March Meeting Recap

March is a time of beginnings, when we say goodbye to the chill of winter (even a mild South Carolina winter) and welcome the newness of spring. This can apply to our souls as well as to the seasons. What mom doesn't need renewal? Our speaker this month focused on how we can start again with our children to focus on loving guidance.  If you missed it, here are the highlights!

Craft: Spring Banner

Upcoming Events and Important Announcements

• Thanks to all who donated to the Upstate Kids Consignment Sale! We made $199.00! Thanks especially to Megan Bates and Jenine Addison, who handled much of the organization leading up to the sale.
• Date change for April Meeting: April 6th (1st Thursday) due to Spring Break!
• MOPS on the Town will take place at Lucky Acres Alpaca Farm (1024 Milford Rd, Townville SC) on Tuesday, March 21 at 10 a.m.
• Moms Night Out will be dessert and coffee at Sullivan's on Thursday, March 30th at 7:30 p.m.

Speaker: Lisa Fields

Lisa's not-for-profit organization, Heath's Haven, "is an effort to help provide people with the basic tools needed for healthy relationships" and was created "in loving memory of Heath Fields," her son. Lisa speaks to parents to teach them the benefits of the Love and Logic parenting course. Here are some important tips she shared with us this month: 

• Children need repetition, routine, respect, relationship, and responsive interaction for healthy brain development. 
• In order to become resilient people, our children need to feel loved and they need to feel capable. This begins from the time they are babies. 
• Children tend to act up because they want attention. So why do we so often ignore them when they are doing the right thing, such as playing quietly and independently? We don't give them attention until they do something wrong- and they know this!
• The best way to respond to a child's anger is to respond sympathetically with "I know!" It's difficult to argue with "I know" :) 
• We should focus on how to make a situation a "Win-Win". We as parents CAN get the behavior we are looking for while also making our children feel loved and capable!
• It is important to teach children how to own their mistakes and problem-solve to make up for them. (For example, performing extra "contributions" at home.)

Lisa will soon be offering a Love and Logic course in Anderson. Stay tuned for details!

Thanks to those who contributed giveaways this month:
Alexa Thompson at Crayton Designs, The Corner Bagel Shop,
and Electric City Gymnastics