** This is an oldie I published two years ago. Unfortunately... not much has changed. **


I've thought about this for years. And years. And surprisingly not been overly vocal about it.  But after parent conferences, a thought would always cross my mind. Why can't parents be parents?  I even asked a parent in a conference, once, "Who is the parent and who is the child?"  That one didn't score me any congeniality points, but it did hit the nail on the head.

This problem is as old as me and then some. Parents trying to be friends. Buddies. Parents too busy to parent. Parents who don't know how to parent. Parents who shouldn't be parents.  Let's face it, parenthood isn't a cute, cuddly moment. It is a lifelong commitment to a human being that you brought into this world.  This isn't a puppy or a kitten (although a majority of pets need to be treated with more love and kindness!). This is a child. Your child. Your responsibility.

Responsibility doesn't have an ending. It is ongoing.  There isn't a manual or a test to take. Maybe there should be, then so many kids wouldn't be left floating adrift wondering how to function and maybe there wouldn't be so many kids hurt and neglected. Maybe.

Parenting is all about time. Take time to ask them about their day. Hold them. Read to them. Listen to them. Teach them. Don't drop them off at school or the sitter and let strangers (relatively speaking) raise your child. Teach your child right from wrong. Good manners. Or about life. Don't park them in front of a TV or computer and let entertainment or social media take your place.

When your teenager refuses to clean his room, don't ask what to do. You should have figured that out 12 years ago. It isn't about the room. It is about the lack of respect for you. The parent. Your child doesn't respect you because you never taught them about respect. You didn't expect it and you didn't show it.

We've all been in a store and seen a child throwing a fit or throwing objects. Don't you wonder how it gets to that point? I do. I've seen kids do things to their parents that I wouldn't have dreamed of doing to mine. Why? I respected them and loved them. That's why. Yes, I was spanked with a clear understanding of the reason why and never when they were angry.

 I was disciplined not abused. There is a difference.  Are parents too afraid to discipline their child so they whisper, "Please don't do this honey," or "I'll buy you a toy if you stop." That's right. Go ahead and reward disrespectful behavior. You are setting your child up for a rude awakening. Life doesn't reward you for making a 'bad choice' or mistake.

You see, times have changed. Life hasn't.  Life is still as tough and unforgiving as it was hundreds of years ago.  Life hands us consequences. Life has expectations. Life doesn't make excuses or offer positive rewards. We can learn a lot from life. We can learn from our mistakes. But not if we never acknowledge that we make them.  Or can't accept that we messed up. Or maybe we're just sitting around with our hand out waiting for our reward.

Who knows? But it sure seems to me that teaching love, respect, and responsibility all start in the home long before they are of school age.  That means that it is up to parents to do their job. Get off of the computer, stop texting, and start listening to your child. Start teaching them that there is a wrong and right and if they choose wrong... there will be consequences.  Prepare them for life.



Folktales are always a fun way to practice reading skills.  
Take a look at this collection of Irish Folktales!





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This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze (this blog is run by blogger, a Google company so Google analytics are used to provide me with general statistics about my blog readership) and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies.  This blog is published on Facebook and Pinterest sites. This blog is not responsible for their use of cookies. If you wish to turn off the use of cookies you may do so at any time through your specific browser settings.  If you sign up to receive the blog by email, your email will not be added to any other mailing list or sold.  It is simply used to send the blog post to your inbox. No purchases may be made from this website. In order to purchase my resources you must visit the hosting website.   I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on August 1, 2019. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com









Long before I became a teacher, I was a daughter.  I was a bit difficult.  I stretched my parent's limits, to say the least.  But one thing I always knew for certain was that I was loved.

I always tell people that I had a  "Leave it to Beaver" childhood. For those that don't remember the series, that simply means that I had a blessed and wonderful childhood.  I spent my days exploring, playing, imagining, and learning.  My parents encouraged me by playing games with me, giving me time to play, buying books and taking me on trips.  They believed that the best education came from seeing and experiencing. Every summer they'd load us up in an old pickup and camper and off we'd head for adventure.  Every night I was tucked in with prayers and a kiss.

Although they liked to show us places of interest, Mom and Dad valued school.  They both took me that first day of kindergarten. Told the teacher that if I got in trouble at school, I'd get in trouble at home.  I still remember how I looked up at them in shock and disbelief. They were serious.  Still, I had to test the teacher.  I found that one call from my teacher was enough for me to earn a spanking.  They were fair about it. Never spanked me in anger. Always made sure I knew what I had done wrong (I already had that figured out).  And always told me that this was done in love so I'd grow up to be a person of integrity.  At that point, I didn't care much for being a person of integrity, whatever that was, but I was sorry I had disappointed them.

Dad modeled what a good husband looked like for my sister and I.  He praised mom's cooking, always kissed her when he left and when he came home.  Helped her in the kitchen and with laundry. Spent time with her alone in the morning and evening, thanking God for her and his family as they  prayed together.   They never went to bed angry.  He modeled what a good dad was like by spending time with us.  He was never too busy to talk to us, explain things to us, or take us somewhere.  He was never too macho to tell us how much he loved us.  Some of my earliest memories were of laughter. Dad loved to laugh.

Over the years, our relationship changed. Mom and Dad became my best friends. We still took trips together and got together regularly to play games and visit.  Dad was determined that I learn how to ride a horse. He tried to teach me. I tried to learn. Still, we had some fun on trail rides. Any time I needed something, I called one of them, mostly dad.   Every holiday was spent at one of our homes. Dad loved to make early morning phone calls on birthdays to sing happy birthday. Dad's favorite holiday was Valentine's Day. This was his time to show his girls how much he loved them with a card and box of chocolates.

This year is different. For the first time in my life, I won't get a call or a card from dad.  Dad's heart finally gave out.  We had some precious moments together before he went home.  Dad made sure that I knew he loved me, gave me some final instructions, and told me how much he loved Jesus and was ready to go.  Dad left a legacy of love. For that, I am grateful.



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This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze (this blog is run by blogger, a Google company so Google analytics are used to provide me with general statistics about my blog readership) and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies.  This blog is published on Facebook and Pinterest sites. This blog is not responsible for their use of cookies. If you wish to turn off the use of cookies you may do so at any time through your specific browser settings.  If you sign up to receive the blog by email, your email will not be added to any other mailing list or sold.  It is simply used to send the blog post to your inbox. No purchases may be made from this website. In order to purchase my resources you must visit the hosting website.   I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on August 1, 2019. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com

We need to teach our kids how to fail.

For too long, we have protected our kids from failure.  Our society is focused on the winners and we want to make sure our child is one of them.  A winner.  But the truth remains that everyone can't be a winner.  Our kids need to learn how to fail. And how to keep trying, after failure, to succeed.

Failure is part of success.  Failure teaches us to persevere, prepares us to meet challenges, and helps us learn how to be understanding. Failure gives us character.  Failure gives us an opportunity to improve.  Failure is a chance to try something new and different.  Failure helps us to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and be realistic about our abilities.  Failure refines our strengths, narrows our weaknesses and turns our abilities into assets.

Yet... we remain afraid of failure. We don't try because we're afraid we won't succeed. So we protect kids from failure because of our own fears.  We give everyone a ribbon or a trophy because that is so much easier than learning how to fail graciously.

We help kids too much with assignments. Or, worse yet, do it for them.  We want our students to succeed and the easiest path is the straight line from assignment to completion to grade.  The most educational path is from the assignment, to self-evaluation, to corrections or re-dos, to peer evaluation, to corrections or re-dos, and finally to teacher evaluation with feedback so improvement can be made.  Not an easy path to undertake. Frustrating. Time consuming. But so necessary in the development of a child.

Not everyone can or will succeed in the same way. That's okay. Everyone still needs to take ownership of their abilities or assets and how best they can use them.

Don't let March sneak by without grabbing one of these resources! 
March Folktales

Irish Folktales



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  Privacy Policy

This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze (this blog is run by blogger, a Google company so Google analytics are used to provide me with general statistics about my blog readership) and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies.  This blog is published on Facebook and Pinterest sites. This blog is not responsible for their use of cookies. If you wish to turn off the use of cookies you may do so at any time through your specific browser settings.  If you sign up to receive the blog by email, your email will not be added to any other mailing list or sold.  It is simply used to send the blog post to your inbox. No purchases may be made from this website. In order to purchase my resources you must visit the hosting website.   I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on August 1, 2019. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com


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