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Manners maketh man...or woman...or child. Are manners important to you?

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We were sitting having dinner with friends and the topic of manners came up.  It took an interesting turn, when my friend said that if Alexa or Siri wouldn't follow through with a request unless a please or a thank you were included, it would certainly help with society's lack of manners.  It got me thinking, as this is not the first time the lack of manners in our local community has come up recently and it is another of my soapbox issues.  If manners don't cost anything, why do so few people feel the need to use them? My understanding is that it's a combination of things.  As you know, I grew up in Zimbabwe where manners were very important and instilled in us at home and at school.  I remember all the way through my schooling, we were expected to stand if a teacher/adult walked into the room, stand if a teacher/adult walked by us at lunchtime, always allow an adult/teacher through the door first, acknowledge teachers/adults on the school premises either...
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Does your child do household chores?

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What is your morning routine like?  My son is the first one to get up and that is usually between 0500 and 0600 (dependent on the time of year ie first light!).  From an early age, we have encouraged our children to stay in their bedrooms and read, if they are up before 0645.  This has served us well in the fact that we can get a few extra winks, and they learn the ability to entertain themselves quietly. Most importantly though, it allows them to reach into an imaginary world and enjoy a few more minutes of make believe before the real world must take over. At 0645 the rest of the family join the land of the living.  We make our beds and get ourselves ready while my hubby makes breakfast.  We are lucky enough that every morning, we all sit together for breakfast as a family.  Once breakfast is cleared, the kids complete their homework, do guitar practice, brush teeth, clean their faces and do their hair.  This is all generally achieved before 074...
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Motivating my tween - or trying too...

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In the last six months to a year, I have watched my little boy grow up just little in maturity and whole lot in centimetres. Yet, slip backwards when it comes to completing simple tasks!  It is a continuous rollercoaster ride of emotions as I try and sense out when he needs me and when he doesn't (before he shouts at me!).  I knew that as he entered year 6, I was going to have to brace myself for more pushes than pulls, and he hasn't disappointed.  From what I have read, my son is text book for his age.  However, that doesn't help when on a daily basis I am continually reminding my son to complete the simplest of tasks that just a year previously, he would have done out of habit.  These little tasks, such a making his bed when he gets up, putting his laundry in the basket, etc are now becoming constant reminders that my son is on the cusp of becoming a teen.  That together with the odour that seeps out of from his room!  So what can I use to motiva...
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Age ratings - what do they mean and how important are they to you?

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This is one of my little soap box subjects.  Why do we have age ratings on films and games?  My understanding is that, it is to protect children and guide parents.  So why is it, that so many ignore it? Have you heard of the game Fortnite? Well, it seems as though it is taking our primary school by storm and I know children as young as 8, who play it.  Officially, this game has a 12 age rating but Common Sense Media gives it a 13+ . As you know my son is in year 6, and is now a very big fish in a little pond (primary school).  As you can imagine, my son feels he should be allowed to play it and because of the age rating, we don't allow it.  We hear frequently how he is feeling left out at school, due to being the ONLY child that doesn't play it. My hubby and I are not gamers and have never been particulary keen/interested in gaming.  However, I understand that there are advantages to kids gaming, especially for their cognitive development....
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When is the right time to give your child a cell phone or mobile?

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This is one subject I really struggle with.  I have a real issue with kids having too much screen time to start with.  So much so, my husband and I really limit the access our kids have to screen time. We weren't always so "hot" on screen time limits.  When our son was a toddler, we very quickly realised that his behaviour deteriorated rapidly, after an hour of screen time.  After a bit of research we found that he was not unusual, and that we needed to work with him to get a balance.  To help us, we now use a piece of software called Qustodio .  This allows us to set time limits, limit access to websites and when the time comes, help keep our children safe on their mobiles.  Our son is about to start high school in September.  This comes with huge changes to the whole family routine/dynamic.  Not only will the kids be going to separate schools, but my son's school is in the next door town.  This means that my son will have to ta...
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Bullying between friends

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So today my son came home asking to chat to me about what had happended to him at school today.  I was dismayed and disappointed to find out that boys he called friends, had been calling him gay,  poor and generally not being very nice.  I felt for him and it took every ounce of me not to have a word with every one of those boys!  However, I felt that this gave us an opportunity for him to learn with love and support.  I felt he needed to see how he could learn to deal with the situation better given the fact that in September, he would be going into high school and be in a much bigger "pond".  So, we talked about different possible ways he could have reacted.  The way that really worked for him, was one that we had watched given by Brooks Gibbs.  We loved the way that the individual (in this case Brooks) took back control.  There was nothing aggressive or negative about how Brooks reacted and yet the result was positive. I hope that m...
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Introduction to why I created Musha Parenting

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Hello all, I wanted to create a blog about parenting and by doing so, create my own virtual village. A village that was open to different views but supportive.  I am privileged to be the Mum to two beautiful, loving children and they are my passion. My son is currently in year 6 and my daughter is in year 4 and we live in a lovely market town.  My aim for the blog thus far, is literally to post articles, podcasts etc that I find speak to me on this adventure they call parenting.  Having been lucky enough to be born and raised in Zimbabwe, the african proverb above resonated with me.  Musha is the shona word (one of the local languages spoken in Zimbabwe) for village.    Hence my blogs name. I am trying to create my own virtual village, so please get involved.  
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