9. Erisako erya 2 Timoteo 1:7 likathuwathikaya lithi eriyitheghererya obuthubaha nga bukalhua oku ndi? Lo thisha okuvela ukuthi ungowaseMakoti esifundazweni saseChitungwiza, utholakale evuvukele ebuntwini bakhe bunanemihuzuko. Udokotela omelaphile uthole ukuthi kuningi okubi okwenzekile kuyena ngesikhathi ehlukunyezwa ngokocansi. "Noma besihlezi sizwa kuthiwa uzoboshwa, besizitshela ukuthi bazokwazi ukuyixoxa, bayilungise le ndaba. Akukholakali ukuthi lo muntu ekade sijabulela ukuthi usebuyile usezohlala nathi, sebephinde bamthatha futhi." Hluza lesisaga. Ingahlaba umxhwele inkulumo yakho. Yini umxhwele. Sisuselwa kuphi lesisaga? Helping children through stories Have you thought how stories can offer a way of supporting children through some of life’s challenges? As they grow, children are faced with a variety of situations. Some of these may be exciting, like making new friends. But very often they can be difficult and children may need your help. There are many wonderful stories about the potentially tough situations and dilemmas – like starting school, separation, illness, death, divorce, prejudice and bullying – that children may face. Discovering characters in stories that share similar experiences to them, helps children feel less alone and may also help them to better understand and cope with a challenging situation. Many children find it difficult to identify and communicate how they are feeling. Reading stories can help them to understand themselves better and give you all a great starting point for discussion. Here are some ideas on how to use books and stories to help your children cope with some of life’s challenges: •	Find a story that you like with a character that has to deal with an issue that your child is facing or one that might interest him or her. Ask someone who knows storybooks well like a librarian, bookshop assistant, teacher, counsellor or another parent to help you choose, or look on the Internet for suitable stories. •	Read and get to know the story yourself before sharing it with your child or a group of children. •	Think aloud and ask open-ended questions about the story during and after reading. Open-ended questions have no right or wrong answers and help children to reflect on, explore and talk about their personal concerns, emotions or ideas. Here are some examples for you to try: *