Enjoy Your Children and Parenting!

I was surprised to read in an article that parents put their children to bed with audio books. It seems strange to think that some parents may be using these instead of reading to their kids at night. On the other hand as children get older they don't always want their parents to read them a story before bed. This way they can still get the value of a story by listening and they can pick their own at audible.com. The article also mentions that the American Library Association recommends reading to kids every day even those who are not in school. It is important for them to hear stories and connect words and letters to a page.

More about: Digital Bedtime Stories for Kids

Clinical psychologist Anthony E. Wolf talks about the pressure that teens put on themselves about doing well in school. He says most of the time it's not the parents that are the source of their stress, but that they put it on themselves. They have it in their mind that school is the end all be all of how well you do in life, how much money you'll make and what type of job you will have. Wolf suggests to not be an overbearing nag but don't back off completely. Really let your kids know that they don't need to be so hard on themselves and to just do their best.

More about: Teens Create Their Own Stress

This a great little site that has some tips for a good night's sleep for children. It also has some information about the importance of sleep, dreams and games. Some of the tips it shares are getting to bed at the same time every night, not having a big meal before bed, and no caffeine. This site provides great information and a fun way for kids to learn and you can learn with them.

More about: Sleeping Tips for Kids

Today there are a lot of stresses that go with parenting. It almost always requires two incomes to take care of children and that means more time at work for parents and trying to raise their kids. It's not surprising that marriages can be put on the back burner. According to experts if the marriage suffers so does the parenting. Parenting gets put on the forefront and a lot of couples lose the passion they had when they were married. After a while when the closeness disappears so can the marriage which can directly affect your parenting. It is advised that couples get a handle on it before they arrive in a ...

More about: A Good Marriage Makes a Good Parent

With so much going on in the world today, parenting can get stressful. Just remember all of the fun that goes along with being a parent. Your kids are growing up, don't forget to take some time to enjoy their discoveries. Relish in how their personalities are developing and imagine what kind of adults they will be, and how your relationship may change, for the better of course! Sure there will be those moments when you may ask yourself, "what am I doing?" but remember the big picture that you brought life into the world and nurtured it and let it grow and bloom into something wonderful. That's what parenting is all ...

More about: Parenting Can Be a Grueling Job

This article was a great read discussing how American families these days put so much pressure on their children to succeed, not fail and to praise them so much that there is no disappointment experienced. Parents seem to set their kids up with high expectations, and we know that most kids just want to do good in their parents eyes. They need to experience failure, disappointment, unhappiness, and boredom, that is real life and it will teach them how to handle the real world.

More about: It’s ok for Children to Make Mistakes

This is a great article that talks about two sisters who wrote a book sharing their experiences of parenting children with mental illness. They wanted to bring awareness to parents not only of those with mental illnesses but for those parents with children that don't have the illnesses. So often in our culture parents brag about their children, how well they do things and can be very critical and judgmental of children with mental illness or their parents. The book is called "Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid", it may sound angry but it isn't. They share humorous and touching stories about their children who have Asperger's Syndrome and Bipolar Disorder. They believe the book to be a ...

More about: Personal Stories of Children With Mental Illness

I came across a woman's blog where she opens up the discussion of being an atheist and if that means her children are also. You may have your own truths and beliefs and most young children accept what their parents tell them as being true. I think it's important to present all options and possibilities of religion and/or spirituality. Encourage them to seek out their truth that works in their own lives, even if mom and dad have different views. This teaches them acceptance and tolerance of other views and beliefs.

More about: Are Your Children Atheists if You Are?

More and more in the news we're hearing of mother's killing their children. Is it because they have no help? A dispute with their children's other parent? They can't get help for mental disabilities that would allow them to better parent their children? These sad stories seem to be on the rise in our country. Currently there has to be some case of serious danger for social services to step in to help these families. A lot of the time it seems that these cases are random and that there are not any previous incidents that would create an alarm. What more can social services do to protect these children and help their parents?

More about: Mental Health Care for Parents?

It's all a buzz in the news that the court is now upholding that any home schooled child must be taught by a credentialed teacher.  Needless to say it has caused an uproar with families that currently home school their children. Many feel they will have to move in order to keep their kids home to teach them.  It all seems a bit fishy when you see the fact that every school gets money for every child that is in the classroom. This ruling stems from an incident of abuse to a child who was home schooled. It seems outrageous that children's' parents would not be able to school their own children based on this incident. Gov. Schwartzenegger is vowing ...

More about: California’s Courts Against Home Schooling Children