What kind of memories are you creating?
Dear Parents and Colleagues
It’s the eve of the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final. Memories of 1995 flood back. Where were you when South Africa won the Webb Ellis trophy that year? I distinctly remember where I was because I had just given birth to my first son a few weeks before. In fact, my brother in law had had to take me to hospital as my husband was parked in at Ellis Park where he had been watching NZ vs Ireland! Not to worry, my baby only made his entrance the next day and many rugby related gifts arrived from rugby balls to World Cup teddies. A few weeks later we were glued to the box for the final at a friend’s home when it was time for a feed. There was no way I was going to leave the room at that critical moment so I fed my baby then and there. Being the first in our crowd to become parents, that day has long been remembered amongst our crowd not just for South Africa winning the World Cup but for the breastfeeding education all our mates received in the process! I did my patriotic bit for South African rugby this year by not scheduling any workshops on any of the Springbok’s match dates – the Post-It with the dates is still stuck right next to my computer screen to remind me of South African’s priorities! Go Bokke!
During the past few weeks we have had further cause to walk down memory lane with the passing away of my darling Granny, who was 91, and who had lived such a rich and colourful life, and then the tragic and senseless murder of a family friend, Mike Thomson, in a domestic robbery. He didn’t even make his 40th birthday which would have been this week and he leaves his wife and three young children. What a waste of a good man who was making a contribution to society! I share this with you because attending funerals does make one think about how you might like to be remembered one day. Both my Gran and Mike made the world a better place because they were here. They were both great connectors with people. I describe my Gran as A Queen of Relationships even though she was never the head of a corporation. Both of them touched so many lives in their own unique way, giving others experiences that will long be remembered.
How are you touching the lives of those you love and the population at large? What kind of difference will you make during your walk on this Earth? The answers to these questions all start at home with the relationships we build between ourselves and our family members. How must it feel to be a member of your family? What do you celebrate? Do you have any particular family traditions? How do you spend your time? The answers to these questions will be different for each family and will be part of creating Brand You and your specific family brand. You never know how long or short your life may be, but one thing is certain – when you are gone, all that is left are memories. What kind of memories are you creating for your loved ones to remember you by?
A good place to start is to make sure you put time aside to play together. Play is the universal language of human connection. It is a language every human being understands, and it is specifically the language of childhood. Play hopes, play builds, play teaches, play heals, play loves. Play does all these things and so much more. Remember that this generation of children is saying “Give me an experience, and I’ll promise you a relationship.” Play is a great relationship building experience – give it a try!
TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
This is a particularly busy time of year for me with many school year end functions to speak at and, of course, it’s Toy Season. It’s always interesting to see how Toy Talk evolves each year as my selection of toys changes. There has been a lot of demand for another Grannies in Action workshop which I have been asked to present at The Bryanston Country Club. St Peter’s School for Girls will be hosting the last Parenting on the Run workshop for this year. See the table of dates, times and venues below. There are also still some seats left for the Nuts & Bolts Workshop being hosted at Moms & Tots, Fourways next week, for those with under 5s.
Toy Talk R125.00 including tea, notes and a goodie bag
Toy Talk is a one and a half hour workshop enlightening parents about the importance of play in a child’s life, the basics of how children learn, as well as how to choose the right games and toys for their child. Nikki advises parents in age bands of 0 – 2 years, 2- 4 years, 4 – 6 years, 6 – 8 years and 8+ about classic toys every child should have as well as what is “hot” right now, helping them to make better choices for their child. The fantastic goodie bag is worth over R100 this year!
Thursday, 25 October Douglasdale 7.30 – 9.30pm
Friday, 26 October Douglasdale 9 – 11.00am
Wednesday, 31 October, Douglasdale, 9 – 1100am
Thursday, 1 November Douglasdale FULLY BOOKED 7.30 – 9.30pm
Saturday, 17 November Douglasdale 10am –12.00pm
Wednesday, 28 November Douglasdale 7.30 –9.30pm T
Nuts & Bolts Workshop
Saturday, 27 October at Moms & Tots Fourways 9.30am – 12pm
R200.00 including tea, notes and a set of Smile fruit dominoes.
Nuts & Bolts is a fun and interactive workshop covering the specific perceptual skills a child needs to acquire within the first 6 years of life in order to be ready for school, as well as how parents can be really creative with a variety of classic toys. Parents are encouraged to put their own stamp on their child’s play experiences by using their imagination, adding love letters, breaking the rules and combining games in order to create more games! For parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles with children under 5.
Grannies in Action
Monday, 5 November Bryanston Country Club 9 – 11.30am
R200 including tea, notes and Smile fruit dominoes.
Grannies in Action will leave you with renewed enthusiasm and an armload of fresh ideas to help you connect with your grandchildren and stimulate their development through play. Be inspired to reconnect with the power of play – it is one of the ingredients of the fountain of youth! Suitable for grannies of 2 – 8 year olds.
Parenting on the Run
Thursday, 15 November St Peter’s School for Girls 8.30–11.00am
R200 including tea, notes and an Energizer Lion King torch and batteries
Join us for Parenting on the Run and learn how to cheat time . After this inspiring and interactive workshop, parents leave armed with dozens of creative and practical ideas for converting what they would normally consider wasted time with their children, into quality time. Ideal for helping parents to give away the guilt they so often carry in juggling their many different roles and responsibilities. Suitable for parents of 2 – 8 year olds.
Please email your bookings to us at brightideas@powerpt.co.za. Payment secures your seat.
BLOKUS LUCKY DRAW
Attend any of my workshops between now and 28 November and go into a lucky draw to win a giant Blokus game. Blokus is one of my favourite family board games at the moment and is currently the most awarded game in the 21st century. It is an absolute must from 7 years and up. I reviewed it in one of my previous newsletters and I highly recommend it. It is a strategy game (a bit of a modern version of chess, but way easier and quicker) that can be played by up to four players at a time. My family loves it. This beautiful giant version is absolutely stunning. It measures 56 x 56cm. By attending one of my workshops you get one ticket in the lucky draw. For every personal referral who books and attends you will receive another ticket in the draw. That means that some of my clients already have seven or eight tickets in the draw! Click here to read the original game review.
TOY OF THE YEAR AWARDS
I judged the entries a few weeks ago, and the winners of this year’s awards will be announced in mid-November. As you know, regardless of the official winners, I always put my own list of winners together, which forms the foundation of Toy Talk itself. My list doesn’t just include entries into the TOTY Awards, but also toys and games that weren’t entered and that I believe are great for kids and families. This selection process makes shopping for your child so much easier. See the table above for more details about Toy Talk.
FIGHT CRIME – SUPPORT THE DNA PROJECT
If you would like to do something constructive in the fight against crime in your personal or corporate capacity, then please support the DNA Project with donations, ideas or your time.
That’s it for now. As you get caught up in the mad rush that is so typical of this time of the year, remember the words of Nelson Mandela from 2002: “Walk gently, breathe peacefully, laugh hysterically.” Keep on connecting with your children.
NIKKI BUSH
