Enjoy Your Children and Parenting! » Parenting Tips

Family Travel on a Budget

admin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:36:51 +0000

If you’re looking for some family fun here’s a good travel idea; make your own city guide. If you’re on a budget this can work really well and you’ll get to know your home town better. Staying within a 50 mile radius of your home will allow you to save money and help out your local economy. Before summer comes start making a list of attractions you really like to see so when summer is finally here, you have your own travel guide to work from. During your trips take photos, hold on to keepsakes you found, and keep a travelogue. At the end of the summer you can create a book to remember all of the fun times you had and the great places that you all went to.

Are You Raising an Incapable Child?

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:47:40 +0000

As our standard of living grows and we become accustomed to more comforts in life, our kids can also be affected and they can tend to think they are entitled to certain things. There are ways to avoid this scenario, it just takes a little work on the the parents’ part to enforce. Anything that a child can do for themselves, let them. Parents don’t realize that if you don’t let your child do for themselves when they can that they are actually making them incapable. They need to understand that the world is not at their beck and call and that they will need to take care of themselves as they get older. You should not have to keep track of their schoolwork for them and they should be able to do that themselves. Don’t be their bank, it’s not a good idea to give them money whenever they want it. They should learn to earn their money just like in real life. Let them fight their own battles. It can be hard to watch and not step in but they need to figure out how to deal with these issues without you stepping in. Let them experience failure, it’s a reality in life, but it doesn’t have to be a negative one. Everyone can learn a lot from failing. Children need to know that life is not handed to them and they need to work hard and be responsible and independent if they plan to succeed in life.

Choosing Childcare

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:47:16 +0000

Finding somewhere and someone to take care of your child is a big deal and not something to take lightly. here are basically two options to consider, a center or an in home location. Both can have advantages and disadvantages depending on what you are looking for. Child care centers are regulated by the government so you know that there are certain standards in place for health, programming and supervision. Many are large and have a lot of kids, but offer many structured activities and usually are available longer hours than an in-home location. In-home locations usually have fewer children and may get more attention. The best thing to do is to go the locations that you are interested, at a center or a home location to get a feel for it. Talk to the child care providers in every location to get a sense of their style and their background. To get a more extensive list of things to keep in mind and ask check out this article on finding a child care center.

Children Having Their Own Computer

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:57:32 +0000

It may seem harmless for your children to have their own computer, but the ramifications can be severe especially if you allow them to have access in their own rooms. The internet can be a dangerous place if not monitored well and if you don’t know where your children are visiting and who they are talking with. You don’t want to hinder their trust by spying and checking their email and sites that they visit to check up on them. It’s a good idea to keep a computer in public area of the house and set up some ground rules for your kid’s usage. With parental controls you can set limits on what sites they can visit and who they can chat or email with. Limit their time on the computer so that they are not spending all of their time on it. Make sure to plan some family time so there is a balance with the time spent on the computer as well as doing other activities.

Quick and Easy Natural Snacks for Kids

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:17:44 +0000

Having good healthy snacks on hand when kids are hungry is important. You want to avoid feeding them fast food or food filled with fat and sugar. It’s easier than you think to provide natural healthy snacks right in your own home. Have fresh organic fruit on hand and nut butters for spreading on apples or even celery. Nuts and seeds are inexpensive and can be bought in bulk and are great for taking on the road. Popcorn is a great snack that you can make at home. Nutritional yeast is a great replacement to salt for seasoning and you can even add spirulina for some added green goodness. Try using romaine lettuce leaves instead of bread and put cheese and avocado on them. There are plenty of healthy foods that you can get at most grocery stores to have on hand when your kids are hungry and need something to eat fast!

Raising a Child with a Personality Different from Your Own

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:25:58 +0000

Parenting children is one of the hardest jobs someone can do, but when you find that raising one that has a personality that is very different than your own that is another challenge in itself. You may be wondering how a parent should raise a child that is their opposite. All children are unique with their own individuals personalities. Some thrive with structure while others do well on their own not being micromanaged. Even though you can’t change their personality you can still model good behavior and create a strong relationship with your child. Talk to adults that share similar traits to find what may inspire and engage them. Pay attention to how they play and relate with other children and adults, see what learning style is most effective. There should always be positive reinforcement, age-appropriate responsibilities and balance between life outside of the house and at school. Introducing a

How Can Parents Teach Their Kids to Focus?

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:23:01 +0000

Focusing is not innate in children and it is a skill to be taught, but how? The most powerful way to influence focusing is by being a good model for your child. Reduce distractions as much as possible by turning of the television, putting toys away and sitting down with them to help them focus on the task at hand. Build routines which will help with getting things done. For example, after coming home from school have them put their things away, do their homework and do any other extracurricular activities. After a while when this is enforced, you won’t need to ask them to do these things. Having your child become better at being focused is as much our job as is theirs. It is one of the most important skills parents can teach.

Relaxation Techniques to Share With Your Child

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:18:04 +0000

Sometimes parents need a little help with calming their child down whether it’s to cool off a meltdown or winding them down for bed time, they need to learn to relax. Here are a few techniques to share that can bring great results. Have them site and focus on breathing in and out using slow deep breaths. Tensing and relaxing beginning with the eyebrows then to the forehead, jaw, shoulders, trunk, fingers, tummy, legs and toes. Practicing “oming” Kids usually have fun with this one. Do some gentle stretching and exercise while breathing nice and deep. These few things can really help de-stress and create a calm as well as be really fun to do with your child.

Parenting in the Digital Age

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:22:44 +0000

The internet is not going away and it has become a large part of our lives and culture. Not all of it is a bad influence in our children’s lives and can bring many positive experiences in their social development . In order to make the experience work for you and your kids you only need to be aware of a few things and put some rules into action. Be involved with what your children are looking at and using online. Explain to them the possible dangers that can occur using the internet and how to avoid them. Keep the computer in a common area so that they are not unsupervised. If you start this when they are young, it becomes commonplace and is expected.

Being Direct with Your Teen

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:22:38 +0000

The teenage years can be really hard, but one of the best things you can do for your relationship with them is to be direct. Giving them facts is helpful for getting around in the world but also letting them know what to expect emotionally is also a good idea. Many teens think that parents are not that smart and don’t get what they’re going through. They think that the world is unfair and that they are alone and not normal. Our job as parents is to reassure them that they are normal and that yes, the world is unfair sometimes, but how they choose to deal with it is the most important.