I Wasn\u2019t Kidding, Now I Am<\/em>\u00a0is a book that takes some simple ideas and presents them as activities for some or all the family to engage in to promote interaction.<\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Broken down into four main sections, the book provides activities to cover, \u2018Quick & EASY,\u2019 \u2018Family Teamwork,\u2019 \u2018Family Fun,\u2019 and \u2018Reward.\u2019 There is a clear format to the book that outlines who will participate in the activity e.g., just the child, or the whole family, the age of the target audience, and when and why to use the activity. It highlights any materials\/resources that will be needed which are all reasonable and minimal as well as providing additional tips that aren\u2019t covered under other headings. Lastly, it gives a run-down on the results one might expect from the activity so you can compare your own experience or gain confidence in knowing that you are on the right track.<\/p>
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Activities are centered around making family life easy, fun, and calm. Okay, so there are some noisy exercises, but ultimately, the aim is to make children feel safe and comfortable. Some activities are designed to expel energy and induce tiredness, others are designed to form trust, reduce rivalry, and even openly show love in a discreet way. For example, one of the activities is a game where you tell a story using specific initials. Your child with those initials will associate the story with wanting a hug and provide this having had the tale. Another activity sees the parent encouraging children to take more control by saying \u2018why not?\u2019 to doing something new. It removes the negative \u2018no\u2019 and encourages children to step outside their comfort zone and try new things without feeling inhibited. It also normalizes things like jumping in puddles and making a mess, framing it as something educational and fun rather than something messy and destructive.<\/p>
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What I love most about this book is the love. A lot of the activities, regardless of what the aim is, involve telling or showing the child that they are loved by either the parents, or the whole family. There is emphasis on how much family matters, which is so important in a dysfunctional, modern world where families do not stay together as long as they used to. The activities in this book help bond family members for a lifetime, not just for childhood.<\/p>
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Interestingly, the book contained activities that we, as a family, use. It was affirming to see things we do publicized and to give consideration to the benefits that we take for granted because the activities come so naturally. No doubt, other families will be in a similar boat and spurred on to complete other tasks to enhance family life.<\/p>
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This book is suitable for any child carers that are young enough to still require regular supervision, be them parents, much older siblings, grandparents, and childminders. Some activities are less appropriate for people outside the family but that shouldn\u2019t be a deterrent to using the book and you can always consider adding your own spin\/variation to an exercise. It is a useful reference tool for if you find yourself in need of a new technique to extract certain positive behaviors. I, for one, will be returning to this book again and again for inspiration.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t