Even worse, I, a clever child, one who learns patterns at the snap of a finger, began catching on pretty quickly to the fact that they were not going to follow through; therefore, I did not always believe their threats.

Debora Gilboa, a parenting speaker, says, "If you want them to believe what we say is true, we cannot say something that is patently false." My parents may have made this mistake with me, but my sister Danielle is only 5, and I can warn them about this. It may be the reason that I sometimes don't even believe their threats now, like taking my phone for example.

Although the intent behind a parents' words are usually honorable, sometimes they still need to be careful about making their intent clear. Birkeland, supporting this point, also states that the command, "Say you're sorry!", can cause a "delay [of] the child's natural acceptance". Have you ever met a person who constantly apologizes out of habit? Luckily, I am not too bad about it, but I have met a few motorboats who splash out their apologies left and right every time they hit the water. They spew and murmur until they are completely shut off.

Birkeland makes the point that "Young children don't automatically understand why they have to apologize." If one goes through their childhood apologizing and not even knowing what for, he/she will do that all their life, mindlessly blaming oneself about every little thing. Fortunately, my parents made sure I was specific about what I was apologizing for, and that could be the reason I am not that annoying "apologizer" now.

Deciding what to say, thinking before one speaks, and choosing how to deliver a message to a child should not be taken lightly. Instead, try to develop a habit of deciding one's words before saying them, and considering how those words might impact the child later on. Furthermore, there is always an opportunity for correction, so do not fret too much if an unwanted word or phrase slips out.

Current Connection 1.2 Fighting For Education

While students in America complain about school and skip school because they just “don’t feel like going”, and they talk about how much they hate school, students in countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and many others, are fighting with their lives to have an education like America’s. 

Diya Nijhowne, director of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, states in her article, "The right to education is under seige", that “The Taliban, for instance, demolish schools and threaten teachers and students where they believe the education provided is ‘un-Islamic’.”, and “a principal and six school children died [in March] during an attack at their school in Karachi”. These are only a couple examples of the many problems students face outside of this spoiled, comfortable little niche called America. Instead of taking American education for granted, students should appreciate what they have here in honor of those who do not have this. Not convinced yet?  


Nijhowne also claims that “[they] have documented attacks on education in about 30  countries in the last five years”. After knowing this, surely deep down some students are thinking “What is so wrong with education anyway?” or “Why would people go to such extremes to stop education?”. This thought occurs because truly, American education isn’t actually all that bad!

Also stated in the article, “violence and threats against education stunt long term social development and economic growth for the whole community”. Imagine never having had an education, the only way we can learn how to think.What would America look like? People see others as ignorant now, just think what it would be like if no one knew anything.

A persecuted female student named Malala says that “They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came thousands of voices.” Those voices shouldn’t be just theirs; American students should stand up for those students as well.   Not only should they defend them, but they should appreciate the abundance of freedom they have to an education, and to think.

            If fellow students in other countries are fighting for their right to an education, American students should rethink fighting to not go to school.


Website: CNN.com

Current Connection 1.1 Public Prom vs. Private Prom

If Author Rachel Simmons, co-founder of Girls Leadership Institute, is speaking in a general sense, she might be exaggerating about the negative effects of prom on girls, unless she is including the upper-class private school proms.

She says in her article, "The damaging messages of proms", that prom is “an event where girls internalize damaging cultural messages” by putting pressure on them to show off and be better than everyone else. Maybe my public school, Batesville High School, is different from others, but I’d say that I have yet to see major competition between our girls. Even the “popular” ones don’t do that. All they really care about is having a good time while they’re there or anywhere for that matter.


Apparently, as the article states, Facebook ‘likes’ are crucial to these girls’ “self-promotion”, which brings a problem of “comparing oneself endlessly to others”. If there was one person, or even a group of girls, who put all their energy into comparing and competing, they’d probably be disappointed because nobody really cares. I don’t even think getting prom queen is a big deal to most of our girls.

However, I will say that these problems could be more prominent in other environments, for example: private schools. Simmons states that “today, prom is still a rich girl's party”. I attended a private Catholic school for about three years. For that school, Simmons might actually be understating instead of exaggerating. I’m pretty sure they spent their daddies’ entire year salary on that one night.


According to Simmons, “online photo albums are anxiously monitored as barometers of popularity, telling girls who is ‘in’ and ‘out’”, which, for the private-school girls, is definitely true. I have seen all those rich girls’ posts with their thousand dollar dresses and red-carpet hair and makeup, and all I can say is that I’m so glad I wasn’t still attending that school during the time of prom or even homecoming. I know I wouldn’t have been able to spend as much as they all did, and that would have made me a bully target for the rest of my years there… well, a worse one, since I already was a target while I was attending.


Prom may have negative effects on girls at private schools, but very rarely is prom a major problem for girls at public schools.

Website: www.CNN.com