Starting the School Year Right With Confidence and Connection ✏️
Welcome to the back-to-school edition of the Refreshing the Joy of Parenting newsletter.
We’re happy to have you here! 💞
Whether you’re juggling morning drop-offs, homework battles, or just trying to remember where the lunchboxes are, we’re here to provide some simple, meaningful, and fun ways to raise confident, kind-hearted kids while taking the time to care for you.
Let’s get to it!
And if you haven’t seen the last edition, check it out here.
🎗️Mindful Inspirations: Fuel your body — energy for you means energy for them.
👀 What’s down below:
Parenting & Character Education Nuggets:
The Importance of Building a Sense of Security & Trust in Young Children
Ways to Encourage a Sense of Security & Trust in Young Children
Dinnertime is Family time: Baked Chicken Nuggets
Kids & Money: Show Me the MONEY!!! (Identifying Coins)
Parenting & Character Education Nuggets
The Importance of Building a Sense of Security & Trust in Young Children
Security and trust play a crucial role in developing emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
All children — young and teens — need parental engagement to foster a sense of security and nurture their self-esteem.
📌 Why it matters:
Develop a sense and knowledge of boundaries. This allows the children to know and feel that their home and families are practicing consistency. As a result, your children will feel respected and develop a sense of respect for you.
Feel that they can trust you. When children have a sense of security, they know that they can trust you. They know that you will meet their needs, and they don’t have to worry. Trust is a crucial component of feeling secure.
Gain healthy relationships with others. A sense of security can help individuals feel more comfortable when they encounter and interact with others. Your children may connect better with their peers and other adults in their lives, feeling safer, more secure, and at ease.
Have more self-confidence. Children who have a genuine sense of security tend to feel more comfortable with themselves. They feel less afraid to learn about themselves and their world.
🌞 Ways to Encourage a Sense of Trust & Security in Young Children
The most important aspect of having children who feel secure is giving them your time; this means spending quality time talking, sharing, laughing, and learning with your little ones.
📌 In a nutshell:
Children need quality time and affection from their parents and caregivers to help foster brain development during these formative years.
This includes positive interactions, such as a gentle hug, a kiss on the forehead, or holding hands as you walk together; this shows kids that you love them.
Your verbal encouragement will provide the security they require to flourish. This builds their self-esteem and self-worth.
Dinnertime offers valuable teachable moments; not only does it provide a chance to model good manners to your little ones, but it’s also a time to connect, promote active listening, pour into your children, and build their self-esteem.
And if there’s one thing for sure about kids, it's that they LOVE chicken nuggets! Here’s a quick and easy recipe — that’s also healthy — to get kids involved in cooking for dinnertime (or lunch!). 🍽️
👩🏽🍳 Cooking with the Kids: Baked Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
½ tsp salt, ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions:
Dip the chicken in beaten egg, then in a breadcrumb and cheese mix.
Place on a parchment-lined sheet.
Bake at 400°F for 20 mins, flipping halfway.
Nutritional Highlights (5 nuggets):
Calories: ~220
Protein: 22g
Fat: 6g
Iron: 6% DV
🥬 Tips to Boost Nutritional Value:
Add veggies: carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, or side salads
Use whole grains: whole wheat pasta, bread, and tortillas
Include fruits: serve apple slices, berries, or melon on the side
Hydration: offer milk or water instead of sugary drinks
Piggy Bank Tutor: Raising Money Smart Kids is a Family Affair
💸 Activity Time: Show Me the MONEY!!!
Identifying Coins & Their Numeric Value
Many kids today don’t recognize coins, but coins haven’t disappeared! They are essential to know for everyday life, and they can also be fun to learn about with the right activity. 🤓
🎪 Activity: Grab some coins — pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters — and explore them with your child. Sort them by type and talk about each one’s name and value (1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢). And if you have a quarter-dollar or two-dollar coin, use it too!
Don’t have coins? Print them out and make it a full-blown activity with your kids or a game using your phone.
Resources
🚌 More Back to School
Small Business Directory
🗣️ Calling All Small Businesses — Local to DFW & Online
Families are eager to buy local products and services that support their parenting journey! That said, we’re building a small business directory for companies local to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and online. If you own a small business or know someone who does, contact us to get added to our directory!
Grow your reach with a connected community that cares. 🫶🏽
Contact us to learn more about listing your company in our small business directory.
We’re here to support you as you support us! 💞
More Goodness Coming Soon 💗
That’s it for today’s edition! We hope this helps make back-to-school all the more easier for you and your little ones.
And remember, as the back-to-school season sets in and we get into the swing of things, words matter, so uplift your children, speak life to them, and especially to yourself.
Parenting is not only seasonal, but foundational, and we want to lay a firm foundation of love, self-esteem, and self-respect in your little ones. We only get one opportunity, and this is your now!
Sending hugs & smiles,
Ms. Gloria, The Parenting Mom 🫶🏽
Creating lasting family traditions & turning everyday moments into joyful memories.
P.S. parents, teachers, community leaders, and everyone in between, this is a MOVEMENT!
Together, we’re building a community to refresh the joy of parenting, and your help is appreciated. Share this newsletter with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances — EVERYONE! 🤗
Let’s make — and be — the difference!
📍 Interested in advertising or becoming a sponsor? Let’s talk!
📍 Would you like to book Ms. Gloria as a keynote speaker? Contact us.
📍 To learn more about refreshing the joy of parenting, visit Character Avenue.
📍 For family fun, financial literacy products, and events, visit Piggy Bank Tutor.