It seems that video games consoles like the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, Nintendo DS and XBox 360 are really popular requests this Christmas (from the many wishlists we have on Santa’s Rules).

Please keep in mind the content rating of games when buying for nieces, nephews and children in general this Christmas. I am constantly amazed at the number of parents out there who will buy games like Grand Theft Auto or Spiderman etc, that are rated for over 13 year olds and then hand them to a 6 year old not understanding that the content contained within the game is high in violence, language and adult themes.

The majority of ‘trouble’ children on TV’s Supernanny, display outburst of violence, bad language and more. That is not to say that they got this exclusively from video games, however keep in mind that if they receive a gift that shows them how to behave violently, then it is conceivable that this will have some negative effect on their behavior either now or in the future.

Keep in mind that sometimes it is not the sole fault of the parent, just last week I was in a video games store and I ‘overheard’ a parent buying a Nintendo Wii console for their child. There was an extreme rush on and a long queue, the parent then asked the shop assistant what game they should get for their child - a 5 year old boy. The shop assistant (probably no more than 19 herself), recommended Simpsons Hit and Run! I could not believe what I heard, the parent bought the game and happily left the shop. Now what kind of message will that send to the child? go ahead and run people over any chance you get - it’s fun?

In that case, the shop assistant was in the wrong, but the parent should have checked the rating and made the proper decision. So keep it safe this Christmas and if you are faced with a tricky decision over what game to buy, just ask yourself the question ‘What game would Santa Claus give?’

I am sure my family is like many other families this Holiday season - Globalised.  It can be a particularly hard season for grand parents, uncles and aunties that live abroad or in another city,  so I came up with a few ideas that can help to make people feel that little bit closer to family:

1. Buy a childrens book and make a video of your kid(s) reading it  - I bought ‘Little Miss Christmas‘ from the Mister Men series of books, they produced a very entertaining and respectful story about Santa Claus.  My 8year old and 5 year old really loved the story and enjoyed making the video.  If you have more than one child consider one to read and one to make actions that go along with the story on the video.  Mine is in the post now Grandad - I promise!
2. Get a new family portrait photo -  It’s amazing how fast the years pass by and it never seems like the right time to get a family portrait done.  Maybe this is the driver you need to get this moving and it will be really treasured by your family when they receive it, especially if that is at a time when they are missing your family.
3. Telephone calls are an old favorite - however don’t forget that lots of people make calls coming up to Christmas and the International phone network can get pretty jammed, this goes doubly so for Skype etc.  Consider making a few calls earlier this year so that if you can’t get through closer to the big day, it’s not like your own personal nightmare before Christmas.
4. Post off coloring in drawings - coloring in is a great developmental tool for children, it can be a fun family activity, it keeps the little tikes quiet for a while and it is really fantastic to receive something that the kids have worked so hard on.  Santa’s Rules can provide you with personalized drawings with your kids names and wish list on for free, just click here.

I hope that gives you some ideas,  the main thing is to savor your time at home this Christmas, mostly children will respond well to extra attention, you do not have to be supernanny with a reward chart to know this.  If anyone else has some ideas they want to share, feel free to reply to this post.

Wishing you good behavior this Christmas,
Geoff Grice

Santa’s Rules

According to this news snippet, actor Vince Vaughn enjoys watching TV show Supernanny, and using the popular techniques such as the naughty step. As a ‘plain Joe’ parent, it’s nice to know that the rich and famous need child behavioral techniques also. I always imagined that such activities would be left to the ‘hired help’. I commend Vince for his hands on approach and I hope that one day he or any other celebs might find Santa’s Rules a useful tool.

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Source:
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
2007-11-21 08:39:14 -
Actor VINCE VAUGHN has an unusual favourite pastime - watching reality TV show SUPERNANNY.
The Wedding Crashers star claims he has picked up useful parenting tips from British child expert Jo Frost’s programme, and puts them into practice when he babysits his three nieces and nephew. He says, “You watch the show, these kids are terrors. They’re hopped up, they’ve been eating candy. The nanny comes in. Naughty step, boundaries, everyone hugs each other, the chauffeur drives her away. It’s an amazing thing.”