Lessons in Living

Have you ever gone to Milano's Music. If you have then you know that if you buy music, you are always sent home with a piece of paper that reads "Lessons in Living." I just found one that you might enjoy!

"AS SOON AS" is a principle we can use to encourage our family members and ourselves to be patient in wanting. It is abbreviated as ASA. It helps us keep activities and acquisitions in line. It helps satisfy our natural desire for more and more. Here are some examples of ASA: A child is shopping with his mother. The entire trip around the store is one round of begging and whining for a toy car. Knowing it is natural for children to want, the wise mother suggest, " you are paid a quarter a day to empty the trash. AS soon as you save $5.00 you can buy the car yourself." By using ASA, the mother taught three character-building lessons to her son: 1) patience, 2) the value of a dollar, and 3) how to work and gain independence so he doesn't need to beg.

Are we struggling to get our children to practice their music? Ho about using ASA "Sure, you can go swimming with Cathy, ASA you Practice." Having Taught music for sixty years, I have seen th ASA principle work wonders. There were even some parents who paid their children money ASA they memorized a selection. And, do you think the students were glad or sad afterwards? Right they were glad and so were their parents!"

-Elma Allen Milano

this was written in 2003 when Elma was 83-years-old.