Guide For Parenting

We are all familiar with the phrase “Music soothes the savage beast.” This is true of babies who may seem like savage beasts when they are in the midst of a crying fit. A soft lullaby can do wonders to calm a screaming baby down.

Giving your baby more music than just singing some lullabies is a great way to bond with your baby and can give her an early appreciation of music that will last a lifetime. There have been studies done that indicate that babies are pretty refined listeners. They understand patterns and sounds, and they can also tell when there is a change in rhythm and tempo. When you sing to your child, they are not just listening to the tune, she is looking into the face of someone that loves her very much while being cuddled and held.

There are a few things you can do in order to get your baby into the beat. The first is singing to her. The next thing you can do with your child is to dance with her. When a song you like is playing on the radio or TV, pick up your child and move to the music, and let him feel your enthusiasm for the song and dance.

You can play simple instruments and accompany the music with your baby. You can even use pots, pans, lids and other items from home to improvise instruments. Your baby will love seeing you bang away at your “drums” and will want to join in the celebration.

Imitate the sounds your baby makes too. They love to experiment with their voices as soon as they realize they have them, and you can have lots of fun imitating the sounds your baby is trying out on the world. No matter what you do with your baby, do it with joy and happiness, and baby will be infected with those feelings too.

Filed under: Learning Enrichment, Life at Home | No Comments »

Kids tend to moan and groan when it comes time to do homework. What can a parent do to make homework time easier for them and their child?

Bad Habits Begin Early

Children enter school usually once they are potty trained. This is usually around three years old. They are required to have a backpack and a folder to carry their important papers. You should make it a daily routine that you both sit down and check what is in the backpack. Never trust your child to tell you if they have homework or an important message from their teacher. Often once children of preschool age return home from school, they forget what happened there and are focused on what is happening now.

Let your kids have a break from schoolwork when they get home. Allow time for a drink and a snack, and at least a half hour to an hour of relaxation time. That doesn’t necessarily mean they can watch television or play video games. They can spend that time outside playing, socializing with their siblings, pets and you.

Set Aside a Time and a Place

Have an area where you child can work quietly without distractions. Keep the same time every day to begin the homework. If you allow TV during the week, don’t let your child watch until all homework has been completed. Once a child gets into a routine, they will be used to the fact that when a certain time rolls around, they will be expected to sit down and do their homework.

Don’t allow any other activities until you have gone over their work, any paperwork they have brought home, and the homework is completed to everyone’s satisfaction. Then you can all spend the rest of the evening without the pressure of looming homework.

Filed under: Discipline | No Comments »

Perhaps it happens at a certain time of day, maybe it will erupt when your child is refused something he wants. A tantrum is not pleasant for either the child or the parent, and some children take it so far that they make themselves sick. If you are having trouble dealing with a screaming, kicking, vomiting toddler who won’t take no for an answer, there are some things you can do to minimize the trauma for both of you.

Anticipate When the Tantrum will Occur

If you know your child begins to turn ugly around dinner or bed time and he usually throws tantrums around certain times of the day, learn to know the signs and triggers that your little one is going into full blown attack mode. You might want to try a routine that will calm your child at least a half hour before the witching hour. Give him a warm bath and have special reading time together before tucking him in. If the tantrum happens around dinner, give your little one something to do to help your prepare dinner. If your child has melt downs when you take them to certain stores, leave your child at home and avoid the hassle all together.

Find a Distraction

Some toddlers can be easily distracted from beginning a tantrum and others turn a blind eye to whatever you are suggesting and offering. If you see an episode is about to start, use everything in your arsenal to try and avoid it. Turn on the music and begin to sing or dance, pull out a favorite toy. It isn’t a foolproof plan that a distraction will work, but it is certainly worth a try, and you may be pleasantly surprised how well it can take your child’s mind away from a full blown temper tantrum.

Filed under: Discipline | No Comments »

Everyone experiences fear, from the littlest babe to the oldest adult. Fear is a normal, human emotion. Children are especially prone to fears as there is much in the world that seems big and scary to them. As children grow and develop, their fears will change too.Anxiety and Fear

Many times what makes us anxious is what we fear. Anxiety can be defined as apprehension without a clear cause. When children feel anxiety, it can be a good thing as it can make them behave in a manner that doesn’t pose as much danger.  

When babies are separated from their parents, especially from the parent who spends the most time with them, they react with anxiety and fear that their parents won’t return. They may also exhibit signs of stranger anxiety; when meeting new people and turn away in fear and cling to the parent.

Children between the ages of four to six will have fears and anxiety about fantasy creatures and things that go bump in the night like monsters, witches and ghosts. These are fears most parents are familiar with and chances are they’ll have many tools in their bag with which to soothe their fearful child. Older children of seven through twelve usually have fears about real concerns such as terrorist attacks, fear of getting hurt, facing peers in school and natural disasters.

Don’t Make Light

Many of us are still tortured by things that frightened us as children well into adulthood. Knowing there is no basis for that fear is no comfort. To help your child cope with common fears, never make light of the situation. Always make your child feel safe and secure in the knowledge that as long as you are watching over them, nothing bad will ever happen to them. If a child is afraid to sleep without a light, give them a night light. Everybody was once afraid of the dark. Making a frightened child sleep in the dark serves no purpose at all.

Filed under: Behavior Problems | No Comments »

Vaccinations have been a necessary evil of childhood for over 40 years. But are vaccinations really necessary for your child? There has been growing professional as well as public concern about the safety of the mandatory vaccinations that are to be given to the majority of children before they are allowed to attend school.

Why All the Worry?

Autism has never been fully understood, nor the causes that might have contributed to the condition. Many parents of autistic children believe that their children’s disabilities were caused by vaccinations. It is thought that as much as 60% of parents feel that childhood immunity shots are the reason for their children’s condition.

Now the medical community is becoming concerned as well. When children receive all the vaccinations that are recommended, they will receive more than 2300 times what is considered a safe and allowable limit of mercury. Most standard vaccinations are given in the first two years, so this means during these important developmental years, children are being bombarded with mercury.

The medical community feels that though the public has been told of some of the possible affects that these vaccinations may have on their children, there are much more serious consequences they are being kept in the dark about.

Should You Be Concerned?

Many parents give their children vaccinations because they received them as children and that is just the way things are done. Parents should take the time while they are pregnant to research the risks and dangers that are associated with giving babies and toddlers such high doses of harmful chemicals.

Scientists are now comparing the effects of Gulf War Syndrome with the effects of vaccinations and autism. A report by Dr. Blaylock outlines some of the similarities between the two and concerns that every parent should be aware of before deciding upon a course of vaccinations for their children.

Filed under: Child Health | No Comments »

Divorce and Your Children

Divorce affects not only the husband and wife, but the two families as well. The ones who are hit the hardest are the children. There are many things divorcing parents have to take into consideration when it comes to the care and well being of their children.

Who Will the Children Live with?

One of the options you may consider is having the children live with one parent and visit the other on weekends, days off from school and selected holidays. This is the conventional child custody agreement that most moms and dads choose. If this is the route you and your soon to be ex-spouse wish to take, be sure you have in writing when visitations should be scheduled, and make a plan to address who the children will spend the holidays and school vacations with.

Mom Said Yes, but Dad Said No

Children will take any advantage to help drive a wedge between you and your ex in order to get what they want. Pitting one parent against the other is a common practice that children of divorce utilize. The way to avoid much of this type of tension is to make a visitation schedule and have both parties honor it. This shows your children that even though they can’t manage to live together; their love for their children is far stronger than their dislike for each other.

Discussing important issues should not be done in front of the children. This just gives them more ammunition to toss at the two of you later on. Try and have respect for your spouse even though you are divorcing. They will still be a parent to your child and you will have to learn to get along for their sake.

Being prepared for the changes that will occur in all of your lives can help ease the transition and buffer the upheaval that the children will feel no matter how amicable your divorce is expected to be.

This site has more advice that you’ll find useful to handle this very delicate issue.  

Filed under: Family Issues | No Comments »

Before the age of the Internet and email, letter writing was considered an art.  People actually used to sit down and write long, newsy letters to each other. Then came the advent of the telephone and letter writing was on the way out. Once the internet made instant communication commonplace, writing letters became as good as dead.

If your kids are resistant to the delights of reading and writing, you might have their interest sparked if you introduce them to the joys of having a pen pal. Having a friend who lives far away in an exotic land can have your child waiting at the mailbox for the next communication from their new pal.

You might think it’s impossible to find a pen pal who’s willing to correspond via letters these days, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, you can find many websites dedicated to matching up pen pals who won’t use email as a way of communication. They are looking for a good, old fashioned letter delivered to their mailbox.

This is a great way for kids to learn to write interesting subject manner in a way that will be communicated fluently to someone else in print. They will love hearing about the differences between themselves and their pen pals such as the foods they eat, the traditions they follow, and the holidays they celebrate holidays. You may even find that your child is eager to do research and read more about the country or state that his or her pen pal lives in.

When a child has a pen pal, it encourages him to read and to write more than you ever expected. Even the most resistant readers and writers will enjoy waiting for an envelope addressed to them to come in the mail and find out what their new pals are up to.

To learn how you can find a pen pal for your child, visit the Parenting website. Who knows, you may end up finding a pen pal for yourself while you’re at it.

Filed under: Learning Enrichment | No Comments »

You may be in denial about your child’s weight issues if he is five years old and you think he is still carrying baby fat.  Childhood obesity is a growing problem and a serious one at that.  Unfortunately, whether you like it or not, moms have to take the responsibility for how fat or how skinny their children are as they are typically the ones shopping for and preparing meals.

Keeping plenty of junk food in the house is a sure fire way to get your kids on the path to obesity.  Children who are overweight in their formative years are more likely to stay that way through the rest of their lives. Even if they lose weight later on in life, the damage is already done. Adults who were overweight when they were children will have many of the same health problems that those who are currently obese have, even if they are at their optimum weight now.

Developing Healthy Eating Habits

The biggest gift a mother can give her family is the gift of good health. Stocking up on plenty of fruits and vegetables and eliminating junk food is one way you can have some control over what your children eat. Introduce healthy soups and snacks into their diet at an early age instead of fried foods.  If you feed them well when they are babies, they will eat well as toddlers. Once a child reaches the age of five or so, it is thought that his nutritional base is set. If you feed him the right foods early on, you can avoid many obesity related health concerns that may crop up later.

If you have been putting off making healthy changes your family’s diet, these statistics might give you the impetus you need to act NOW. 

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

If you’ve been noticing of late that your toddler is telling fibs, you should realize that many young children don’t really know the differences between what is real and what is a figment of his imagination at this stage. When kids of the same age play together, it can be even more difficult to tell who the culprit is with both children disowning responsibility.

There are things you can do as parents to teach your children honesty.  By your own example of not telling lies, you can encourage honesty and practice it yourself. Children learn by example and if a child is consistently not lied to, and doesn’t see his parents lie, he won’t be likely to lie to others as his social skills are honed.

Sometimes moms and dads encourage lies when they put their children on the spot. Often kids who fear the consequences of their recent actions lie to save themselves. They will go as far as to blame inanimate objects just so they can avoid repercussions. If you accuse them in front of others, whether it’s adults or other children, they are even more likely to lie.

If you suspect your child is lying about an important incident and there are people around, be calm and lead him to another room where you can be private. Speak in a soft voice and ask if he was at fault. You are more likely to get the truth when you don’t make a huge commotion, and ask your questions in a calm manner.

Not all kids who lie will grow up and become a menace to society. If you lead your life in an open and honest way and surround yourself with positive people who do the same, you are not likely to raise a liar. Remember, kids go through lots of different phases and lying like the unpleasant biting phase will soon pass.

Filed under: Discipline | No Comments »

Some brothers and sisters are the best of friends. More than likely though, they are also the worst of enemies. It seems no matter how close or far apart in age your children are, there is always some degree of sibling rivalry going on between them.

You are definitely not alone. All across the world as you read this, there are children fighting for supremacy in their homes. Sometimes the situation can start before the new baby even arrives. You should expect your kids to compete for not only the affection of you and your spouse, but for so many other things as well.

What’s a Parent to Do?

You may feel as if you are at the end of your rope with the constant fighting going on between your children. Know that the condition is common and most probably will not last forever.

Don’t compare your children to each other. Accept the fact that they are unique individuals. Where one child may have strengths in athletics, another will have talents in other areas. Allowing your children to be individuals while celebrating those differences will go a long way in deciding how your children treat each other.

Children learn what they see and if your children’s fighting seems to be getting out of hand, look first toward yourself and your spouse to see if they are learning from your bad example. If parents treat each other with patience and kindness, children will quickly learn to treat one another the same way.

One thing you might notice is that no matter how much your children torment and torture one another, woe to the person who picks on a brother or sister. Older kids will protect their younger siblings at any cost against a third party intruder. Now that is what a mom and dad really want to see!

Filed under: Family Issues, Discipline | No Comments »