Guest Blogger - Mary from Sharing Kindergarten

Hi Kindergarten Lifestyle Readers...my name is Mary and I am addicted to all things Kindergarten.

I LOVE to share my thoughts and ideas with you on my blog...

 I have so many fun things to share with you! I have a *few* surprises up my blogging sleeve... so stay tuned for MORE great ideas at the bottom of this post.

Warning... I am feeling a little preachy and deep in thought about this weekend... Father's Day!

Father's Day is this Sunday. I never seem quite ready for it, even though it is in the middle of the summer. I know Father's are SO important, but sometimes... I admit... it is SO easy to forget just how important they are in the lives of our personal kids and our school kids.

Last year my church did a series called "Man Up." (I linked here in case you are interested.)
Men really have a critical role in the lives of women and children. They help shape our futures. This series really got me thinking about how important fathers are to us. And how important fathers are to our students at school. Although we hear so much of what children say, sometimes we can't hear what they feel. I believe children find themselves to blame without a father around.

So, I did a little research on how important fathers are. According to DadsWorld.com:

Children with involved Fathers are more confident, better able to deal with frustration, better able to gain independence and their own identity, more likely to mature into compassionate adults, more likely to have a high self esteem, more sociable, more secure as infants, less likely to show signs of depression, less likely to commit suicide, more empathetic, boys have been shown to be less aggressive and adolescent girls are less likely to engage in sex.

This passage describes the kind of child I want in my house and in my classroom. As teachers, we can not make up for a student not having a father figure in his/her life. But, we can share with parents the importance of what we statistic tell us about fathers so they can help a grandfather or an uncle positively change a child's life forever. As parents, we can expect our child's fathers {baby daddies- HAD to say it!} to step up to the plate and be a positive influence in their lives.

One important step my husband does is to take our daughter out on dates. Even though she is three, my hubby and I feel it is so important to start young to set that bar {expectation} high. They go out together and have fun. They see movies, go to lunch or dinner, see the pets at the pet store, play at the park, etc. The money nor event matter, but the time he spends with her does. When she is 15, she may not want to be around her daddy as much as her friends. I tell hubs often that his influence is shaping the kind of guys she will date and hopefully marry. My influence is shaping how she learns to treat those guys. {Scary, I know!}

So, what should I be doing in preparation for Father's Day. I should be appreciating my hubby and showing my daughter how to do the same. {Man... gotta get on that!}

Okay- preachy over! Now onto the good stuff.

I have a new first day of school art to share with you... free of course!

 And I am currently hosting an AWESOME giveaway with 11 TpT Sellers, including Jeannie!

There are no "must follow me" rules, just sign up and give me a chance to say THANKS
.

 

  Mary Amoson is a teacher, mother, and an educational blogger. She believes that learning should be fun and natural, and is most often playing games with her students as they discover learning. She is so passionate about her dream job in education and her incredible students and families that she wants to share it all with you.  Visit her at http://sharingkindergarten.com/ or at her Teachers Pay Teachers site at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sharing-Kindergarten/ where she has 10 free activities ready for you to download and enjoy.

  Mary Amoson, Sharing Kindergarten http://sharingkindergarten.com/ http://www.facebook.com/SharingKindergarten