Getting Rid of the Toxic People in Your Life

Here’s something we can’t deny: there will always be people who will attack and sabotage us and our personal growth. Today, they are what we would call “toxic” people.

Unfortunately, they’re not just the colleagues we don’t see eye to eye with, but also those who are close to us like friends and family members. Even then, you have to try your best to cut these people from your life because your future might really depend on it.

If he/she isn’t necessarily close to you…

Of course, it’s quite easy to get rid of a toxic person if they’re not necessarily a close friend. You can just ignore them or avoid interacting with them! Sometimes you don’t even have to do anything at all. Or if there’s a person you’ve just met and you hear stories about how manipulative they are, for example, best not to befriend them.

But if it’s a family member…

If the toxic person is really close to you, like a family member for instance, this poses a bigger challenge. The first thing you should really do here is to take distance. Spending time apart from them will not only help you detach physically but also emotionally.

If you can’t do that or the toxicity still stays, express yourself in a calm and rational manner. It will be better for you to just call them out and let them know about their negative behavior than not doing anything at all. The most important thing to remember here is to never be aggressive, especially since Singaporeans are quite family-oriented.

Remember that it’s not going to be easy

When getting rid of toxic people, you have to remember that it’s never going to be easy. Even though they have negative attitudes, you’ve still shared good experiences with these people at some point.

But then again, if the negatives already outweigh the positives, you can’t hinder your own growth just to save a friendly relationship. Just remember that getting rid of these people will be a long process but you have to endure it for the better.

Keep it simple

Just keep everything simple! If you feel like explaining more details, just don’t. You feel that way because you get guilty for ending the relationship. But again, cutting ties with toxic people will be for the best. Just tell them kindly about why you wouldn’t want them in your life anymore without any unnecessary side-stories or details.

Create distance

Sometimes there are people who simply annoy us and that doesn’t mean they’re toxic. Chances are, you might not really want to cut ties with these people. This is really why the first important move to take is to create distance. By doing so, you’ll usually be able to determine if the person is just annoying or if he/she really is toxic.

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Benefits of Reading Out Loud to Your Kids

In our time today, you’ll see more and more parents use phones, tablets, and TVs to entertain their children. For one, this sets the children up for eye damage at such an early age. And for another, they’ll turn to their gadgets for fun instead of interacting with other children. We may not like to admit it, but this will have a profound effect on their mental and emotional growth. The classic and better way to entertain your child is to use books! Here are some reasons why.

Great way to spend some quality time together

First and most importantly, you get to spend more quality time with them. Having time to interact with their parents intimately is very important for a child’s growth. If you spend more time at work then at home, reading to your kids when they go to bed is a great way to make up for lost time. It can give them great memories as they grow up and it will surely strengthen your bond as a family.

It instills a love for reading

As said earlier, your kids can make great memories when you read to them. This is why reading out loud can be a great way to instill in them a love for reading. Because they understand how entertaining books can be at a young age, they’ll learn to pick books up as they grow older as well. Of course, this is important because books are the most common learning tools. So, when they go to school, they already understand the importance of reading!

It improves their vocabulary

Children learn by imitating others around them. That is why it’s usually better to read books aloud yourself instead of letting your kids do all the reading. In this sense, you have a better grasp of grammar and pronunciation, so your children will learn about those aspects better as well. Sure, it would be great if they learned on their own, but if you expose them early to vocabulary, they’ll have an easier time learning.

It teaches lessons and values

The truth of the matter is, you can dictate moral lessons or values to children. Rather, you can, but they might not understand it instantly. A better way for them to learn about values is through books. Children are more likely to learn their values because they imitate their favorite characters. They’ll have a hard time following and understanding constantly say, “Don’t do this.” or “This is what you should do.” Also, since they’ve already heard about the bad guys in books, they should also have a better understanding of what’s good and what’s not.

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