Reginald Hird and his four daughters.
- Contributed
The heat takes a toll
Over the last several weeks, The Gleaner has been following the Hird babies through their family diary.
For most of the time, the babies went through the same routine except when they seemed to take turns in waking each other. Take Wednesday, July 2, for example, Mommy put Ruthann-Belle and Isabelle to sleep. She tried to do the same with Annabelle, but it didn't work because Gabrielle, who was up doing her baby talk, got excited and woke up Ruthann-Belle and Isabelle. Luckily, Isabelle went back to sleep shortly after. But Gabrielle had to be taken to her father to prevent her from waking her other sisters who were now sleeping.
Same trick
The following day, the same trick was pulled but this time Isabelle was the troublemaker. She was sent to her dad who got her to sleep after a while. If you think that is enough, you would be surprised to know that this trend was taken into the new week of July 14.
The girls have become fussier during the day because of the heat, so most of the afternoons they are taken outside under a shady tree.
It is midweek and, at bath time, Mommy noticed something like a boil on Gabrielle. She is shocked because she had not seen it the night before. She called her husband at work and told him what happened and both agreed to take Gabrielle to the doctor.
Skin infection
She is diagnosed as having a skin infection, which the doctor said is common around summertime. The parents were given two medications for Gabrielle and told that, since the infection was contagious, she should be separated from her sisters. Poor Gabrielle.
Last Thursday, the girls went through their routine of the usual bath, orange juice and feeding with porridge. Then it was sleep time. By 2 p.m. that day, they were taken outside to 'cool out'. Later in the evening, Aunt read them a story.
The babies are getting accustomed to eating their porridge from a cup because, going into the weekend, all of them ate from a cup and spoon. Ruthann-Belle appeared to be in a bad mood though.
POSITIVE Parenting
Tips on getting your children to excel
Recent research shows that many students do poorly on assignments or in group projects because they do not understand what to do or why they should do it.
Psychologist Dr Yvonnie Bailey-Davidson has come up with seven strategies parents can use to motivate their children to excel.
✓ Encourage reading by buying books and any other appropriate reading material that are age appropriate to the child.
✓ Create a liking for reading by the child from an early age. It is also good when parents read to children when they are small, thus developing a parent-child interaction. Parents' enthusiasm to read and study will be transmitted to the children, who will be more likely to become interested.
✓ Quiz children on current affairs and fun facts.
✓ Assist with homework and get help for specific subjects if needed for the child.
✓ Making sure that children are involved in extra-curricular activities such as Key Club, girl guides, etc. A child will not excel if he or she is engaged with schoolwork alone - balance is important.
✓ Rewards are effective in motivating a child to do well at school. While giving rewards is good, punishment can also be used to make children realise that there are consequences for not excelling, and that it is very important to work hard to get good results if he or she wants to be successful.
✓ Doing a monthly check-up of the child's academic progress and his or her social interaction. If there are any problems with the child, seek help from the guidance counsellor early.
Ricardo Valentine, a teacher at St Catherine High School, recommended that parents give their children tangible things to reward them when they get a good grade. He believes that encouraging and believing in children is also very important in motivating them to succeed. He says it works better than punishing them, especially after they have failed an exam.
Valentine said parents should ensure that their children enjoy learning: "For learning to be successful, a person has to enjoy it."
