There are many benefits for both you and your teenager when you encourage your child to get involved in something worthwhile. Volunteering can help kids to have something valuable to do instead of having idle time, which could lead to them getting into trouble. Many worthy causes, such as Kars for Kids, would appreciate your child's help. Kars for Kids is an organization that helps children through funding programs and donating items. This type of program is something that your teen and his or her friends could get involved with together. By having your teen volunteer, he or she will … [Read more...]
How to Maintain Family Game Night with Growing Children
It is unfortunate to hear of how families don’t spend enough time together. You may have friends that have experienced this negative element. Or, perhaps your family has already begun such a journey. One staple of spending time together for families has been family game night. Yet as children get older, they may lose interest in this. However, while the same board games for younger children may not keep your teens’ interest – there are some things you can do to keep up with them. Try implementing exciting games that they will find interesting. Poker tables and pool tables provide one … [Read more...]
Parenting
Parenting is about building healthy family relationships. There is no such thing as a perfect parent or a perfect relationship. The first step to becoming a good parent is accepting the fact you are going to fail at it many times. You know what, that is okay. It is in your failures you learn compassion, how to make amends, and you learn as bad as it seems in that moment, it can and will become good again. To build healthy family relationships you have to care a little more about the other person than yourself. Your job as a parent is to know your child. When you know your child you know … [Read more...]
Children Who Do Not Take Responsibility for Behavior
Before a parent gets too righteous or harsh with this, they should take a close look at their own behavior first. Children tend to mimic what they see in authority figures about them. If you want your child to be responsible, you have to be responsible. It is human nature to blame others for problems. Once a person stops and reflects, they often realize they had a part in the problem. Here are some things to try if your child is doing this. Any time you see the child admitting responsibility recognize it. Say things like thank you for being honest. Do not accept excuses. Do not rage … [Read more...]
Kids and New Marriage
Getting married is a wonderful occasion, but in this day and age there are challenges that weren’t so common years ago. One of the challenges is getting married when you have children. These days there are plenty of people who get married more than once and who get married later in life. For those people there is the chance that they are going to have to make sure everyone is comfortable with the next arrangement before they decide to tie the knot. You must handle it the right way before you end up with a marriage your children are unhappy with. The first thing to do is make sure you are … [Read more...]
Types of Parenting
Parenting in psychological circles has been for nearly forty years classified into three types. The types are authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive child-rearing. Authoritative parenting style is parent(s) who wield power, make commands and laws, and do not take a child’s point of view into account. Children tend to obey out of fear of the repercussions if they do not do what they are told. Authoritarian parent(s) establish limits, provide explanations for restrictions on behavior, and expect a child to set standards for themselves. Children obey out of positive regard for their … [Read more...]
Teaching the Hard Lessons
Although you can usually rely on the educational system to teach "the three Rs" to your child, you can’t trust it to pass on common sense and the real-life skills that are just as important. If you’re trying to raise your child to be a well-rounded, down-to-earth person with the knowledge needed to live a happy life, these critical lessons are up to you! Take a look at these suggestions as a start: Life Just Isn’t Fair This is one of the hardest lessons for a child to learn, but his life will be much harder if it’s never taught. Life simply isn’t fair. If he expects everyone to be … [Read more...]
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to School I Go
It's that time, your child is off to college and as excited as can be to be "on their own." Do you have worries going through your head? No doubt. Although it may not be tops, have you talked to your student about drinking now that they are going to be making that decision themselves? What about if they choose to drink... how much? It is an unfortunate reality that alcohol consumption flourishes on college campuses and is particularly popular with the freshman who are newly away from mom and dad. Studies show that 19 percent of college students ages 18-24 met the criteria for alcohol abuse … [Read more...]
Extra Education
Parenting a child that has a learning disability is tough to begin with. You love that child more than anything, but you cannot leave the education up to the teacher alone. You have to be proactive and teach using methods that most appeal to your child. This will make learning fun and also a bonding experience between the both of you. Your relationship will become stronger and your child's mind will blossom. The trick is to find the right learning activities. You must consider your child’s learning disability before you can figure out what kind of learning activity is … [Read more...]
Parenting a Teen Driver
A learner’s permit for driving will be the most exciting moment for your child to date. They will begin feeling like they are truly growing up. Parents become nervous at this point. Teaching your child to drive is not only a scary activity, but it also means that your child is growing up and you may feel sad or resentful of passing time. So make this particular time in your teens life an incredible memory for you both. Give your teen the confidence to drive safely. The optimum way to begin this monumental experience is to start off small. Find a small residential neighborhood … [Read more...]