4 Friday, July 7, 2017 brooklintowncrier.com Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown Kids with solid self-discipline skills beat out kids with high IQ. Selfdisciplined kids are those who can choose to forgo immediate gratification. They make good choices regardless of how they feel and know how to persevere for what they want. Studies indicate that willpower is the most important habit for individual success. In "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business," author Charles Duhigg showed that students who exerted high levels of willpower were more likely to earn higher grades. "Self-discipline predicted academic performance more robustly than did IQ," he wrote. "It also predicted which students would improve their grades over the course of the school year, whereas IQ did not.… Self-discipline has a bigger effect on academic performance than does intellectual talent." Long term success In other words, those who persevere and have a passion for long-term goals are more likely to succeed in school and life. They recognize the importance of making good decisions concerning chores, homework, money, peer pressure, and taking care of themselves. Therefore, teaching them self-discipline skills while they're young can help them throughout their lives. Besides, when kids are self-disciplined, it means less work for Mom and Dad. The more self-disciplined your child becomes, the less he'll need from you. When your child accepts responsibility for his own behaviour, you won't need to use as many negative consequences. Children lacking self-discipline require parents who often need to take more responsibility for the child's behaviour. Thus the parent puts in more effort than the child to do a task and sometimes the parent ends up doing it themselves just to get it done. So how do we parents instill these skills? Provide structure. Kids need a routine that teaches how to divide time between chores, homework, sports and fun activities. It's also important to have a bedtime routine that teaches the importance of settling down and getting plenty of rest. Routines should be simple and, with practice, the child should be learning to do each step of it alone. Make good choices Help your child make good choices on their own. Set the rules. Explain the underlying reason for the rule. Say, "It's a good choice to do your homework first and then have free time later, as a reward for getting your work done." This helps them to understand the reasons for your rules. Let the consequences happen, whether imposed by you or naturally. It's important to avoid power struggles. Forcing your child to do something won't teach self-discipline. Praise whenever your child demonstrates self-discipline. If your daughter works out a problem on her own with a peer, say, "Great job to work it out with your friend!" Also provide praise when kids do things without requiring reminders, such cleaning their room on their own. Teach problem-solving skills and work together on them. Sometimes asking kids what they think can lead to creative solutions. Let them own the problem. If one solution doesn't work, let him try different approaches until he finds something that works. Self-discipline is acquired through experience. Letting kids learn what works and what doesn't, and seeing the results of their actions, is the most effective way to teach self-discipline. Your child got all As… Is he smart or self-disciplined? WORSHIP DIRECTORY WORSHIP DIRECTORY Burns Presbyterian Church 765 Myrtle Rd West (just 4 minutes north of Brooklin) 10am Worship, Kids Zone Fun & Nursery Care "Discovering God, Sharing God's Love" 905.655.8509 www.Burnschurch.org St. Thomas' Anglican Church 101 Winchester Road East Sunday Services: 8:30 and 10:30 am Sunday School & Nursery Program (10:30am) Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Communion and Healing Service 905-655-3883 www.stthomasbrooklin.ca Brooklin United Church 19 Cassels Rd. E. Sunday Services at 10:30 am Sunday School & Nursery Care www.brooklinunited.ca 905-655-4141 Come catch the Spirit! Renaissance Baptist Church of Brooklin 40 Vipond Road (Just West Of Library) Sunday Worship & Kids Program 10:30 a.m. 905-655-4554 www.brooklinrbc.ca We're here for Brooklin! Community Calendar If you have a community not-for-profit event you would like included in the calendar, please email it to editorofBTC@gmail.com with the subject line "calendar." Priority will be given to Brooklin events. Some editing may occur. Fri., July 7 - Sun., July 9: Whitby Ribfest at Victoria Fields Sponsored by Rotary Club of Whitby Fri.: 12 pm - 11 pm, Sat.: 11 am - 11 pm, Sun.: 11 am - 8 pm Featuring ribbers and food/marketplace vendors Kidfest: Sat/Sun: 12 pm - 4 pm With free entertainment Thurs., July 13: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Farewell to Sue Pitchforth At Brooklin Pub, upstairs Sat., July 15: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Summer Artfest Grass Park There's room this year for new artists. Email apiebalgs@estuimages.com Mon - Fr., July 17-21: 9:00 - 11:30 am: Vacation Bible Camp Brooklin United Church, 19 Cassels Rd. E, Ages 4-11. Songs, games, crafts, snacks & fun in "God's Big Backyard: Where kids have a blast serving Jesus." $25/child or $35/family for the week. Pre-registration required. Call 905-655-4141 or brooklinunited.ca Fri., July 28: 4:00 - 5:00 pm (4th Friday of each month) Teen Leadership Council at Brooklin Library Whitby Library's Brooklin Branch seeks Teen Leadership Council members to share ideas & assist with special events and programs. Grade 9-12 students earn community service hours. Snacks provided. No registration required. For information, email teenservices@whitbylibrary.ca. Mondays: 6:30-7 pm: French Family Storytime: Children and their caregivers can join Madame Sue for weekly French Family Storytime! A half hour of French stories and songs, with a dash of English! Drop in at Central Library's Children's Program Room 1st & 3rd Tuesdays Community Care Durham (CCD) Basic Foot Care at St. Thomas' Anglican Church. 905-668-6779 Mon-Fri CCD delivers hot or frozen meals. To order: Karen Andrews 905-668-6779 CLASSIFIEDS Guitar Drum Lessons Repairs Rentals patricksguitarstudio.com Sarah's Sewing Alterations, Mending, Crafts, Costumes - Call or text: 905 242-4251 blue.dragonfly@rocketmail.com Advertise With Us... yeswomanbrooklin@gmail.com For Your Vintage Stereos, Working or Not, Amplifiers, Turntables, Speakers, and Records. Call 416.895.4747 • Free Pickup Available We Pay Cash