Teaching Respect and Sportsmanship - Part Two

Tips for parents when it comes to respect and sportsmanship when your kids are playing team sports:

• Cheer, don’t jeer! It is very appropriate for you to cheer and encourage your son or daughter while playing sports, but it is never appropriate to make negative remarks to (or about) other kids on the field.


• Control your outbursts. As a sports fan, it is almost impossible to not experience human emotions – including anger and disgust – while watching a game. For some people keeping these emotions inside is not that difficult, but for others it is almost virtually impossible. If you cannot control your emotions, consider alternatives such as sitting further away so as to not disturb others, or in more serious cases, consider talking to a professional.


• Model appropriate behaviors. Think about what you say, how you say, and even your body language. Remember, kids see everything and learn from how adults conduct themselves!

Dr. Chris Stankovich is a national expert in the field of sport psychology, and offers an entire line of sport performance & life skills video, audio, and other products for parents, student athletes, and coaches. To learn more, or to contact Dr. Stankovich directly, please visit http://www.drstankovich.com/

KidsLinked Presents ~ Official Parent Guide of Red, White and Boom

As one of the main creative forces behind KidLinked I work hard to create new ways to help parents receive the information that they have been looking for. I have lived in Columbus most of my life (with the exception of the brief 3 1/2 years I was transplanted to Germany) and have learned in my experience of being a parent that it is always hard to find the information that you are looking for. KidsLinked was developed with the understanding of that problem and is on a mission to make the lives of parents easier.

About a month ago, KidsLinked formed a partnership with Promotions One. Promotions One puts on large events in Central Ohio such as Red, White and Boom (the largest fireworks display in the Midwest) and First Night Columbus (the largest New Years Eve celebration in Central Ohio). In one of our meetings I started to think about my past experiences of taking my son to Red, White and Boom and how certain information as a parent was impossible to find. What were all the activities available for my family? What was the best place to sit with my kid? What vendors were there with stuff for my son to do? Was I allowed to bring sparklers? What time should I head downtown? What about my family's safety?

Those questions are the reason the "Official Parent Guide of Red, White and Boom" was born. All the information that parents want to know about the event will be found in one guide. Parent resource bags will be handed out in Childrens Park at the KidsLinked area stuff with the guide and other great information about local resources and information that parents will benefit knowing about.


KidsLinked will also be hosting a special area in the Children's area at Battelle Park in which you can find:

• Safety bracelets for your kids (space for the parents name & cell phone number)
• Red, White & Boom temporary tattoo stations
• Official Parent Guide Pick Up Point
• Parent resource bags with samples, coupons and information
• Giveaways for Kalahari Resorts, Jonas Brothers & Family Fun Pack

For more information about Red, White and Boom Childrens Park click here; for more information about the entertainment & event schedule click here.

Free Summer Activities - KidsLinked Bag Stuffing Party

Want to hang out with the KidsLinked crew? Meet the owners and founders of this great site for parents! Join us for the KidsLinked Bag Stuffing Party to help get KidsLinked ready for their biggest event yet ... Red, White & Boom's Childrens Park! KidsLinked will be providing food & drinks as well as special goodie bags for joining and supporting us on this amazing adventure!

Details: Meet us at Gordy's in Westerville (6150 Sunbury Rd, Westerville Ohio 43081) from 6pm - 8pm in the event/meeting room. Friends and family are welcome.

Receive a KidsLinked Goodie Bag filled with Chiller pass (2 includes admission & skate rental), KidsLinked water bottle, KidsLinked pen, KidsLinked Temporary Tattoos, KidsLinked Columbus Family Fun Guide, KidsLinked Discount Card (over $100 in savings & reusable for 12 months), KidsLinked Car Magnet, goodies for your kids & an informational packet about things to do around town.

For more information or if planning on attending please email laura.miller@kidslinked.com.

Mothers Best Advice

When I was asked to reflect on the best advice I could pass on for daughters or sons the task was easy! That advice is the primary goal of all my work with youth:

Respect your own body and the bodies of others!

If we all did this, the world would be a different place….imagine global peace! We can envision a peaceful world if everyone was respectful of self and others. That lofty goal out of the way, I will now focus on a couple of specifics in reaching that lofty goal.

Standing up for oneself: In a respectful manner the ability to stand of for oneself is an integral part of self respect. Recognizing that you have a right to maintain your self-identity even in the most intimate friendships and relationships is a critical part of successful interaction with others. Even in marriage or lifetime commitments, do not lose your personal identity. Think of those relationships as a railroad track…two strong pieces of metal creating a special relationship together. Neither piece would be a railroad track without the other but individually each is equally strong for many purposes…one does not have power over the other!

Add value: Make sure your actions in words and deeds add value to your interactions with others. If not, don’t do or say whatever it is you are thinking about. This reminds me of the old saying, “If you can’t say or do something nice, don’t say or do anything at all!”

Take reasonable risks: It is important that children of all ages (that includes adults) have the courage to take reasonable risks. Without that ability we cannot learn and grow!

It’s O.K. to make mistakes and learn from them the very first time: A very critical component of parenting is to teach your child it is O.K. to make mistakes but equally important is to learn from them. Lose the phase, “If you do that again, I’m going to…!” It teaches your child that they can do something over, and over with no consequences.

Stay away from “Joy snatchers!”: Surround yourself with positive and joyful people who make you laugh and feel good. When you find yourself in environments of negative energy, remove yourself as soon as possible…and that includes people, places and thoughts.

Mary Halter
President/CEO
HEALTHY edudynamics

Mary H. Halter has worked in the field of youth development for over 25 years. She developed A Time To Talk curriculum with both a school and parent component. Her straight forward, no-nonsense approach is refreshing and informative. You can learn more about Mary by visiting http://healthyedudynamics.com/.

Teaching Respect and Sportsmanship - Part One

As a parent of a child involved in youth sports, it’s likely that you have probably noticed how serious and intense many leagues can be like today. In fact, many parents have told me that they sometimes feel as though they are watching mini-professional athletes playing to win at all cost, instead of seeing kids learning, growing, and maturing through the athletic experience. As the emphasis on winning continues to be paramount in many youth sport leagues, it is important we maintain a healthy balance and take time to identify “teachable moments” in sports where kids can learn respect and sportsmanship.

Interestingly, while we often hope for our children to win with grace, lose with dignity, and always display appropriate sportsmanship to teammates and opponents, when we as adults model terribly inappropriate behaviors all of these hopes quickly become diminished. Sportsmanship encompasses far more than begrudgingly shaking an opponents hand after a game, it involves everything you do from the moment you arrive at the park until the time you leave. Sportsmanship is a prosocial behavior that your child can learn through sports, as well as apply to all relationships outside of sports, too.

Dr. Chris Stankovich is a national expert in the field of sport psychology, and offers an entire line of sport performance & life skills video, audio, and other products for parents, student athletes, and coaches. To learn more, or to contact Dr. Stankovich directly, please visit http://www.drstankovich.com/

Marcy's Stretching a Buck Deals & Discounts ~ Week of June 22nd

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For more freebies, printable coupons and weekly tips on maximizing your coupon savings at your favorite stores, read more at Stretching a Buck!

Summer Blog Series: Free Activity Ideas for your Family

Free Summer Movies for Your Family

Rave Motion Pictures Free Family Film Festival hosts free movies every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am for 8 weeks starting June 9th, 2009! No reservations are allowed and all movies are rated G or PG! Seats are available on a first come first serve basis

Movie Schedule

June 9 & 10 - Kung Fu Panda - PG - 92 minutes
June 16 & 17 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - PG - 89 minutes
June 23 & 24 - Surf's Up - PG - 85 minutes
June 30 & July 1 - The Tale of Despereaux - G - 90 minutes
July 7 & 8 - Horton Hears A Who! - G - 86 minutes
July 14 & 15 - Space Chimps - G - 81 minutes
July 21 & 22 - Igor - PG - 87 minutes
July 28 & 29 - Shrek the Third - PG - 93 minutes

For more information on participating movie theatres please go to http://www.ravemotionpictures.com/ffff.asp