All about tips and trick !!!: 2008

Monday, August 4, 2008

I Can Do It! 7 Tips for Teaching Your Children Self Reliance

by: Dr Robyn Silverman

Most parents are trying to stay clear of the label "helicopter parents," because they don't want to be seen as the type of mother or father who hover and "overprotect." The most powerful parents have realized that when their children have the opportunity to make mistakes, they gain an invaluable opportunity to learn from those mistakes.

It's developmentally appropriate for children to become more and more independent, self reliant and responsible as they age. It can be challenging for parents to know when to step back and let their children try something on their own. After all, from the time their children were babies, parents have spent years meeting many to all of their child's needs.

Striking a balance between allowing your children to do tasks for themselves and helping them when they seem to need or want is a talent of very powerful parents. This balance allows their children to thrive because they feel more confident in themselves while still feeling supported and properly mentored.

How can we instill self reliance and responsibility into our children?

(1) Allow your children to make some decisions: Even young children can make sound decisions if you give them a few select choices. Do you want to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt? Would you like a peanut butter sandwich or a cheese sandwich? As children get older, you can allow them to make more important decisions with little to no guidance. They can determine things like which Fall sport they'd like to play, if they need a tutor for math, and which friends they'd like to spend time with each day without needing much, if any, input from parents. While it's tempting to make these kinds of decisions for your older children, they need to stand on their own two feet—after all, their decisions are often correct!

(2) Encourage your children to try tasks on their own: While it's often quicker and more skillfully done when we do it for them, children need to engage in tasks on their own if they're ever going to learn how to do them well. Laundry, shoe-tying, and making the bed are great places to start with young children. Older children can handle more complicated tasks such as cooking, preparing their own lunch, and doing their own homework.

(3) Model responsibility and self reliance: Parents have many responsibilities—let your child see them and hear about them! Say out loud; "This screw seems a little loose, I'll go get the screwdriver and tighten it" or "I have to plan our weekly menu for dinner; let's see...Monday night we'll have..." When children see you making decisions, taking initiative, and displaying self reliant behaviors, they will engage in similar behavior.

(4) Be your child's coach rather than his sage: When your child asks you questions about how to do something or what to do in a certain situation, sometimes asking questions is more important than providing answers. "What do you think you should do? How would you feel if you chose X? What would happen if you did Y instead?" These questions can unlock the answers in your own child's brain so the next time he's in a similar situation he'll be able to call on his own experience and judgment to make a decision.

(5) Be a good support system: Sometimes this means cheering them on from the sidelines and other times it means encouraging them to try again. Of course, when children truly need your help, they should know that they can count on you. If you teach them to ask for help when they really need it (when something seems unsafe or too challenging), they should know that you will be there to assist them. Children who know that they can count on their parents when they really need it feel better about taking risks and the possibility of making mistakes.

(6) Provide them with responsibilities: Chores are great for teaching children how to be self reliant as well as how to work as a team. After teaching them how to do the chore properly, let them give it a try with some assistance, if needed. You can even work on a checklist together which helps to break down the task into easy, age-appropriate chunks. For example, (a) Take the clothes out of the dryer, (b) Separate the clothes by family member, (c) Match up all the socks...and so on. When we provide children with ways to help out the family, we give them opportunities to build responsibility, self confidence, and self reliance.

(7) Encourage healthy risk-taking: Assure your children that making mistakes is OK. The most important thing is that s/he tries! Most things are not done perfectly the first time—even when you're an adult. It doesn't mean "the end of the world" and there is no reason to be embarrassed. Watching our children make mistakes can be challenging. We may want to rush to their aid to shield them from impending failure or disappointment. However, when parents do this, they rob their children of some very powerful tools; self confidence, stick-to-itiveness, and of course, self reliance.

Your children are relying on you to teach them how to approach the world. Sometimes that means they have to watch you to learn how to approach the task. But other times that means, you must watch them from the sidelines and encourage them to figure it out on their own.

Irit Konsumsi BBM dengan Merawat Tiga Komponen

Irit Konsumsi BBM dengan Merawat Tiga Komponen

Berbagai pemicu kenaikan harga Bahan Bakar Minyak (BBM) memang harus kita respon dengan melakukan improvement di banyak hal. Bila sebelumnya AstraWorld memberikan tips hemat dengan berkendara yang ramah lingkungan, artikel berikut ini lebih memfokuskan pada perawatan komponen yang mempengaruhi konsumsi BBM. Yaitu, dengan lebih memperhatikan kondisi 3 komponen penting bagi sistem pembakaran: busi, saringan udara dan saringan bahan bakar.

Ketiga komponen ini harus dalam kondisi prima. Busi harus mampu memercikkan bunga api yang baik. Sedangkan saringan udara maupun saringan bahan bakar harus sering-sering dibersihkan. Apalagi jika musim panas yang kian mempercepat saringan udara kotor karena debu-debu yang terhisap. Kotoran juga mudah menempel pada saringan bahan bakar karena saringan ini bertugas mencegah kotoran-kotoran yang tercampur di bahan bakar agar tidak sampai masuk ke ruang bakar.

Jika ketiganya tidak bekerja dengan baik atau dalam kondisi kotor, terjadilah kondisi yang disebut dengan pembakaran yang tidak sempurna. Bahan bakar yang masuk ke ruang bakar tidak seluruhnya terbakar habis. Sehingga, jika dihitung-hitung, tenaga yang dihasilkan mesin tidak seimbang dengan bahan bakar yang keluar.

Itulah sebabnya kondisi busi, saringan udara, dan saringan bahan bakar yang tidak oke pada akhirnya menyebabkan konsumsi BBM menjadi boros. Tak hanya itu, BBM yang tidak terbakar tadi akan ikut terbuang bersama gas buang. Bila mobil dengan kondisi mesin seperti ini diuji emisi, gas buangnya pasti sangat buruk. Bisa jadi, emisinya melebihi ambang batas yang telah ditentukan dan pada akhirnya berdampak buruk bagi kualitas udara kita.

Cara termudah menjaga ketiga komponen ini adalah dengan selalu melakukan servis berkala. Mekanik bengkel akan mengecek dan membersihkan atau mengganti ketiga komponen tadi yang memang sudah harus diganti. Untuk mengetahui apa saja pemeriksaan yang dilakukan saat servis berkala, silakan baca keterangan Periodik Maintenance Checlist di CLICK AstraWorld dengan meng-click LINK ini.

Pemeriksaan juga sebaiknya dilakukan apabila muncul gejala mesin yang tersendat-sendat. Mesin yang tersendat menandakan pasokan BBM ke ruang bakar tidak lancar yang kemungkinan besar dipicu oleh saringan BBM yang kotor. Mungkin juga karena salah satu busi rusak/mati.

Demikianlah saran kami. Tidak tertutup kemungkinan Anda mempunyai saran tambahan atau komentar lain. Silakan email melalui customerservice@astraworld.com, dan kami sampaikan terima kasih kepada para pembaca (Ign. Eddie Soenarto, Afda HN) yang telah memberikan saran pada tips and trick sebelumnya (Mari Lebih Peduli Pada Mobil yang Terpanggang Matahari).

Pak Eddie memberikan masukan bahwa kurang bermanfaat jika langsung menghidupkan AC di tingkat tertinggi mengingat perlu adaptasi setelah kabin mobil terkena panas matahari. Sedangkan Afda HN mengomentari masalah menegakkan wiper saat parkir. Sebab, menurutnya dengan sering ditegakkannya wiper maka pegas wiper akan lemah yang menyebabkan kurang maksimalnya tugas wiper pada saat hujan. Sekali lagi, terima kasih atas masukannya

Lampu Rem Bukan Sekadar Menyala & Gaya

Cegah Kecelakaan, Lampu Rem Bukan Sekadar Menyala & Gaya

Faktor usia dan beban kerja membuat bohlam-bohlam lampu mobil mungkin saja putus sehingga tidak menyala. Karena itu, tiap kali servis berkala kelipatan 10.000 km, salah satu pemeriksaan yang dilakukan mekanik bengkel adalah bagian lampu-lampu. Bila sudah putus atau bahkan pancarannya mulai redup, sebaiknya ganti bohlam-bohlam lampu tersebut dengan yang baru. Termasuk, pada lampu-lampu rem.

Berhubung pengendara sulit mengetahui kondisi lampu-lampu rem ketika tengah di dalam kabin mobil, maka sebaiknya periksalah menyala atau tidaknya lampu rem sebelum mulai berkendara. Sebab, lampu rem tergolong komponen penting yang mendukung keselamatan berkendara. Lampu rem menjadi isyarat bahwa pengendara tengah menginjak pedal rem dan laju mobil akan melambat bahkan terhenti sama sekali. Di harapkan, pengendara di belakangnya juga mengantisipasi agar tidak terjadi kecelakaan.

Saking pentingnya lampu rem bagi keselamatan berlalulintas, ketentuan lampu rem juga diatur dalam Peraturan Pemerintah No.44 tahun 1993 tentang Kendaraan dan Pengemudi. Pada pasal 33 ditegaskan bahwa "Lampu rem berjumlah dua buah dan berwarna merah yang mempunyai kekuatan cahaya lebih besar dari lampu posisi belakang". Tujuannya, tentu saja agar ketika menyala lampu rem lebih menyolok dan pengendara yang lain sigap bertindak.

Sayangnya, di jalan raya masih sering kita temukan pengendara yang mengubah-ubah lampu rem. Misalnya, bukan lagi berwarna merah tapi diganti lampu rem menjadi berwarna putih serta menyilaukan. Menurut Eddie Soenarto, seorang pembaca tips and tricks AstraWorld, tindakan tersebut salah dan membahayakan keselamatan. "Karena pengemudi di belakangnya silau," ujarnya melalui email customerservice@astraworld.com. Kami sampaikan terima kasih atas saran tersebut.

Sebagian besar, tindakan itu dilakukan karena ingin tampil beda dan bergaya. Ada juga yang mengganti lampu-lampu di belakang (sein, rem dan lampu mundur) dengan warna hitam. Tak hanya sulit membedakan lampu rem, pengubahan menjadi warna hitam biasanya juga membuat nyala lampu rem menjadi kurang terang. Yang lebih membahayakan lagi adalah tindakan yang memindah-mindahkan posisi lampu sein, rem dan lampu mundur. Akibatnya, ketika pedal rem diinjak, yang menyala adalah lampu putih. Jelas, ini berpotensi membingungkan pengendara di belakang.