parenting

Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life – Dolly Parton 

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

In this age of computers and smart phones, reading to your child is more important than ever. Studies show that technology has made people lonelier than ever.

After scanning a recent grocery flyer, I was surprised to see an ad for boxed lunches for kids. Are parents that busy? Making lunch for your child is Parenting 101.

I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised in an age when 4 year olds hold Apple ipads instead of parents’ hands because parents are too busy to spend time with them.

Sadly we have gone from latchkey children to surrogate parenting. There has got to be a better way.

We’ve forgotten the lesson of Covid. Relationships matter. Our time with our children matters.

One of the truest predictors of future success is the amount of reading that children do at a young age. The amount of time children read and are read to predicts whether they will be successful.

elainemariefineart.com

Children are the world’s most valuable resource and the best hope for the future – JFK

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

Taking a clue from the book, I painted the modernist bridge against the anachronist Red lighthouse. My contemporary approach in the lighthouse art painting is a delightful, refreshing and compelling contrast to the historic lighthouse. 

The Art Guild of Orange Park is partnering with St. Johns Day School for an exhibit at their new Performing Arts Center. See breathtaking art by artists from local artists. Orange Park, Florida now through January 6, 2025. 

I selected my painting of the Little Red Lighthouse, or Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse, as it reflects the power of children to create change.

Made famous by the children’s book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde W. Swift and Lynd Ward, the story inspired hundreds of children to write letters that saved the lighthouse.

Today, it stands as the last lighthouse on the Hudson River and the only remaining one in Manhattan. A tribute to the power of youth. 

A meet and greet for students begins on October 28 at 2 pm and concludes at 4 pm with parents joining in on the discussion. 

elainemariefineart.com

Opting out of Father’s Day

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

I was surprised to get an email from Etsy asking if I wanted to “opt out of Father’s Day” emails. According to the Census Bureau 18.4 million children live without a father in the United States. Seems that some men have opted out being involved in their children’s lives. But opting out seems like a “cop out” and doesn’t address the bigger problem.

Fathers who do not live with their children have an impact by their absence. Their children have higher rates of homelessness, incarceration and drug addiction.

Every time I visit Hillsboro Lighthouse and see the statue of the “Barefoot Mailman” I think about my father who faithfully served the Postal Service.

Men don’t have to be perfect but involved. Children need positive male role models who are actively involved in their lives. Building time with your child builds self confidence.

The pandemic has been especially hard on children. They need help navigating the challenges they face. Peers are a poor substitute. Because of social media, most children spend more time with their peers than with either of their parents. Kids are not the only ones addicted to social media. Parents are often distracted as well. It takes a conscious and consistent effort.

My art is shaped by my childhood trips to Fort George Island with my father. My passion for history and the ocean began early. While my father fished, I played on the jetties and splashed on the beach with my siblings.

Look for everyday opportunities to spend time with your child. Try to see the world from your child’s perspective. Try sharing activities like going to the store, shopping, preparing food, playing games and discussing their interests.

Summer is a great time to spend with your child. They may be more open to spending time with you. 

  1. Have breakfast outside with your children minus the phones.
  2. Play family board games.
  3. Take a nature walk together.
  4. Create a family playlist.
  5. Plan a road trip together. 

Time with your child creates lifetime memories that will help anchor them throughout their lives and remind them just how important they are to you.

Play is really the work of childhood. Fred Rogers

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

When my children were young, we had play dates. Each child would select an activity for everyone for a morning. My son’s favorite activity was going to the playground at the lake. As he grew older, he wanted to try fishing. We bought him one of those fishing reels for children to practice his angling skills. As he grew older, fishing became a lifelong passion.

As teenagers he and his fishing buddy would venture to the most dangerous places in search of bass and other fish. I tried my best to discourage his sense of “adventure” but he constantly outwitted me until I gave up.

When he entered college, he majored in Marine Biology to pursue his childhood love.

We tend to “downplay” the importance of play in children’s lives. The Academy of Pediatricians states that play is fundamentally important in developing skills such as problem solving, collaboration and creativity.

playquotes

elainemariefineart.com

Grab your sunshades, flip flops & imagination

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

Splash and Color is an 18 page multicultural coloring book featuring popular sites in Florida’s second most popular destination.

Miami Beach is a hub of creativity. In December, Art lovers from around the world flock to its sunny shores during Art Basel; the United States biggest art fair.

Art Deco Weekend continues the momentum and fanfare on January 13-15. Its 800 plus Art Deco buildings are the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings in the world.

Explore the Miami Beach Art Deco District through the eyes of children. Splash and Color is an 18 page multicultural coloring book featuring popular sites in Florida’s second most popular destination.

splash and color.com

Behind every child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first. Matthew Jacobson

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

Because shuttle launches were loosening the prism of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse’s fresnel lens, in 1993 a high powered searchlight replaced it.

Mae Jemison has always reached for the stars. In 1992, she became the first African American woman to become an astronaut.

Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama. When she was three years old, her family moved to Chicago in pursuit of better education for their children. Throughout Mae’s early school years her parents were supportive of her talents and abilities.

When she was young she had a love for science. Jemison dedicated time in her school library reading books on science, especially astronomy.

When she graduated in 1973 as an honor student, Jemison entered Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering in 1977.

After entering Cornell University, Jemison led a study for the American Medical Association in Cuba. She also worked in a Cambodian Refugee Camp in Thailand. Mae Jemison graduated with an MD from Cornell then worked as the area Peace Corps medical officer for Sierra Leone. She is fluent in Russian, Japanese and Swahili.

In 1985 Mae Jemison decided to pursue her childhood dream. She was chosen out of 2,000 candidates for the NASA astronaut training program in 1986. As a science mission specialist she was responsible for conducting crew-related scientific experiments on the space shuttle. Jemison flew into space on September 12, 1992, with six other astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavor.

MaeJemisonBio

elainemarieartist.com