In my first book, Writer Mama, I outline four principles every writer should strive to embody.
Those principles are: preparation, practice, professionalism, and poise.
Yesterday morning, one of my long-time students and friends, Christa Melnyk Hines, was on Fox 4 News, Kansas City, discussing the importance of talking politics with our spouses and kids.
And she embodied all four of these principles perfectly. Take a look.
Here are some of Christa’s key quotes from the interview:
“Kids are, by nature, they’re curious. They want to know what’s going on, and I know as a mom, there are moments when I want to cover their ears, but you know what? We have to tap that curiosity and really engage them. Ask them open-ended questions. Play the devil’s advocate. Push back a little bit. Listen to what they’re saying. They’re coming home from school every day with different things that they’ve overheard, so why not get them involved and talk about those issues that matter?”
“It’s a matter of teaching them to be critical thinkers, to think about things from different sides of the coin, not just one way of thinking about things because is black and white in life, as we all know, so definitely get them talking about it, and listen. Listen to what they have to say. Some of the things they say may really surprise you.”
“I think you have to decide, we’re not going to be throwing insults at each other if we’re going to discuss this. I think it can really raise the anxiety level for kids,” she says. “If it gets too emotional at some point you have to at some point say, ‘Let’s agree to disagree and maybe come back to this later.’ I think those are all positive ways. What we don’t want to do is raise the anxiety level of our kids, but also model to them that it’s okay to disagree, that we can still love each other and have differing opinions. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Christa is an award-winning freelance journalist, author and connection expert. She writes about the numerous ways that healthy connection helps us build meaningful relationships in the digital age. Her articles appear monthly in national and regional publications around the world. She is the author of Confidently Connected: A Mom’s Guide to a Satisfying Social Life and Happy, Healthy & Hyperconnected: Raise a Thoughtful Communicator in a Digital World.
Click on the covers below to check out her great books:
Writing and making appearances isn’t all that Christa does well, she also runs an online Facebook Group called, Confidently Connected Moms. I will be making an all-day appearance there on Wednesday to discuss For The Love Of Writing: Writing As A Path To Self-discovery & Family Closeness.
If this is a topic that interests you, I hope you will join Christa’s discussion group and participate in Wednesday’s discussion. I know life is busy, but you can come any time of day or night and participate, and everyone who comments during the 24 hours of my appearance will be eligible for a free gift from me.
So come on over and meet Christa and the other moms! Hope to see you there!
Source: Fox 4 News, Kansas City
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