Enjoy Your Children and Parenting!

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 ...

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The best way to teach your children to honor you and others is to be a good model. No one is perfect but if we are mindful about building trust, love and respect you will be honoring your family. If you are attuned to your child's needs over time they will learn that they can rely on you and that you will be there for them. There are some steps you can follow in order to develop a secure relationship with your child. Be consistent with them, they will begin to understand that you mean what you say. Respond to them when they are trying to communicate, if you're busy let them know and that you will be with them ...

More about: Honor Your Children and They Will Honor You

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 ...

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There are many parents that use material things in order to get good behavior from their children. It seems that many of these parents try to make up for not being available enough to spend time with their children, so they are left to entertain themselves. Parents that use this tactic are often surprised when their child is not wanting to learn or misbehaving at home and school. This teaches them that they don't need to behave unless they get something out of it. Children need to be taught that good behavior is not something to get something for, that it is expected. They need to understand that school is their job and that the teacher is the authority. The ...

More about: Parents Encouraging Bad Behavior

A friend of mine recently created a Facebook page for her four year old son.  This strikes me as very odd. I mean what would a four year old do with a Facebook account? Of course his mom set up the account fro him even though the rules state that you must be 13 years of age to join. If people think it's a way for them to stay in touch with family, I would try another approach. Try video chatting or have make a movie with them to send out via email. It's fine for your child to be involved with technology, but if there are things you can do in real life versus on the computer? Pick the ...

More about: Small Children Don’t Belong on Facebook

It's up to parents to instill a sense of security in their children's lives and create a strong family bond. Parents need to be rock-solid and show that to their children so they don't need to worry about things. if you can model strength to your children, they will have great role models. There are some conversations that the kids don't need to hear like if Dad is worried about losing his job or if you are in danger of losing your home. That kind of conversation is best left between adults and doesn't need to be brought to the attention of the kids. Always be honest with your children when questions arise. They want to know that things will ...

More about: Raising Secure Children

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 ...

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Children want the approval of their parents and to feel like they belong. When rules are put in place and your child is dishonest in order that they don't break the rules, how do you discipline them? Especially if  you know that they have been dishonest and they deny it? You want your child to learn the lying is not an option and that there will be consequences. It can be hard to decide what type of consequences will work best depending on what the situation is. Ultimately you want your children to have a habit of being honest especially with their parents! A good way to put rules in place is for your child to create their own consequence. ...

More about: When Your Child Lies

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 ...

More about: Raising a Child with a Personality Different from Your Own

Children grow so fast and it can be hard to stay connected with them especially when they head into their teen years. Start when they are young, spending as much time as you can playing with them, reading to them and teaching them. As they grow older their interests may change, being involved and engaging with them will allow you to stay connected with them. When they reach the teen years, let them know that they can count on you for support and that you are there for them if they need to talk about anything. All of the other things that need to get done like dishes and laundry can wait, these moments will go by fast and it's ...

More about: Staying Connected with Your Children as They Grow