Featured Blogger: Vivian Kirkfield – Positive Parental Participation

“To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.” Barbara Johnson

Featured Blogger: Vivian Kirkfield - Positive Parental Participation

Featured Blogger: Vivian Kirkfield - Cover of her book: Show Me How!

Whenever I think of Vivian, blogger/writer of Positive Parental Participation, the words compassionate, kind, devoted mother, grandma, and friend come to mind because Vivian is all of those things and more. Vivian is an award winning author, a reading expert, bold adventurer, knowledge seeker/provider, and an enthusiastic, positive woman and blog supporter. I met Vivian well before the Daily Post Challenge started. She was one of my earliest blog buddies and was always encouraging and insightful about blog topics we shared.

Once you get to know Vivian, you will discover an experienced, knowledgeable, motivational teacher and friend who roots for you, and makes the effort to share words of wisdom and goodwill. She enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, trying new/daring things like skydiving and para-sailing, and spends many days visiting kindergarten classrooms to share her love of reading with beginning readers. She writes a second blog, VivianKirkfield, dedicated to parenting tips and tools. Vivian is a married mom of three and calls Colorado home.

For this week’s Featured “Get to Know” blogger, please join me in welcoming our very special author/blogger, blog buddy, friend, Vivian Kirkfield. Vivian has agreed to share her fulfilling and hectic life with us. Thank you! 🙂

What led you to write your book?
My love affair with children’s picture books began over 50 years ago as I helped my mother turn the pages of The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. As a child, I “inhaled” books … taking out my weekly library limit. I was small in stature and my pile of books were almost as tall as me. Also, I enjoyed scribbling poems and stories in a little spiral notepad that I kept next to my bed at night. I still have a precious page from one of my notebooks; a poem about horses. Horses were another childhood favorite.

As a kindergarten/Head Start teacher in NYC, I developed a program that used entertaining and enjoyable children’s picture books to help young children deal with the challenges of their early years. I would choose a particular picture book and then incorporate an appropriate craft project and cooking activity to provide an educationally sound and harmonious day.

While raising my three children, I worked as a daycare provider and added stories, crafts and recipes to my repertoire. I knew that one day I would share my simple yet successful routine to help others build self-esteem, develop pre-literacy skills and create a life-long parent-child bond. Parents, educators and authors who endorse my book: SHOW ME HOW! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking, say they wish they had it when they were raising children.

If you could choose a new career path, what would you choose?
As a child and young adult, I’ll have to admit I was a pretty timid person. I felt comfortable with young children and loved helping them feel good about themselves; so teaching and writing a book to help parents, teachers and children was a natural path for me. The Peace Corps was another option as I would have loved helping/learning with people in other cultures. Recently, I read that a 77 year old woman from Denver, Colorado, was just accepted into the Peace Corps as it had been a life-long dream of hers. It is never too late…
Last August, my son took me skydiving and I jumped out of an airplane; quite an exciting experience! I’ve also gone para-sailing and walked under the water with a helmet on; like a character in a Jules Verne story.

Featured Blogger: Vivian Kirkfield... reading with nephew Jake

Where did you grow up and why do you blog?
I grew up in New York City and, although I never liked big cities, I loved the PEOPLE. Diversity is the code word for New York and it was a wonderful place to learn how to get along. I love people and feel an empathy with just about everyone I meet, whether they are a next-door neighbor, or a seat-mate on a flight to Boston.
Why Blog? I love to talk and to write, so blogging is something I love to do. I started blogging to promote my parenting book, connect with mom bloggers and share my book with moms and teachers. I would continue blogging even if I sold a million copies and didn’t need to. It is an awesome way for me to connect with the world; by writing, reading, commenting on posts and starting friendships with other bloggers.

“We all need a cheering committee and parents are a child’s most important fans!” Vivian Kirkfield

Featured Blogger: Vivian Kirkfield - Viv with Jeremy her grandson

Featured Blogger: Vivian Kirkfield - Her daughter and grandson

What is most important to you/about you?
PEOPLE … loving and helping them, giving others a smile or friendly word is most important to me. Sharing myself with family, friends and those in need is most important about me. I work several days a week at a local retail store and always listen attentively when customers share stories about their lives; tragic events too. I volunteer every Thursday morning at local kindergartens, reading picture book stories and crafting with the children. Sometimes, my schedule gets quite hectic but I realize that I would not be happy sitting around.

What motivates you to get out of bed?
I am definitely a TO DO list person. I love making lists and I love getting things accomplished so that I can cross them off the list. Sometimes, I even add tasks I’ve completed to my list. I love the mornings and getting things done makes me feel good.

How would you like to be remembered?
I don’t think it is important to me that I be remembered in any special way. What I want is to make my contributions NOW and impact others in a positive way. Like a pencil, we all leave a mark on those whose lives we touch. If I can help parents leave the best “mark” on their children, I will be satisfied with my journey in this life.

You may connect with Vivian through her two blogs; Positive Parental Participation and VivianKirkfield, her Twitter handle @VivianKirkfield, and via her Facebook fan page.  Also, you may purchase a copy of her parenting book through her website or on Amazon. Please leave a comment below for Vivian and then click over to visit and support her blog.

What are your thoughts? Do share? If you’d like to be featured, leave a note and let me know how to reach you. Thank You! 🙂

Positive Motivation Tip: Be a positive influence on all you meet and especially be a positive guide to children.

Related Articles

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PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Featured Photos are courtesy of Vivian Kirkfield

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet