Parenting Articles & News
The Financially Intelligent Parent: 8 Steps to Raising Successful, Generous, Responsible Children
What you say and do about money has a profound influence on your child. There are money moments every day that you can use to teach your children important skills and lessons about life. But what to say or do isn't always obvious. Is it a good idea to pay for chores or grades? How do you help your child develop a work ethic? How do you structure an allowance to help your child learn to make choices? Why is involving your children in charity so important? Eileen and Jon Gallo, experts in ...
Best Tips for Stress Free Child Party Games
When planning a child birthday party, just a little bit of organisation will go a long way. A good selection of child party games will keep the group interested and the party running smoothly. Always keep in mind that during the course of the day the weather may turn against you so be prepared to move the party (and games) indoors if necessary!
Screaming Kids Driving You Nuts? Four Rules to Help You Keep Your Sanity!
Often I will hear parents say, "I just ignore Jr. when he has a fit or screams." Though there may be times when this is appropriate it is not appropriate when Jr. is less than 5 years of age! Why? Because your child needs to receive training in proper and acceptable behavior. Screaming to get your own way is not proper or acceptable! If your child is screaming to get something, there are reasons he is doing this and I caution you, you may not like them! First, your child has ...
Making Internet Chat Safe For Your Children
No matter what you say or do, your kids will chat and use IM (instant messengers) over the internet. That's a given. But since you have the obligation to protect your children, be aware that there are parent-friendly software tools that can assist you.
The Family Guy Parenting From a Single Dad's Perspective
It was a hot summer day in august and The courthouse was without cold air. I wiped my brow as I entered the crowded courtroom. Several times I had appeared in family court, petitioning to get custody of my children. On each occasion I left the courtroom alone. The court had taken the girl's mothers rights away, but fighting through all the red tape had dragged on for two years.
Parenting Your Teenager: Self Decorating or Self Harm How to Tell the Difference
Q. I need your help with a question about my teen-age daughter. Getting her ears pierced was no big deal, but then she wanted to get a belly button ring and a tongue ring. We let her get the belly button one but not the tongue one.
School Holiday Survival Guide
The school holidays are a great time for the kids, all those weeks of fun and games, no school, getting up late……but not for their parents! Summer vacation time can be just as much like hard work as the rest of the year. Trying to keep the kids entertained for six whole weeks can seem like a daunting task, so here are ten top tips to help you survive the summer holidays.
When Your Child's Adoption Story Changes: Nothing But the Facts or is It Nothing are the Facts?
Elana, born in Russia, was told “We really don’t know why your birth family couldn’t care for you.””
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream, But Not For Ice Cream!
We all scream for ice cream. Or, we don't, at least not anymore. Before moving to this sleepy suburb as kids, we lived in the city. We'd walk to the corner store for an italian ice. I barely kindergarten age when we moved south of Boston, but I remember the cool lemony goodness on a wooden stick like it was yesterday. When we moved to the 'burbs, we didn't have to go to the store anymore for a treat. The ice-cream truck would come to us, (though I seem to ...
Encouraging Your Child to Write
How in the world do you get your child to write? This is the battle cry of many parents. A lot of imagination, with a little bribery (or praise) is all you need to get your child writing. We'll supply the imagination. The praise and bribery is all up to you.
The 5 Babysitter Commandments
Having a babysitter take care of your kids is sometimes a dangerous thing to do because the babysitter is the person that will be alone with your kid. Here are some ideas about your relationship with the babysitter.
Playing Safe
Do you really want your child to enjoy playing with a toy that was made on the other side of the world by people who are no more than children themselves, and paid 30 cents an hour - a paltry sum that can barely sustain them? Unfortunately, all too often, that's exactly what you're doing.
Picky Eater Fighting the Good Fight
Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is not so much about food as it is about control. As children become more independent, conflicts can arise as they carefully scrutinize what goes into their mouths. The more you push, the more they resist with the outcome resulting in tears and frustration.
Teaching Your Children About the Value of Money
We take it for granted that children know how money gets into our wallets. The tips below will guide you through teaching your children the value of money.
Secrets from the Classroom: Avoiding Summer Learning Loss
In June, elementary school children across North America cheered as they packed up their bags for the final time, and began a much awaited summer vacation. For many this two-month academic hiatus is cause for celebration. However, it can also be a factor in a long standing, yet little publicized, childhood affliction: Summer Learning Loss (SLL).
How to Get Your Children Brand Free
Those of you that have children know what an excursion to the local mall or supermarket can be like. If you're not careful, this simple trip can easily become a wallet draining experience.
5 Tips For Talking To Your Children About What They See In The News
Mommy (Daddy), Why do those people want to hurt everyone? Last week, the world was shaken by another terrorist attack. Hot on the heels of the Live 8 benefits and in the middle of the G8 Summit, bombs exploded in London. Adults around the globe were glued to CNN and spent time discussing their feelings about the event around the water cooler at work, with their partners at home or in online discussion groups and e-mails. Collectively, we reached out and were comforted and ...
3 Rules to Making Teen'sTechnology Work For You
Isn't the technology of today is amazing?! Between the speed of Instant Messengers~ or IM'ing, the convince of cell phones, parenting has come a long way from when parents had to make three or four phone calls to track down their TWeen for the simplest request “Bring home some milk?" to the infamous, "Your late, couldn’t you have called?"
The Truth Behind Having Children
In the beginning, having children was just a byproduct of sexual instinct. Later it was a means to increase manpower for survival (hunting the mastodon, tilling the fields). It was just a part of life, even what one aspired to. A strapping daughter was great, a robust son perhaps even better.
Working Moms vs. Stay at Home Moms, Let's Stop Debating Each Other and Debate the System Instead!
I could nearly fund my children’s future education if I received money every time I've heard a woman say, "I wish I could afford to stay at home full time." Sometimes you can recognize a few working women making this statement to avoid judgment from the stay-at-home parenting world (and they shouldn’t feel this way). However, a majority of these women truly prefer to be at home, and are spending days trapped in a work “cell” and feeling committed for life.
From Good to GREAT: Secrets On Becoming A Better Dad
While most fathers aspire to become the best Dads they can, all too often life just seems to get in the way. Missed soccer games and bedtime stories, always “In a minute” or “Later” when asked to play. The years pass, and many are left to wonder why their kids don’t seem to make time for THEM any more.
When A Parent Is Deployed
When a parent is deployed with the military it can be very traumatic for the children left behind. Having things for them to do, that makes them feel a part of the family and helping the parent who is gone, is really important.
Ten Terrific Ideas for Rainy Day Fun
It’s been raining for a week and the kids and bored and restless. How do you cure those rainy day blahs? Try some of these parent tested and kid approved ideas and your children will be hoping for another rainy day when the sun finally peaks through.
Gifts From The Heart: Moms Remember...
To the untrained eye, it might look like a piece of bubble gum stuck to a safety pin; a pink chewed mass mistakenly rescued from the trash years before. However, to its owner, this cherished keepsake is a bejeweled treasure—still worn with extreme pride. For you see, this is more than it appears. It was made with love, given with delight, and received with a grateful heart—a gift from a young son on Mother’s Day.
Life Lessons in a Glass of Beer
It was blisteringly hot last Saturday. As I took that first sip of a cold quality beer I knew it was sure to ease my thirst. However, I never expected that in that same frosted mug were also lessons on how to be a better Dad.
The World's Greatest Dad
You are in the final round of your favorite game show. The category is “Fatherhood”. All that stands between you and the grand prize is the answer to this question: “Describe the World’s Greatest Dad. He would …”
How Do Campers Protect Their Children?
Oh yes you have! Suddenly, “Where’s Bobby?” You instantly realize that he is not where he is supposed to be—where you told him to stay! Little kids, and even older ones, just don’t behave like they used to. Has anyone noticed that?
Financially Stable Kids – Prepared for College
We are all familiar with the stories that most students have when they finally get through those last days of college. Their financial states are in ruins, with accumulated credit card debt along with the student loans. Grants and scholarships are indeed blessings, but the reality is that students cannot possibly survive on financial aid alone.
Celebrating Mom: How To Make Every Day Her Special Day!
Bearers of life, wipers of noses, givers of unconditional love … mothers are the unsung heroes of everyday life. Although it is hoped that you recognize and celebrate your Mom on a regular basis, her special day—Mother's Day—is soon approaching.
Parental Internet Control Tips
The Internet is one of the greatest inventions of all time. Parental Internet Control will protect our loved ones from internet filth like pornography and hate material just a click away. The fact that every stranger in the world has access to your child, right in your own home is scary enough. exercising some kind of Internet Control will protect the people you love from the tens of thousands of troubling sites on the Internet.