Little Things Long Remembered: Making your Children Feel Special Every Day

Susan Newman, PhD is the kind of common sense social psychologist I can easily recommend. Author of 15 books, she addresses issues facing busy families in today's world. Dr. Newman sent me a copy of her book LITTLE THINGS LONG REMEMBERED: MAKING YOUR CHILDREN FEEL SPECIAL EVERY DAY. 

The book is filled with suggestions and tips that will help you create lifelong memories with your little ones. 

Even author Judy Blume agrees with me on this one:

"'Little Things...' promises--and delivers--a treasure chest of ideas to build cherished memories and strong family connections. Keep this book close by."

In today's society, making a conscious decision to work these little things into your daily schedules is vital. Let's face it: most of us spend a fair amount of time on our electronic devices. According to various research studies, children and teens often feel that they have to compete with mom's and dad's screen time. That's sad. If your kids start to feel neglected and start acting out in order to get your attention, you have no one to blame but yourself.

If you are on your devices 10 or 11 hours a day, chances are your youngsters (8 and under) are generally spending over 4 hours doing the same. Parents who use their devices for 2 hours a day have kids who generally spend the majority of their days doing something other than engaging in screen time. It really seems to be a choice parents have to make. 

According to Dr. Newman, When adults and children unplug, they can focus on true interaction. Real time play and involvement with family and friends enhances a child's creativity, social interaction, understanding of sharing, and comprehension of empathy.

A study done by Iowa State University involved 1300 school age children. The researchers followed them for one full year and concluded that limiting screen time resulted in improved sleep, academics, and behavior. Less time spent on media had positive, "protective effects" on the children.

I agree wholeheartedly with this train of thought and the conclusions from this study and many more. That's one of the reasons why I love this book. Each page has 3 to 6 ideas for creating these precious memories. They are divided into chapters such as: 

• Connecting
• Establish Ties
• Five Minutes or Less
• Half an Hour to an Hour or So
• Sick Days
• Weekend Fun
• Memorable Birthdays
• and more

You can customize the suggestions to fit your family's unique needs and personalities. But what you don't want to do is skip out on the treasure chest this book really is.

Instead of looking for ideas online, use this handy guide. The book is lightweight, easy to read, and full of ideas that are sure to strengthen the bonds between you and your kids or grandkids. You can purchase LITTLE THINGS LONG REMEMBERED: MAKING YOUR CHILDREN FEEL SPECIAL EVERY DAY by clicking here.

Dr. Newman has graciously offered to give away her book to 3 lucky members of the GG community. Entering is simple. In the comments below, share a tip with other parents about how your create special memories with your kids. Then put the name you commented under on the Rafflecopter to be entered into the giveaway. Of course, there are additional ways to enter, so be sure to check them out. 18+ and US only. Winners will be chosen on Thursday, November 20th and will have 48 hours to respond to my email before alternate winners will be chosen.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



You can follow Dr. Newman on Twitter, Facebook, or on her blog at Psychology Today.