Malik Sharrieff | February 4, 2010
I think that patience is the key to success in situations where complex issues need to be communicated to our kids - the importance of not talking to strangers versus treating everyone with basic respect and courtesey, for example. When I began instructing my elder son (now almost three) on how he needed to interact [...]
Malik Sharrieff | February 2, 2010
Let’s face it, being a parent is difficult. Sometimes, one of the most difficult things about being a good mom or dad is finding a way to clearly explain some of the most important life lessons our children will need in order to thrive in this world.
As a father, there are many lessons that I [...]
Malik Sharrieff | December 29, 2009
Despite the fact that my one year old has been attempting to communicate with me since birth (and possibly before), there has been a previously unbridgeable gap to our effective communication since I don’t speak his language and he hasn’t yet learned mine.
Of course there have been many successful communications between us during his [...]
Malik Sharrieff | December 15, 2009
Today was a very stressful day. And almost none of that stress had anything to do with caring for my two boys. However, as you know, I have been diligently trying to potty train my eldest son (now 2 1/2 years old). Since my last post I have tried to implement a strategy of repetition of [...]
Malik Sharrieff | December 8, 2009
No adult I know likes to repeat themselves when attempting to communicate an idea to someone. In fact, when my almost-three-year-old makes a sincere attempt to communicate with me but all I receive is semi-intelligible babble, even he gets frustrated after the third or fourth attempt. Yet despite the apparent distaste for repetition, it seems [...]
Malik Sharrieff | November 27, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Since my last post, I’ve had the chance to go back and re-read it. Well, it occurred to me that it might have had a bit of a negative tone. Actually, earlier that day, I had spent a good deal of time trying to explain the importance of prayer to my two and [...]
Malik Sharrieff | November 24, 2009
There was a time when I thought that talking and communicating were close enough to be considered the same. Having children knocks that concept right out of the park. My older son has a fairly large-ish vocabulary for his age and never misses an opportunity to make use of it.
Blah, blah, blah, yackety smackety; every [...]
Malik Sharrieff | November 13, 2009
Yesterday my sons and I were taking a walk through the neighborhood. As we walked past a neighbor’s driveway, my elder son decided to point out the local Thursday mailer laying still lying in the drive. “Look, Daddy! It’s a mail!”, he exclaimed.
He then ran over to pick it up and bring it to me, just [...]
Malik Sharrieff | November 10, 2009
Late last week, my youngest son took his first steps. At ten months, he decided that something on the sofa was important enough to get up from his seat on the floor and take two (and a half) faltering steps towards it. Right before reaching his goal, he overbalanced and teetered forward. Fortunately, there was someone [...]
Malik Sharrieff | October 28, 2009
I am not a big fan of network television. There are a couple of shows I can appreciate, but overall, I could take it or leave it. One of the biggest concerns I have is that until bedtime my son watches anything I might sit down and watch. Trying to be a filter for my [...]
