This year's International ShakeOut Day is October 19, when millions of people worldwide will participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home!
At 10:19 am (local time) on 10/19, you can join people across Nevada practicing earthquake safety.
How many of us plan for conflict? It happens pretty frequently for humans and sometimes we default to how we were raised or how we “naturally” respond when something creates a barrier between ourselves and those we love. We plan for so many other areas of life and love and relationship, but we rarely plan for conflict – especially conflict with our children. And guess what? We ARE going to have conflict with our children. Here’s the BONUS, we cannot act like children when we have conflict with our children. Ugh, I know it’s hard to hear. I know it’s hard to do. I know sometimes we don’t know how to respond in moments of conflict if we never experienced conflict handled in a mature way. If you’re reading this and it’s hitting some sensitive spots, don’t stop reading. You are not the only one who does not know how to handle conflict with your children – I promise.
When your littles hit my office, it’s usually because of conflict. Conflict with peers, conflict with parents, conflict within themselves – this is super common. I use this opportunity to ask questions like:
What do you do when you’re mad?
Which words do you reach for when you get frustrated?
Where have you heard these words before?
How would you like to resolve the conflict with the other person?
Do you know how to resolve it to get the outcome you need?
I use kid words for all of this, but you get the point. I use the same questions for the adults as well. The common factor missing in all of my conflict resolution sessions is a lack of planning. We don’t have a plan because we don’t want to focus on the negative, but the negative IS going to happen in all areas of life and we might as well be prepared for it. How we handle conflict provides the scaffolding for all other areas of relationship.
If you are experiencing conflict with your children, take some time to reflect on these questions and make a plan for your responses BEFORE you find yourself in the situation. Here are some alternatives to jumping head first into an argument with your child.
Walk away for an agreed upon amount of time.
Refuse to talk if you cannot talk without using hurtful language.
Avoid “you” statements. “You never do your chores correctly. You are a being ridiculous. You look terrible. You are fill in the blank here.” “You” statements put humans on the defense during conflict and are to be avoided when emotions are running high.
Write a letter to one another explaining your feelings and suggesting a resolution for the problem.
Take a dance break.
Go say a prayer.
Some of us have NEVER experienced conflict handled in a calm way and so we don’t know how to handle conflict calmly. It doesn’t make us bad humans; it makes us uninformed in this area. When we know better, we do better. It takes practice, but there is no time like the present to begin to practice these skills. I hope this helps.
Blessings,
Monica
Monday: October 16, 2023
- No School - Diocesan Retreat
Tuesday: October 17, 2023
- Picture Retake Day
- 5A Community Outreach for Catholic Charities
- 8th Grade Yearbook Profile Due
Wednesday: October 18, 2023
- 8:15 AM PreK to 8th Liturgy (Dress Uniform)
Thursday: October 19, 2023
- 10:19 AM Great Nevada Shake Out
- 1:15 PM PTO Halloween Carnival Meeting in Cafeteria
Friday: October 20, 2023
Viator Parish Tuition Rate Reminder
The most significant criteria to qualify for the Viator Parish rate is regular attendance at Sunday Mass using your envelopes.
In order to qualify for the Viator rate you MUST:
- Attend a minimum of 26 masses (Saturday or Sunday)
- Use the envelopes sent to you from the church
- Forgot your envelope? Remember your parish number and use a blank envelope provided at mass.
DO NOT
- Mail in your envelopes to St. Viator church. These will not be counted.
- Drop off your envelope in the church on a school mass day.
- Forgetting the envelope and telling the church or school you went.
Tuition review will happen in November and you should have 13 masses by this time. All rates will be reviewed and possibly adjusted after the assessment. If your rate is adjusted it will be reflected on the December statement. Please DO NOT call or email the school office or church office to ask if changes are being made until after the receipt of your statement.
Remember, parents are a model of faith for their children and when families join us on a regular basis they are showing their children the priority faith and church has in their lives.
