I recently received this great little book called, Seraphina Does Everything! written by Dr. Melissa Gratias and beautifully illustrated by Sue Cornelison. The story is about a young girl who wants to do it all! Her talents and interests are varied and she fills each day with more new things to do and try. Seraphina sees all the interesting things there are to do in the world and she doesn't want to miss a single one! She is involved in music, art, dance, sports, and foreign language. Seraphina is a voracious learner who is engaged and active. As she discovers more about the variety and options of life she is excited to expereince more. Every day of her week is filled with activities as well as her weekends.
For awhile it seems all is going well. Seraphina loves learning so many new things! However, in a moment of quiet reflection in the car,while returning from one of her many activites, Seraphina begins to feel sad. It seems Seraphina is not doing as well as she appears and she is feeling the pressue of doing EVERYTHING. Although Seraphina is experiencing the joys of learning, she is missing out on the joys of just being a kid and the experiences of growing up. Time to relax, play with friends and pets, spend time with family and focus on school work are part of learning to achieve balance in life. In trying to do everything, Seraphina realizes she is not doing everything well and is missing out on other important things in her life. Life with friends, family and school are passing her by. Seraphina is blessed to have a very wise Dad who advises her there is time to try life's options, but for now to focus on what she loves and make time for the important things like family, friends, and school. The story ends with a relaxed and happy Seraphina who has found the balance of trying and learning new things with just being a kid.
As School Counselors, Serpahina is someone we might describe as overextended. We often see similar students who present as anxious, depressed, or perfectionists. Sometimes it is the student driving themself to do it all. Other times, we see parents who seem to think it is important to fill every moment of their child's life with "productive" activities. Whatever the source, as School Counselors it is important to remind both children and parents that while involving our children in enriching activities from an early age is good, balance is key. The learning of many essential social emotional and life skills comes from giving our children the unstructured time and freedom to explore, create, problem solve, and self-soothe.
At the end of her book, Melissa Gratias offers a list of tips for students and parents to help them achieve balance, determine activities of value, communicate expectations, and understand the importance of rest. I would efinitely recommend adding this book to your School Counselor library.
How to win your FREE copy of Seraphina Does Everything!
I am giving away 2 copies of Seraphina Does Everything! Many thanks to the National Center for Youth Issues for sponsoring this give-away.
There are 3 easy ways to enter the Rafflecopter contest below.
- Leave a comment in the section below this post about how you help children and families find balance.
- Like this post on the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page and leave a comment about how you help children and families find balance.
- Like this post on the School Counselor Store Facebook page and comment on how you help children and families find balance.
Winners will be selected using Rafflecopter and announced at the close of the give-away on my Exploring School Counseling Facebook page on Tuesday evening. Thank you for participating and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
