Published in the August 6 – 19, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Nimrah Aslan
Nimrah Aslan
It all begins at our weekly family movie night. We chose a movie, either from today’s era, my father’s, or my mother’s, and watch it as a family.
It is a tradition that has always been a huge part of my life. We call it “Generation Movie Fridays.”
The different movies we watch depict different generations and time periods and usually end up with a family discussion about the time period and how things worked then. Our discussions last until the early morning of Saturday. This helps promote positive family communication within my own family. These different movies allow us to deeply understand one another and what we faced growing up.
We learn more about ourselves and gain trust within our family. Positive family communication is one of our 41 developmental assets and allows teens to grow a better relationship with their families.
Positive communication is key to a positive and healthy family relationship.
By Jessica Wong
Jessica Wong
When we have rainy days, it’s a good time to curl up with a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.
Developmental Asset number 25 states that the youth should read for their own entertainment for three or more hours a week.
Ever since I was a kid, my parents and brothers encouraged me to read. We would go to the local public library at least once every two weeks and get new books to read. And when we couldn’t visit the library, I would always bug my parents about it.
I loved going to the library and trying to explore the different aisles and browsing for an interesting book. Whenever I couldn’t find any interesting books, my brothers and friends would always try recommending me a few. Even if they were not the type of genre I usually read, I found that I liked a lot of the books that were recommended.
Books are amazing things. They allow people to momentarily escape from reality and also help them cope with their problems.
Books allow the reader to imagine how a character or the scenery looks, and encourages creativity.
For those who like to travel but might not be able to do so very often, books help serve as a passport to explore new lands, experience new things, and meet new people.
And not just that, in a study done by the Institute of Education (IOE), they have found that those who read have a higher growth rate in their mathematics and spelling skills, and a larger vocabulary bank.
There is a book out there for you, so read for your own entertainment and build a bigger vocabulary. It’s a win-win situation!
