Here’s one reader’s response. It came from a professional who leads Parent Support groups who invited to me to share ideas from the book with them.

Keith….You are such a special person in so many ways, and I so appreciate you giving your time to us these past two nights.  The way you live what you speak has been so inspirational to me to continue doing what I do, and do more.  It can be as simple as stopping at a lemonade stand or saying hello to the elderly neighbor, and yet, so significant.  I think people left feeling empowered as I did that we can make a difference.  As I went through your book again, and as I heard you speak, I was so excited about all the ways we can contribute and enrich life with our children and teens.  Your book is such a refreshing ‘voice’ for strengths, building assets, finding positives – a voice I would way rather hear than the negative, punitive voice that dominates our culture currently. Parents feel so much happier hearing that voice too and getting support to parent from this place!

Thank You .. Thank you .. Thank You… Mary Anne C.

You see it got me to thinking… Why  do we feel it’s necessary to set aside one day a year to make sure we take the time to acknowledge, encourage and support the children and young people in our lives? Why do we choose to set aside a special day in order to recall and recommit  to behaviors towards children  that are hardwired into many of us and which we simply follow every day because experience tells us we can find daily opportunity to do something important for kids, for nothing but the time it takes…. 365 days a year.

And it’s not just about parents and caregivers. Author Jane Howard got it right; “ Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are,” you need one.

Grandparents, uncles/aunts, neighbors, senior citizens, police officers, teachers, coaches… anyone with a healthy interest in young people can make a difference every day. It’s about acknowledging their birthdays, remembering their names,  honoring their achievements, listening to their stories. Maybe above all it’s about each of us making sure that we walk our talk… that our best teaching of important values and lessons to children and youth comes not so much through our words, but through our actions. Life’s most important lessons about honesty, enthusiasm, respect, racial tolerance, industry and compassion are learned by children lucky enough to be in the presence of people who lead and teach by example. Make Family Day the first day of the rest of your life in which you become significant to children who are or could be fortunate enough to be within your influence.

According to Keith, “It‘s about learning the importance of catching kids doing something right. Not by focusing on “what’s the matter with our kids, but by focusing and acting on what matters to our kids,” that holds the greatest potential for all of us to offer every child and young person within our influence the opportunity to realize their potential.”

A master storyteller, Keith has been described in hundreds of audience evaluations as one of Canada’s most knowledgeable, inspirational, humorous and compelling speakers. In this book, he has taken his many years of experience of making a difference in the lives of kids, their families and their communities and shares with us, through his humour and gift for telling stories, how we can all help young people achieve their potential.

Keith is convinced we need to get back to the basics. That at its core, this whole notion of raising healthy kids is not based on money or programs or material things. It has more to do with sharing life experiences and relationships…of finding the time to build them together within our families, organizations, neighborhoods and communities. You’ll hear how parents, neighbours, grandparents, teachers, police officers and young people themselves throughout the world are building healthier, happier, and more respectful environments in which we can all live and share responsibility with our young people.

Click here for more information on the book and hear what others have said so far!

edit this on December 11, 2012 at 2:17 pm | Reply Flora Sanchez

Dear Keith–such a compelling story. Many moons ago I worked as a school counselor at an inner city school where youth gangs were very present and came to learn that indeed gangs thrived because in gangs because they experienced support, respect, esteem, and felt safe–all things missing in too many of their personal and school lives.

When things exploded in the school, after a drive-by shooting nearly killing one of our students, I initiated a very successful intervention, a mediation, between rival gangs and the school administration that proved the point. I actually wrote an article published Principal Magazine describing that intervention. At the time I remember describing the amazing results of that intervention as almost “magical”. After learning about the SI’s work I now understand we were intuitively providing what the gang members needed most. The impact was felt school-wide. Incredible experience–one I’ll never forget.

I am really looking forward to the release of your book.

Flora M. S�nchez

Senior Trainer/Consultant Search Institute & Vision Training Assoc. 5838 Isleta Blvd SW Albuquerque, NM 87105 h 505-873-3913 c 505 280-5572 sanchez.village47@gmail.com Skype: flora.m.sanchez1

Many years ago, I attended a gang prevention conference in
Atlanta, Georgia. Organizers had invited four of the city’s most
renowned gang recruiters to talk of their successes. These kids
ranged in age from fourteen to nineteen.

At the conclusion of their compelling description of gang life and recruiting methods, they opened the floor for questions. A man who described himself as the CEO of a major youth organization asked the question that was on many minds that day. “What is it that you know and do that seems to make you so much more successful at attracting
teen members than many of us?”

The youngest recruiter, a fourteen-year-old boy, gave the
answer that to this day strikes fear in my heart. “Mister, we’ve
learned how to respect ’em, involve ’em, and love ’em better than
you do!”

This book is about how you and I can respect, involve, and
love young people better than gangs do! At the risk of being
overly dramatic, I believe the future of our kids and maybe our
society depends on our willingness and capacity to respond to
this challenge. Together, we can and will assure our young people
the future they deserve and that humankind so desperately needs.

Faithful blog followers; thanks for so many encouraging responses along with some thoughtful questions.
•Publication date; Looks like mid-January.. that’s 2013, for those of you familiar my deadline challenges.

•Where to buy? I’ll start with http://www.keithpattinson.com with PayPal options.
•Does it include your stories? It does indeed. Interwoven into the theme of many chapters the stories give evidence this stuff is doable, often fun and life changing.
•Will it eventually be available in ebook? That’s the plan once we’ve tested the water through soft cover distribution.

Next Week’s Blog will feature the beginning of a series of brief samplings from the book’s content.

WHAT EVERY KID NEEDS —and money can’t buy
IDEAS & STORIES TO HELP YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE

It’s taken me the last three long years to compile the ideas and stories many of you have told me hold the potential to help you make a positive difference in the lives of children and young people who are, or could be, within your influence. Over the next few weeks, I’ll update my website, Facebook, and Twitter to offer you snippets of subjects and content contained in my book.
I invite you to subscribe to http://www.keithpattinson.com today to receive these updates. I also hope you’ll share this information with others who you believe might be interested in a book which focuses on catching our kids’ doing something right, and on each of us becoming more significant influences in their lives. Please take the time to share my information through Facebook and Twitter on how folks can access information that will be forthcoming over the next couple of months. It’s my wish many of you will find the book confirms your values, dedication, and passion for mentoring young people, and that the stories accurately portray your lifelong commitment towards giving kids what they need to succeed in life.

http://www.keithpattinson.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/keith.pattinson.5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkaboutkids

Okay..okay I’ll do it! Write a book about kids and the important adults in their lives.
And I’m going to do it with enthusiasm. In fact I’m already well on my way to writing that book so many of you have been asking for over the years. It’s a book about children, young people and the family networks, neighborhoods, schools, agencies and communities so important in giving them what they need to succeed in life.
I’ve included the importance of relationships stuff, the magic of significant people in kid’s lives and yes! I’ve tossed in a few, maybe many, of the stories you’ve probably heard too many times already but have asked me to include.
Now it’s your turn. Before the book goes for final edit in a month’s time, I need to hear from you. It’s a work in progress and I’m committed to including ideas, information and answers important to you. If you had a wish list of things you’d recommend for inclusion in a book important to folks who care about kid’s… what would you want to read about.
The book’s tentatively scheduled for publishing in the fall of this year. Your ideas could form a part of it but you’ll have to get them to me by the end of February 2012. Thanks in anticipation of any contribution you choose to make towards expanding our collective knowledge and will so that together can intentionally help our kids achieve their potential.

Thanks for caring about kids!…. Keith

If you’re a parent/caregiver, create a list of things you’d like to give your son/daughter that money alone can’t buy. If you’re a grandparent, uncle/aunt, friend or neighbour, simply take the time to run your idea by parents or responsible adults in the young people’s lives…and if permission’s granted…and it usually is…start getting creative about what young people need and want…and what you have to offer. Remember to not shortchange yourself. If you have a healthy interest in children, you have something to offer.

Many years ago my wife Maureen and I struggled with what for us had become a recurring question every Christmas. How do we take some of the commercial factor out of our Christmas giving to our three kids?  We agreed that for our first try we’d create a Christmas Gift Certificate. What follows is some of the ideas contained in a resulting letter to our kids. Just to spice it up a little we included a friend of our sons who’d recently experienced a major loss in his family.

If you happen to be an asset builder take the time to learn which of the forty life building blocks could be introduced or enhanced in the lives of the children you select. If the 40 Developmental  Asset idea is new to you, simply take a few minutes to think back to a significant person in your life who made a lasting difference by taking the time to share their experience, values, encouragement  with you. If you had one or more, and most of us do… it’s payback time folks.

As you glance over the ideas we came up with, you’ll find that not surprisingly some had a financial component… but always there is a more important non-monetary component. And incidentally, this approach gave all of us a year of fun and satisfaction which we seldom realized from more traditional money-based gifts under the tree.

Here’s a framework for the letter…. Enhanced somewhat to give you a wider range of possibilities to consider;

CHRISTMAS GIFT CERTIFICATE…. ISSUED DECEMBER 25^th 1976

TO…
Here is where you put the individual name of each child/young person you wish to gift (i.e., daughters/sons, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, neighbors kids or a boy or girl important in your life). The more individualized and personalized the better, so go for individual Certificates rather than long lists of recipients.

 ENTITLING THEM TO THE FOLLOWING GIFTS WHICH MAY BE REDEEMED BY THEM ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 25^th, 1977

1. Your attendance with us. January 4, 1976 – Stampede Corral to watch the Harlem Globetrotters play the California Chiefs. I buy the tickets. You girls/guys responsible to respond if they want audience volunteers!
2. Our promise to attend as many of your games, contests, recitals,  tryouts, track meets, bottle drives and miscellaneous activities as we can, with the accompanying  promise we’ll cheer for you when you participate well and fairly and tell you quietly afterwards when  we think there’s room for improvement.
3. As much time as it takes us together to build models, repair bikes, prepare meals, cut lawns and keep our houses from falling apart.
4. That custom-built two storey doll house we’ve been talking about for years. We do the building and furnishing…you do the designing and cleaning when it’s finished.
5. At least two fishing trips during 1976 – maybe one ice fishing expedition followed by a trip to the Hot Springs.
6. Accompanying you to a father and son banquet and at least two other activities you think it’s important we attend together.
7. A one-week camping or canoeing trip to the Bowron Lakes in British Columbia – provided of course that you do the cooking and paddling and I’m left with the eating and sleeping.
8. So we all can better understand and appreciate the importance of volunteering…we’ll arrange for all of us to offer our services for a day at a Seniors Home, soup kitchen, children’s agency or somewhere each of  you feel you want to make a difference in the lives of others less fortunate that us.
9.  A promise we’ll go for as many walks and bike rides with you as we can because we’re going to have to get in shape if we intend to keep all of these promises.
10. Lastly and maybe most importantly – as many hours of our time as you need during the year to talk about things that are important to you because we know kids have a lot of things they want to talk about like school, friends, dreams, honesty/respect, compassion, racism, girls/boys, sadness, happiness, war & peace,  Harry Potter, and Xbox.

Like all really important gifts in life, this one has little value in dollars and is as much for the giver as it is for the receiver. You see the more you collectively and individually you use these gift certificates, the more happy and satisfying 1976 will be for us. Interesting thought at Christmas eh! That you and I will attain our highest levels of personal development when we’re doing something for somebody else!

Merry Christmas to the four of you… luv ya!

**Quick Update…many people have started to contact me directly to say that you plan to do this for your own family which is so amazing! I would love to hear about what you have planned and then you can be part of this storytelling process next year. Please take a moment to send me what you decided to do with your children…I want to hear your story.

These are some of the lessons I have learned over the years…share yours with me through the comments section! I am sure between us we can come up with another 100 ways to let kids know we care!