GOAT GETTING- TEACH CHILDREN TO MEMORIZE THE SAYING IF SQMEBODY CAN GET YOUR GOAT, YOU HAVE A GOAT TO GET – ONE OF THE GOALS OF LIFE IS TO GET RID OF THE GOATS IN YOUR LIFE. GET RID OF THE THINGS THAT IRRITATE YOU AND YOU WILL DECREASE YOUR AREAS OF VULNERABILITY. THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO LOVE GETTING OTHER PEOPLE MAD BY FINDING SOME LITTLE AREA TO ATTACK.

IT DON’T MATTER- TEACH CHILDREN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THINGS THAT MATTER AND THE THINGS THAT DON’T. WHENEVER SOMEONE ATTEMPS TO UPSET YOU SAY THIS LITTLE EXPRESSION TO YOURSELF. IT DON’T MATTER

WHO OWNS YOU- THE REAL ISSUE WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE IS “WHO OWNS YOU”. IF YOU GIVE IN TO DRUGS THEY WILL TAKE OVER AND DICTATE TO YOU A LIFE STYLE THAT CONTROLS AND DIRECTS YOU. YOU WILL HAVE LITTLE CONTROL. DRUGS WILL GET YOU. HAVE CHILDREN MEMORIZE DRUGS WILL WIN IF YOU GIVE IN .

TARGETS- TEACH CHILDREN THEY WILL BECOME A TARGET BY JUST HANGING AROUND A NEGATIVE GROUP OR GANG. THIS BECOMES THE OUTSIDE CIRCLE OF A TARGET. WHEN YOU START DRESSING LIKE THE GANG EVEN THOUGH YOU RE NOT A MEMBER YOU HAVE JUST DRAWN ANOTHER CIRCLE IN THE TARGET. WHEN YOU CHOSE TO GO TO THE GANGS HANG OUT IT ADDS ONE MORE LINE TOWARD TAKING YOU TO THE CENTER OF THE CIRCLE AND ULTIMATELY YOU LL BELONG TO THE GANG. YOU NOTICE I SAID BELONG. THEY WILL EVENTUALLY OWN YOUR SOUL INCLUDING YOUR FUNERAL. THERE ARE NO GOOD GANGS. A GANG BY DEFINITION COMMITS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. ALL GANGS INCLUDE VENGENCE, VOWS AND VICTIMS. HAVE KIDS MEMORIZE I WILL BECOME A TARGET IF I MERELY HANG AROUND WITH GANG MEMBERS.

GANGSTER HOUSE-A LOT OF KIDS FEEL THEY CAN BELONG TO A GANG AND PARTICIPATE WITH THE GANG IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES DURING THE DAY YET LEAVE THE GANG MEMBERSHIP ON THE FRONT DOORSTEP AND NOT BE A MEMBER WHEN THEY ENTER THEIR HOUSE. WRONG& THE HOUSE YOU ENTER BECOMES THE HOUSE OF THE GANGSTER. THE CAT BECOMES THE GANGSTER’S CAT, MOM S CAR BECOMES THE GANGSTER’S CAR, ETC. TEACH KIDS THIS SAYING: “I CAN’T LEAVE MY GANG MEMBERSHIP ON THE FRONT DOORSTEP.

BULLY S BAG-WHEN CHILDREN LEARN THAT BULLIES ARE BULLIED AND OFTEN IN TROUBLE WITH AN OLDER SIBLING OR THEIR PARENTS, THEY CAN HAVE MORE UNDERSTANDING. MAKE SURE CHILDREN HAVE THIS KNOWLEDGE!! THE REASON THAT KIDS HIT IS THAT THEY ARE HIT. THE REASON THEY PUT OTHERS DOWN IS BECAUSE THEY ARE IN TROUBLE OR PUT DOWN BY AN OLDER SIBLING. HAVE KIDS MEMORIZE IT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENS IN MY LIFE THAT COUNTS, IT’S HOW I RESPOND TO WHAT HAPPENS~BULLIES HAVE POOR SELF-ESTEEM AND OFTEN TRY TO PULL OTHER KIDS DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL. KIDS WITH HIGH SELF-ESTEEM DON T PUT OTHER KIDS DOWN.

ANTICIPATE- TEACH CHILDREN THE SAYING IF WE CAN ANTICIPATE THE THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN IN LIFE, WE ARE MUCH BETTER ABLE TO DEAL WITH IT WHEN IT HAPPENS . ESTABLISH A PROBLEM OF THE WEEK. INVITE KIDS TO OFFER SOLUTIONS ON HOW TO SOLVE EACH PROBLEM AND HAVE CHILDREN RECORD IN A JOURNAL TO USE AS A REFERENCE WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER A SIMILAR PROBLEM AT HOME OR SCHOOL.

BIG A ANGER- CHILDREN CAN LEARN THE SAYING ANYTHING THAT CAN MAKE ME ANGRY AND KEEP ME ANGRY CONQUERS ME . CHILDREN CAN PUT THIS SAYING ON A BUSINESS CARD AND KEEP THIS IN THEIR BILLFOLD OR WALLET. ANGER IS ONE LETTER AWAY FROM THE WORD DANGER. TEACH KIDS HOW TO TARGET THEIR ANGER TOWARD LARGE TREES, THE SKY AND THE GROUND INSTEAD OF OTHERS, THEMSEVES OR THEIR FAMILY. ANY LARGE MUSCLE ACTIVITY LIKE RUNNING, JUMP ROPE, OR WALKING CAN DECREASE ANXIETY RIDDEN FEELINGS AND THUS REDUCE THE CHANCES OF GOING WHERE YOUR FEELINGS TAKE YOU RATHER THAN RELYING ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

– Gene Bedley