Got Kids? Take Notes

Norma Smoker

Ft. Lauderdale

When my daughter, Rachel, was five, I was the leader of a mothers’ group called “HOME”: Helping Our Mothers Excel. One of my favorite memories was watching Rachel climb up the ladder of her bunk bed one night, whispering under her breath, “I don’t know why you’re the leader of Helping Our Mothers Excel!” I leaned at the doorway of her room thinking, “I don’t know either.” Most of us have issues from our childhood. We might have personality traits we would rather live without; and it would help if we could instantly deprogram our minds and lose the baggage we are carrying. However, this journey must often simultaneously happen while we are learning to become parents ourselves. Is there a perfect, universal method to raising children? No. Because no parents are perfect and all families are different. What you are about to read is an organization of short, concise notes with word pictures and stories that capture lessons on parenting I have accumulated over a period of thirty years. Some are notes from experts in the field of family living gathered while hosting a radio program. During those seven years, I read a book a week for each author, doctor, psychologist, or specialist whom I had the opportunity to interview. Others are notes compiled from my experiences raising our daughters while working seventeen years with various family outreaches. You will find “Bottom Line” notations at the end of each Note. I created this format recalling an astute executive I met while working on special events who never wasted time. He would start every meeting with these two words: Bottom Line. Just for fun, I googled “How to write an instructional manual.” Most articles suggested starting at square one: Assume the audience has zero knowledge of the subject matter. If your children are older, you will relate to the notes that are most familiar to you. If you know any new parents, you might want to share this booklet with them. It is meant to be a quick study of what to expect. Most websites also encouraged avoiding information overload and sticking only with what recipients need to know. In other words, use only as many words as necessary. I was tempted to elaborate and add research, statistics, articles, and quotes, but that would defeat the purpose and objective of this project. I hope you enjoy reading the book and listening to the audio minutes as much as I enjoyed writing them. It is indeed a labor of love for all the families out there. While it is impossible to help all the children of the world, my mission is to help parents as they raise their little ones. - Norma

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