Babies and AgeEsteem
Don’t Take Life Too Seriously

Make time to play: Children bring us back to the little wonders in life that we overlook as busy adults.   They teach us how to play again, to go barefoot in the grass.  As a result we use games and play to teach, create memories, and to bond with Baby.

• Loosen up and relax.  Take yourself less seriously.  Make time to admire the beauty and wonders life offers.
• Play with children and animals.  Be silly; have fun.
• Find ways to ‘play’ with colleagues, family and friends in order to understand and enjoy each other on a different level.  Play helps us to bond.

Play is an important ingredient to building confidence and age-esteem.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages age-esteem, bond, confidence, play, relax

Babies and AgeEsteem
When In Doubt, Laugh!

Laughter is healthy: Babies are often good entertainers, making it easy to laugh; and they usually join in the laughter rapidly.  Laughter is healthy for all of us as every age.  Use it generously.  Even when Baby is upset you can spark laughter by singing  If You’re Happy And You Know It.  Laughter lightens the atmosphere and dissipates doubt.

• Look for the humor in every situation.
• Laugh often.
• Learn to laugh at yourself.
• Store funny experiences or jokes in your mind where you can call on them when you need a laugh.

People with AgeEsteem laugh often!

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages AgeEsteem, babies, humor, laugher

Babies and AgeEsteem
Keep It Simple

Keep your language simple: Baby reacts to your tone of voice and gestures.  She encourages you to use simple vocabulary and to repeat the same message clearly as she begins to understand words.  You explain why what you are saying is important, (why she shouldn’t play with the electrical socket!) even before she can understand your words.  These are all good tips for AgeEsteemers.

• Be clear and direct when speaking with people of all ages.
• Use vocabulary the other person can understand.
• When you make a request, explain why it’s important.
• Keep your non-verbal message congruent with your words.  Even Baby will detect something wrong if the non-verbal and verbal is not the same.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages AgeEsteemers, baby, congruent, non-verbal, simple language

Babies and AgeEsteem
Expect The Best

Children are impressive teachers.  Just watch them for a few hours. – They will teach you valuable lessons.

Unconditional acceptance: Baby accepts you unconditionally with trust and confidence that you will care for her.  And you do your best to live up to her expectations by learning, testing, and doing what you think is best.

Learn AgeEsteem tips from Baby.

• Expect the best in others of all ages.
• Accept yourself unconditionally, knowing that you will be successful in what you choose to do.
• Accept others for who they are, as they are.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages AgeEsteem, children, expectations, teachers, unconditional acceptance

Babies and AgeEsteem
Modeling Personal Age-esteem

How can you instill AgeEsteem in a newborn is a question that puzzled me.

The answer is actually quite simple.  To teach AgeEsteem we need to model our own age-esteem.  We simply need to be ourself, to love the child and help her develop her own personality and independence.  We do this through example and encouragement.  And while we’re doing this, Baby will teach us how to reconnect with some basic qualities of AgeEsteem.

How do you model your age-esteem to children?

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages AgeEsteem, babies, modeling, newborn

Is It Ever Too Early?

When our first grandchild was born I wondered how I could teach her to become confident and to feel good about herself at each age, beginning the moment I first held her.

Is it ever too early to teach AgeEsteem?  I know it’s never too late.  We can gain AgeEsteem until the day we leave this earth.   So I’d like to believe that we can transmit the ideas of confidence and feeling good about yourself at every age even to a newborn baby.

I’m convinced we can begin growing personal age-esteem from birth.  What do you think?

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages AgeEsteem, babies, confidence, feeling good, newborn

Love At Every Age

There is no one age or stage in life that is perfect for love to enter your life and to blossom.  Every age and stage is fertile for love, romance and companionship.

We have been talking about people in their 30′s who feel the biological time bomb ticking, bringing a certain urgency to meeting Mr. or Mrs. Right.  But people of all ages need and deserve to be loved and to love.  The same tips given in previous days apply to everyone regardless of the number of years they have lived.

• Take your time.  It’s especially nice to not be pressured.  We have the luxury of getting to know another person in depth and to experience the reality of their qualities, values and goals.  Time allows us to know each other in depth.
• Define the type person you can respect and trust.  For those of us who have experienced more of life, our understanding of what we seek in another person is much clearer.  We have learned through the trial and error of living.
• Get out and about.  Although we often have more time when we are older, we may be timid about stepping into new situations.  Set yourself a goal to test three new activities each month until you find some that inspire you and are fun.
• Enlist your friends and family.  Take advantage of opportunities to meet new people often.
• Borrow children and animals.  Grandchildren provide wonderful opportunities to speak with strangers.  Grandchildren also tend to bring out our softer image that can be attractive to others who love children.  Children and animals are great conversation starters.

It is never too late for love.  Seek it, embrace it, relish in it.

How did you meet your present partner?  Comment to let us know.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages

UP ****  ( A superb movie for all ages.)

It never fails – Pixar studios (now distributing through Disney) keep coming up with stellar works in animation, transcending the genre by making it intelligent art (Toy Story, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille) that is both emotionally satisfying and super fun at the same time. This one, which is the story of an old man who flies away with his house to fulfill a life-long dream, melds two generations through nostalgia and effervescent adventure. The touching old fellow keeps remembering his departed wife, while the little boy scout who comes on board his flying home adds terrific enthusiasm to the whole shebang – a delight for kids from 5 to 95.

Neptune Ingwersen, European movie critic

Bonnie Across-generations cinema, Disney, Pixar studios, UP

Body Clock Is Ticking Faster – And Still No Right Partner

Borrow live props: This is a bonus for the time bombers, but is also valid for the older singles who wish to find Partner Right who is apt to appreciate their children or grandchildren.

• Borrow a child.  Have you noticed how attractive the opposite sex can be when they’re playing with children?  Take your nephew to the beach or park and have a great time being your genuine self.   Play and have fun.  But be sure the child calls you aunt or uncle or by your first name!  Partner Right may not be there to see you, but a sister or brother could be and want to make the introduction.
• Dog sit.  Take the dog for long walks and romps in the park.  It’s easy to open a conversation with people with pets, and many a couple has met this way.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages animals, children, pets, singles, time bombers

Body Clock Is Ticking Faster – And Still No Right Partner

What To Do?

Enlist your friends and family: Let your friends and family help you.  Sure, you’ll meet some frogs… but you may meet your prince..ess…  (No reason for all frogs worth kissing to be men!)  I know, it takes courage as well as confidence and age-esteem to do this, but you have to act on your goal.

• Ask your friends to help you.  And don’t be shy about sharing the values and qualities Right Partner must share with you.
• Accept to meet the person who they want to introduce with them.  Double date with the friends who set you up or go out with a group of friends.   Be game to try something new like riding a Segway through the city…
• Find out how others have met.  It can lead to new avenues of ideas.  -  It may be worth testing a dating service or to join chat rooms on line.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages age-esteem, confidence, frogs, right partner, values