OUR STORY - Why We Wrote This Series

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My elementary school aged son was a rascal. He was a good boy, and very smart. But it wasn't uncommon for me to get a letter home from his teachers, telling me of his hijinks in school that day.  He would blurt out answers; inform the teacher that they were 3 minutes late for recess time; or excuse himself to the principal's office because he was done with the assignment and "very bored!"  

On this particular day, I too had had a long day outside of our home, at work where I was the Boss and had to  tell some employees what they should be doing (even though they already KNEW what to do.) I was tired of having to tell grown ups how to behave. It's exhausting! So when my son came home with yet another note from his teacher I was exasperated and I asked him, "why do you always do these things?!?"

He responded, "I can't help it, Mommy! My mouth made me say it!"

"Your mouth?!? Well you need to be a better Boss of your Mouth!" I responded and then I paused...

I said, "follow me," and we went into my office where I grabbed some printer paper and wrote down individual parts of the body at the top of separate blank pages - Eyes, Ears, Mouth, Hands, etc.

I asked him to draw a picture of the word at the top of each piece of paper.  And then when he was done with that, I asked him what each body part could or should do and we wrote it on that page.  

For the mouth we wrote down, "Eat vegetables!" "Say I Love you!" "Keep it shut" and more.  For the eyes we wrote, "See our friends," "Cry if we need to," and "Close them to go to sleep." We did this for each and every page - we brainstormed together and had fun doing it.

We then stapled it together and talked about how if he could be the Boss of ALL these things, he'd be a GREAT Boss of himself.  And if he was a Great Boss of himself, his teachers would be so impressed with how he was able to control himself that they'd stop sending notes home about his behavior. If he was a Great Boss of himself he'd stop getting in trouble at school and at home.

I wish I could say that his behavior changed overnight, but it didn't. It took several weeks (months really!) for the lesson to sink in. But every time he was taken to task about his behavior, I reinforced that HE was the Boss of his words / mouth / hands / deeds / etc. and he began to understand that only HE could control them.  Slowly and assuredly he became the Boss of himself.  His self-confidence grew. His outbursts diminished. And he became quite an enjoyable child to have around in all situations!

Fast forward to where we are now and I am proud to say I have a fully functioning (for the most part, LOL) young adult who has a full academic scholarship to one of the top universities in the country.  He is responsible for his own actions, and when he slips up - which we ALL do in our lives - he gets back up on his feet, takes responsibility for what he's done, and moves forward to the next success or failure like a Boss.

So what does this have to do with a toddler's board book?!?  Well, you may have a little one of your own and can't possibly imagine them leaving the house or going off to college.  But I can assure you, they will.  And you'll be thrilled for them when they do!  

So with that in mind you need to know that there is no time to waste in teaching them that they are competent & capable, that THEY can be great little Bosses of themselves. This will build their self-esteem and self-confidence, leading to endless possibilities for their best possible life. 

Getting them to understand THEIR responsibility for their words & deeds will take them on the path of becoming their best possible versions of themselves.  They will become successful, self-confident, perfect little bosses of themselves, feeling good about their achievements, and knowing that THEY did it!

Reading the I'm The Boss Of Me Board Book, and then continuing on with the rest of the series as it becomes available, will help you and your little one become more connected, contented, and confident.  Your little one will be so proud to show you their successes as they become awesome little Bosses of themselves and their behavior. 

And you will be the BEST PARENT EVER starting at the earliest possible age - board book age!  

Who knows... Maybe even YOU will pick up an idea or two about what you should be more accountable for in your own life... (We can ALL use a little more personal accountability these days!) 

OUR MISSION STATEMENT: We are creating a world where children can grow up to be the BEST BOSSES of themselves (so that no one else has to be the boss of them,) building self-confidence, success, and instilling the joy of reading & learning in every child who experiences the ITBOM® Series.  

When children are great Bosses of themselves, they exhibit appropriate behavior and no one has to tell them what to do.  Their grownups should model this Best Boss Behavior as well for the little ones as shining examples of what to do, what & when to say things, and how to act.

Welcome to the ITBOM® world, where EVERYONE can be the BEST BOSS EVER!!

ENJOY!!