Bev Milun is the single mom of a 10 year old son. She divorced while still pregnant, survived a violent hijacking in which she and her baby nearly lost their lives, and has been a single mom, businesswoman and inspirational speaker since. She recently wrote and published a book called The Survival Guide to Parenthood through the eyes of a single mother (a must-read even if you aren’t single).

Mike Duffus became a single dad of a three year old when his wife tragically passed away after a long battle with cancer. His daughter is now seven. Mike has travelled the roller coaster journey of grief while continuing to be an active father, a highly successful businessman and an accomplished sportsman (he is a top Duzi Canoe Marathon competitor).

Nikki Bush, creative parenting expert, inspirational speaker, author (Future-proof Your Child and Easy Answers to Awkward Questions) and mom to two boys aged 11 and 15, will present Parenting Matters™ for parents of this wired, weird and wonderful generation of children. She will raise some hot topics including:

• Who’s the boss?
• Hold your line
• From mad to glad
• Managing your child’s exposure to media
• Your child’s happiness quotient

Don’t miss this seminar!

DATE :   Tuesday, 14 September 2010

TIME :    6 – 9pm, including a light supper

VENUE:   Nedbank Auditorium, 135 Rivonia Rd, Sandton

COST :   R350.00 per person

BOOKINGS:   info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

PARENTING A 21ST CENTURY CHILD

The decision to become a parent is much easier than the journey. Any parent will tell you that parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a journey of 21 years or longer, depending on how many children you have and the time-frame between them.

Parenting in the 21st century is challenging our thinking. The world is changing, and we are walking a path that is new in many ways. Bringing balance and keeping an open mind will help develop our precious offspring, and will also develop character and growth in us.

Parenting can be divided into four main roles. Understanding these roles and the rules that govern them will guide your journey….Click here for the full story.

Graeme Codrington, Sam Cowan and Nikki Bush on eTV's Great Expectations this morning

Another Parenting Matters™ seminar was announced on eTV’s Great Expectations show this morning.  As a follow-on to this TV programme that focused on the book, Future-proof Your Child, (Penguin, 2008), Nikki will be presenting a powerful combination of Future-proof Your Child™ and Parenting on the Run™ in one morning seminar that will  leave you informed and empowered.  Future-proof Your Child™ is a wonderful scene setter for parenting in this century and Parenting on the Run™ is a practical, fun expression of Future-proof Your Child in action.  Don’t miss it!

DATE :  Saturday, 18 September 2010

TIME:  9am – 12pm

VENUE:  Nedbank Auditorium, 1 Newtown Ave, Killarney, Jhb

COST:  R350.00 per head (includes notes, refreshments and lucky draws)

BOOKINGS:  info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

FUTURE-PROOF YOUR CHILD™

The world has changed. The future has changed. Childhood is changing. Raising children has never been more challenging – or potentially rewarding.

Nikki Bush, creative parenting expert and author of the bestselling book, Future-proof Your Child, explores what you need to know about tomorrow today, why you need to know this and what you need to do to prepare today’s children for a world that doesn’t yet exist. This thought provoking multi-media presentation, peppered with personal anecdotes, will introduce you to the X-factors required for success in 2020 and beyond, providing many practical ideas to help children to develop them from an early age.

This eye-opening talk is suitable for anyone involved in raising children of any age, from parents to teachers, aunts, uncles, grandparents and even parents to be.

PARENTING ON THE RUN™

Parents today are busy. Being able to parent creatively – on the run – makes your parenting journey easier and much more fun. In this workshop, creative parenting expert and author, Nikki Bush, introduces the concept of cheating time and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, helping parents to give away the guilt they so often feel.

She will show you how time spent in the car, doing household chores and activities or waiting for appointments, can be so valuable to both you and your child – it is never a waste of time! This insightful talk is peppered with personal anecdotes and provides dozens of practical and creative ideas to take home and try with your children.  Connecting with your child can be such fun and so easy despite your busyness!  Come and play.

“In the sci-fi world of rockets and robots, computer keyboards don’t exist. Humans always talk to their computers, giving them orders, commands and requests. In the blockbuster film Avatar, touch screen technology was the big deal. But until these high tech visions  are realized, the 88-key QWERTY keyboard – together with the mouse — will remain the main interface between man and machine.  And yet, it’s amazing how many people still haven’t mastered their keyboard. “Hunt and Peck” remains a trusted method for data entry for over 25% of computer users.”

Kevin Lerner, The Presentation Team

As a very speedy touch-typist myself, I have always received jealous glares from colleagues and even my husband and children as I bash away at my keyboard effortlessly.  My dexterity makes them look like palookas.  And I have always battled to find assistants who could work faster or more accurately than me which has been so frustrating because they could never keep up with my productivity. 

Touch typing is definitely one of the skills I would like my children to master long before they leave school.  Did you know that it boosts productivity on a keyboard by up to 60%? Who wouldn’t want to do that? I learnt to touch type in Australia when I was an 18 year old exchange student.  Back then I never realised that taking this practical subject would benefit me so much in the long-run.  To this day, I marvel at the ability of the human brain and how trainable it is.  Touch typing is such an excellent example of this.

Learning how to read is another skill that often blows my mind.  That we can make sense out of such abstract symbols as  letters and numbers — a decoding system, if you will — is an incredible feat.  But in a world of  increasing digital speed and connectivity, it’s no longer enough to be able to read.  You need to be able to read at speed and to be able to comprehend what you are reading.  Interestingly we also live in an era of rapidly declinging literacy rates  — not a good thing for children who are already drowning in information from the first time they do a Google search for a school project in grade 1.  And information overload will continue at a pace.

So, if your child’s school doesn’t offer speed reading and touch-typing as subjects or extra options, then do  make sure that at some point you create an opportunity to give your child the benefit of acquiring these skills that will not just boost their productivity but their confidence and self-esteem too.  They will go a long way to helping our children to love learning,  helping them to contribute to, and shape the body of knowledge that we are all  co-creating — at speed — in addition to predictive text and voice activated software among others.  As learning is one of the five key X-factors for success in the future world of work, we need to do everything we can to make learning easier and more enjoyable — they are going to be doing this for life!

“Speed reading and touch typing are excellent skills for greater efficiency in life.  Being able to operate and navigate technology confidently — from cellphones to computers to the Internet and other electronic gadgets — will enable learners to manipulate, disseminate and acquire infomation quickly.  Competence in this area will assist with time management and enhance communication and presentation skills.”

Nikki Bush & Dr Graeme Codrington,

 Future-proof Your Child (Penguin, 2008)

DATE:  29 September 2010

TIME:  6 for 6.30pm to 9.30pm

VENUE: Bryanston Sports Club, cnr Grosvenor and Main Roads, Bryanston

COST:  R300.00 per head including light finger supper.  Cash bar available.  10% couples discount.

Bookings essential:  info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

MORE ABOUT THE CHILDHOOD WITH ZEAL ROADSHOW

Celebrating 5 years of inspiration, Equal Zeal® will host a national Childhood with Zeal road show to promote healthy family living. The road show includes exhibitions, educational resources and workshops to enhance Zeal in families. Seminars will highlight issues affecting children including crime, divorce, drugs and alcohol, violence, suicide, promiscuity, depression, learning difficulties, technology, nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, ADD/ADHD, stress, self esteem, music influences and childhood illnesses.

Parents and children finally have a platform to unite and be empowered through knowledge and insight. The road show is family oriented and promises fun for all with lucky draws, children’s play areas, Childhood with Zeal books and the latest in family therapy and support. Experts, including Nikki Bush, Janine Shamos, Heather Picton, Zelna Lauwrens, Hettie Brittz, Marinda Blain, Cathy del Mei, Shelton Kartun and Nazraana Jassat will be sharing their insight.

Join us on any of the following days: 5 Sep (The Country Boma, JHB), 12 Sep (The Breakers Resort, KZN), 19 Sep (Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, PTA) or 26 Sep (The River Club, CT). Entry is R295 for adults, R95 for teenagers and children under 13 free. Bookings through Computicket.

Open your heart and show kindness with Zeal by donating towards a charity project of your choice on the day. Childline, Teddy Bear Clinic, ADHASA, SADAG, SADSA and Fathers for Justice are charities that will receive a portion of the proceeds from Equal Zeal® Training.

WHO IS EQUAL ZEAL?

Equal Zeal® Training, established in 2005, offers a series of self development programmes that provide essential life tools to tackle modern day challenges that children face. Subscribing to a philosophy of inspiring growth, Equal Zeal® equips children with a solid foundation through their Life Studios for Kids. Solutions are based on Zeal for life®, meaning the energy you put into life equals the rewards you receive.  For more information visit www.equalzeal.com.

My bestselling sexuality education book, Easy Answers to Awkward Questions (Metz Press, 2009) co-authored with educational psychologist, Ilze van der Merwe, goes into it’s first reprint this month. To celebrate the milestone, we will be running a special on both the English and Afrikaans versions until the end of July 2010. The books normally retail at R130.00 each. From 13 – 31 July, you can purchase them from me for R120.00 each. To place your orders email info@brightideasoutfit.co.za  .

Orders can be collected from us in Fourways or efficiently delivered to your doorstep anywhere in South Africa for a very reasonable delivery fee. The books can also be posted using a track ‘n trace facility and two books fit into one padded envelope for one postage fee if you were considering doubling up or adding my other book Future-proof Your Child (R140.00) to your order. For more info on Easy Answers to Awkward Questions or Maklike Antwoorde op Ongemaklike Vrae, click here.

Since 2001, a thousand 16 year old boys and a thousand 16 year old girls have been surveyed every year in South Africa to determine their level of hope in the future. A ten point scale is used to measure the trust they have in a meaningful future in both this country and the world at large. In 2001, 63% had hope for the future. This figure has now dropped, alarmingly, to 22%! In fact, they believe that the world is on the brink of disaster, says South African futurist, Pieter de Villiers who is involved in this research. And it’s not surprising when you consider the amount of negativity they are bombarded with minute by minute every day via the media, because good news doesn’t sell (except for the past month during the World Cup, of course!).

He explains the danger of youth without hope: “They start living for now. They want maximum fun NOW, regardless of the consequences. They become destructive to themselves and the environment. Why should they care when they don’t believe there is any hope for the future? We need to make a conscious effort to show our children a positive attitude towards the future despite the challenges we face.” I believe this starts with us, in our homes and families, with love, security, values and structure.

James Martin, founder of the James Martin 21st Century School at Oxford University and author of bestselling book The Meaning of the 21st Century (Eden Project Books, 2006) says that this is an amazing time in history to be a young person precisely because there is so much opportunity to create a new and better world for all. “If I could choose any time to live, I would want to be a teenager now (in a country with a great education) [he adds]……The most important reason I would choose today is that, more than at any other time, young people will make a spectacular difference. The 21st Century Revolution is absolutely essential, and today’s young people will make it happen. There needs to be an absolute crusading determination to bring about the changes……..Today’s young people will collectively determine whether civilisation survives or not. It will be a time of revolution establishing the processes by which humankind can achieve levels of greatness never dreamed of before. With technologies that are infinite in all directions, what can humanity become?”

I would like to add that while technology will help us solve many of our challenges, without a rise in consciousness about what it means to really be human, we are at risk of becoming technology-driven human doings instead of human beings. There can only be hope if we share not just our technological breakthroughs with each other (the head stuff), but if we share our humanity with each other — our connectedness, our feelings, emotions and spirituality (the heart stuff). And that was exactly what made this Soccer World Cup special and different to any other. As FIFA’s Sepp Blatter said, “Thank you South Africa for sharing your humanity with the world.” We must all become a purveyors of hope to give the next generation hope.

“Family is where hope lives.”

Nikki Bush & Graeme Codrington, Future-proof Your Child (Penguin, 2008)