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Hi, I’m Sharlene!

A mother of 5 boys, grandmother of 12, and author of Good Music Brighter Children. I started the blog, “good parenting brighter children” to share my 40+ years of experience swimming in the delightful (and sometimes shark infested) waters of parenthood. It’s been quite the experience and one I want to share.

Hopefully, you find this blog helpful and inspiring as you travel your own unique parenthood journey.

the latest from the Blog

Everything You Need to Know About Thanksgiving Gratitude

How to Practice Gratitude in an Entitled World: 10 Powerful Ways

Here are the Best Thanksgiving Activities for the Whole Family

Amazingly Fun Halloween Activities for Kids & Grandkids!

Why These are the Best Halloween Activities for Grandkids

Here are the Best Halloween Books for Children & Grandchildren!

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HOW TO AVOID BUYING DANGEROUS TOYS FOR KIDS ON AMA

HOW TO AVOID BUYING DANGEROUS TOYS FOR KIDS ON AMAZON Black Friday is around the corner and if you haven’t already bought a bunch of toys on Amazon for your kids & grandkids—you may want to read this blog first. Last year, I read a harrowing story about a little boy in Wisconsin who ingested a magnet that came loose from a toy. He was rushed to the hospital and spent time in the ICU. The toy was purchased from Amazon from a third-party seller. After carefully researching, I found 14 things to consider when buying toys on Amazon. It’s a great place to buy toys and super easy and safe during this 2020 season—but consider these precautions so the toys you buy for your kids & grandkids are SAFE! Follow this link: https://goodparentingbrighterchildren.com/dangerous-toys-for-kids/

TEACH GRATITUDE TO YOUR KIDS IN STAGES Having a g

TEACH GRATITUDE TO YOUR KIDS IN STAGES Having a grateful heart does not happen all at once—it is built and developed in stages. Think of different activities you can do with your kids & grandkids to teach them what gratitude is and how to practice it. Some simple ways could include: *Reading children’s books about gratitude
*Talking about HOW to be grateful for something each day
*Saying a simple “thank you” to each family member to show love and appreciation. Read about more ideas here: link in bio

LET CHILDREN DRAW THEIR GRATITUDE—AND BIG KIDS W

LET CHILDREN DRAW THEIR GRATITUDE—AND BIG KIDS WRITE THEIR GRATITUDE! Make this Thanksgiving your “launch day of gratitude.” Commit as a family to show, express, write or draw your gratitude each day. Let your children know in advance that you want them to come to the Thanksgiving table and share three things they are grateful for. Provide pens, markers, papers and encourage them to DRAW their gratitude! Save those drawings—and from year to year—post everyone’s “Gratitude Drawings,” on the family bulletin board. Your kids may not remember everything you made for Thanksgiving dinner—but they WILL remember “drawing their gratitude!” Details: link in bio

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THANKSGIVING The year 2000

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THANKSGIVING The year 2000 was declared by the United Nations as the “International Year of Thanksgiving.” They said, “Thanksgiving is basic in human nature and is observed worldwide. It ties communities together and encourages brotherhood and sharing.” WOW! That’s something we certainly need right now! One way to start practicing this—keep a daily gratitude journal. Science has found many reasons of why having a grateful, thankful heart will change our lives including: *Grateful people are 25% happier than those who do not practice gratitude
*Being grateful can add as much as 9 years to your life!
*By writing down thoughts of gratitude each day, you will have fewer illnesses because gratitude strengthens the immune system. Find more reasons here: link in bio

START A TRADITION OF KEEPING A GRATITUDE JOURNAL

START A TRADITION OF KEEPING A GRATITUDE JOURNAL One of the most meaningful and powerful traditions you can start with yourself and your family is keeping a daily gratitude journal. It’s simple—purchase a beautiful journal for everyone in the family and each day write down THREE things you are grateful for. AND—add a couple of sentences of why you are grateful for that particular thing. Years later when you look back on what you have written—it will be more meaningful. If you do this—many things will happen including: *The atmosphere in your home will be more positive
*You and your kids will be happier
*The response to challenges will be, “This is not the end of the world” And more… Details link in bio

START A TRADITION OF KEEPING A GRATITUDE JOURNAL

START A TRADITION OF KEEPING A GRATITUDE JOURNAL One of the most meaningful and powerful traditions you can start with yourself and your family is keeping a daily gratitude journal. It’s simple—purchase a beautiful journal for everyone in the family and each day write down THREE things you are grateful for. AND—add a couple of sentences of why you are grateful for that particular thing. Years later when you look back on what you have written—it will be more meaningful. If you do this—many things will happen including: *The atmosphere in your home will be more positive
*You and your kids will be happier
*The response to challenges will be, “This is not the end of the world” And more… Details link in bio

CREATE A GRATITUDE PUMPKIN FOR THANKSGIVING Sever

CREATE A GRATITUDE PUMPKIN FOR THANKSGIVING Several years ago, my friend #Carolynjallen introduced me to her “Gratitude Pumpkin”—a meaningful Thanksgiving tradition she practices yearly in her home. This is an amazing tradition you’ll want to start this year! You can use a real or artificial pumpkin (use artificial—then you can save the pumpkins from year to year). Find a perfect place for your pumpkin near the front door. Attach a sharpie marker and when anyone comes to your home—have them write down something they are grateful for on the pumpkin. By the end of November, your pumpkin will be filled with gratitude from people in your neighborhood, family and community! Such a simple, meaningful and fun Thanksgiving tradition! Details: link in bio

BOOKS ON GRATITUDE—TEACH YOUR KIDS GRATITUDE IN

BOOKS ON GRATITUDE—TEACH YOUR KIDS GRATITUDE IN AN ENTITLED WORLD Gratitude needs to be experienced in order for it to sink in and become a reality in your children’s and grandkids lives. Here are some books to get you started—these are just a springboard. Read the books, do activities and let the fun begin! Details: link in bio

NOTES OF GRATITUDE USING CHILDREN’S ARTWORK! D

NOTES OF GRATITUDE USING CHILDREN’S ARTWORK! Don’t you love your children & grandchildren’s artwork! What about the poems and stories they’ve written? Here’s a way to immortalize all those wonderful, creative scribbles: Create notecards from them! And instead of writing notes on fancy stationery to your kids & grandkids—use their artwork, etc., to make cards that are more special, personal and meaningful. It’s simple—scan their artwork, buy ready-made cards (5x7) from Michaels, and put them through the printer. Easy-peasy! If you have a poet in the family—take their poems or excerpts from their essays and do the same. Your kids & grandkids will LOVE these! This is just one example of one of my kids—I have dozens more. A fun way to show gratitude and create memories! Details: link in bio

LETTER BOXES, SPECIAL PENS; MEMORABLE NOTES OF GRA

LETTER BOXES, SPECIAL PENS; MEMORABLE NOTES OF GRATITUDE Parents & Grandparents—have you ever written a note of gratitude to each of your children/grandchildren? If you haven’t—try it! No matter the ages of your children/grandchildren—they will love getting a letter from mom or dad, grandma or grandpa! And when you’ve passed on—they will cherish these notes more than ever! The first time you write a note, include a letterbox—a beautiful box where they can keep all the notes, cards and letters you will be writing them. Tuck these notes under their pillow or on a nightstand by their bed. If you’re a grandparent and live faraway—they will love receiving notes from you via mail! Do one more thing—purchase a pen for each child that you will be writing notes to them with. At the appropriate time—such as a rite of passage—give your child or grandchild the pen and let him/her know that all the letters you have written to them were written with that special pen. Details: link in bio

GRATITUDE AROUND THE TABLE: BLACK PAPER PACKAGES T

GRATITUDE AROUND THE TABLE: BLACK PAPER PACKAGES TIED UP WITH STRING! THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS! Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? If so, plan some fun activities for little kids and grandkids. Wrap a card table in brown utility paper and in the middle put a big basket of gifts from the Dollar Store. Wrap each gift in black utility paper and white string. Also provide a stack of Thanksgiving stationery for kids/grandkids to write notes on as well as crayons, pens and markers. The activitiy? Before or after dinner, each child/grandchild is to write a note of gratitude or draw a picture of what they are grateful for. Once they are done—they can grab a gift from the basket. They can come back and write or draw more expressions of gratitude! And get another gift! This is a family favorite! Details: link in bio

WRITING NOTES OF GRATITUDE ON PEOPLE’S BACKS Ye

WRITING NOTES OF GRATITUDE ON PEOPLE’S BACKS Years ago, my friend #Cindy Wood told me about an activity she did at work—writing notes of gratitude on people’s back. I was fascinated and started doing it—first with my family, then students, then friends. It’s simple—take a piece of cardstock; at the top of the paper, type the words, “I Am Grateful to You Because…” Punch 2 holes in the top and string a ribbon through Have each person doing the game, put the paper over their heads, fling it to their backs and everyone stands up and begins writing words of gratitude to everyone in the room (on the paper on their backs) I can guarantee—NO ONE WILL WANT TO STOP! This is such a simple yet powerful game—it’s amazing how once we get started writing notes of kindness to others, we don’t want to stop! Plus—everyone will love reading the notes from others! Details: link in bio

KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL—WRITING NOTES TO OTHERS

KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL—WRITING NOTES TO OTHERS In 1992, I started keeping a gratitude journal. I wrote down three things each day I was grateful for. I filled up many gratitude journals—and it changed my outlook on life. In 2013, I read “The Simple Act of Gratitude” by John Kralik. He suggests writing a note of gratitude each day to someone expressing your appreciation for them. So, I tried it. I haven’t written a note each day, but since 2013, I’ve written over 1000 notes to friends, neighbors, family, students, etc. This activity will help your kids & grandkids realize the contributions others have made in your life. It increases your sense of the importance of friends and the influence of community. Forever connections are made! I started doing this with my grandkids—I helped them write notes to their neighbors, teachers and friends. It’s a beginning. I want them to experience gratitude. You can help your children and grandchildren have the same experience. Here’s how: link in bio

THE POWER OF GRATITUDE Did you know that gratitud

THE POWER OF GRATITUDE Did you know that gratitude is a powerful virtue that teaches children, grandchildren and adults appreciation, generosity and kindness? Gratitude changes people for the better. Gratitude is the antidote to entitlement! It’s interesting that Thanksgiving is the one time of the year that we make a concentrated effort to focus on gratitude and on being grateful. Maybe kids today don’t understand what gratitude is or how to practice it because it needs to be practiced all year long. Here are 10 fun and powerful ways of practicing gratitude with your kids and grandkids—I did all these with my kids when they were growing up and now with the grandkids. They will love doing these gratitude activities! They are life-changing! These are amazing books on gratitude that I’ve read over the years—they give the research and data on just exactly why we should practice gratitude year-round! LInk in bio

GRATEFUL FOR FOOD—MAKING APPLE DONUTS AND APPLE

GRATEFUL FOR FOOD—MAKING APPLE DONUTS AND APPLE BUTTER FOR DIPPING. A FUN KIDS-IN-THE-KITCHEN ACTIVITY To go along with our gratitude notes and bags, we made apple donuts and apple butter for the grandkids’ neighbors, friends and teachers. It was fun to see how excited the grandkids were to go through each step of creating a special gratitude gift for someone they love When done—we put everything in bags and delivered them. We just never know the impact of seemingly small kindnesses can have on others. Recipe for Apple donuts: @bitzngiggles Get the recipes, ideas, and more here: link in bio

SHOWING & EXPRESSING GRATITUDE FOR FRIENDS, NEIGHB

SHOWING & EXPRESSING GRATITUDE FOR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS & TEACHERS Talking about gratitude only helps your kids/grandkids understand gratitude on one level. They need to experience it with hands-on activities to have it gain meaning in their lives. This activity was 3-fold: *we created homemade gratitude notecards using toilet paper rolls and making them into pumpkins and stamping the cards
*we took those personalized cards and the grandkids wrote notes to teachers, friends, & neighbors
*we decorated bags for all the goodies we made for the friends, etc. (donuts and apple butter) Details: link in bio

GRATEFUL FOR HANDS! AN IMPORTANT PROPRIOCEPTION AC

GRATEFUL FOR HANDS! AN IMPORTANT PROPRIOCEPTION ACTIVITY FOR KIDS Can you imagine life without hands? Sometimes it’s important to be grateful for those things we take for granted. This activity teaches kids/grandkids to be grateful for their hands and for the many things we do with our hands—pound, paint, create, eat, write, do for others, and more. And, this activity supports proprioception—our “sixth sense,” responsible for body awareness and fine motor coordination. Kids who have difficulty with proprioception can have balance or coordination issues, poor posture, clumsy or have problems climbing or walking down stairs. An activity that improves proprioception is using a hammer to pound things. I chose this weight-bearing and resistance activity to help my grandkids with proprioception and fine motor coordination. I gave the kids golf tees and had them pound them into pumpkins with a mallet hammer. The hammer was heavy which is important. They LOVED this activity—and their final results look like little art pieces! A fun way to teach kids/grandkids to be grateful for their hands! Details: link in bio

NOVEMBER + THANKSGIVING + GRATITUDE! Don’t you

NOVEMBER + THANKSGIVING + GRATITUDE! Don’t you love November and Thanksgiving?! It’s the one month of the year officially designated to be grateful for our blessing large and small. In years past, I’ve written blogs on different ways you can celebrate and teach your children and grandchildren to be grateful. I also included the science behind gratitude and how it changes our lives. This week, I’m giving you 7 more activities you can do with your kids/grandkids to teach gratitude and why we need to have a thankful heart—each one full of hands-on fun! Today it’s—gratitude for nature! Over the last couple of months, we’ve gathered tons of leaves with our grandkids and with them we’ve identified, categorized, sorted, copied, and traced them. This time, as we thought about being grateful for nature, we painted leaves and created a leaf picture. A fun activity with meaning! Details: link in bio

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Here is my son, Trevor’s 2020

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Here is my son, Trevor’s 2020 amazing pumpkin creation! As you can see, it’s very detailed—and this is NOT the high resolution that I wanted to post. You can even see that the girl’s shirt is plaid—so much detail! He entered it into a contest—let’s hope he wins! Bravo, Trevor! More information about his pumpkins and how he carves them here: https://goodparentingbrighterchildren.com/pumpkin-carving-how-to/ or check the link in bio

HALLOWEEN MUSIC TO PLAY IN THE DARK ON HALLOWEEN N

HALLOWEEN MUSIC TO PLAY IN THE DARK ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT Nothing creates more atmosphere than music. Here is a list of music, video links and games you can play with your kids or grandkids on Halloween night. Spooky music to play in the dark, guessing games and more Think about this—how scary would “Jaws” have been without the music? Right?! Link: https://goodparentingbrighterchildren.com/halloween-music-for-kids/

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