Understanding Temperaments

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When it comes to raising children, it’s easy to look at others’ children who are so well behaved and think that you must be a failure as a parent because your child is the one screaming because you won’t buy him or her a cookie.

The fact is, though, that temperament plays a big role in your child’s development. Some children are more likely to be stubborn while others are shy and reserved. Some children are very sensitive to things like touch, taste, and sound while others could sleep through an earthquake. Your parenting style has no effect on your children’s inborn personalities. You can learn ways to deal with how they think and find ways that motivate them to behave, but sometimes, it’s beyond your control.

The first thing you’ll want to do is learn more about personalities. Figure out which one your child is and then learn techniques that can help specifically with that personality type. Remember too not to treat every one of your children the same. One technique might work for one child and not another.

One helpful thing is to find a method that can be adapted to your child’s personality. Love & Logic is a popular method that many parents live by. The method promotes patience and avoiding getting mad at your children. Instead it’s about showing love while implementing logical consequences to actions. It also involves having the child help choose the consequence. For example, if the child draws on the wall, you ask what they could do to rectify it, such as cleaning the wall.

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The Effects of Helicopter Parentiing

The term helicopter parents is a relatively new term to describe an extremely over protective parent to tends to hover over every aspect of their child’s life. While being protective of your children is natural for most parents, the extremes that some parents have gone to in some cases is creating kids that are dependent and closed in.

Helicopter parents have been found to become involved in the decisions that are traditionally supposed to be made by kids and students on their own. It is seen at the college level when students are supposed to be striking out on their own and starting to make their own way.

Unfortunately this type of parenting is having a negative effect on kids. School officials are finding that students who have helicopter parents tend to be more anxious and dependent when they are compared to students who have parents who allow them to make their own way and make their own mistakes.

Students with helicopter parents are also less able to make decisions on their own and have a hard time opening up and accepting new ideas. This can make it very difficult for them to survive and be successful in college and when they get out of college and have to make it in the real world.

While protecting your kids is important and helping them along the way is what a parent is supposed to do, it is also important to allow them to breath and find out some life lessons on their own. This will help them later in life when they really need to be able to make their own decisions.

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How Old is to Old for Thumbsucking

 

Photo showing hand with thumb up 

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It is not uncommon for children to suck their thumbs, but when should you start to break them of the habit? How old is to old for a child to still be sucking their thumb?For the most part, children will stop sucking their thumbs on their own when they are still very young. For those that continue to suck their thumbs the American Dental Association says it should be stopped when they are about 4 or 5 so it doesn’t cause damage. When their permanent teeth start coming in there is a chance it could  cause problems that will last for a lifetime.

So if you are concerned about your child still sucking their thumb, how do you get them to stop? There are a few things you can do the help the process along. Since their thumb is with them even when you are not, you need to make it so they want to stop. Show them examples of other kids who do not suck their thumbs by having them over to play. You can also give them reminders when you see them put their thumb in their mouth, and give them things to do that require the use of both hands.

There are also some products available to put on their thumbs so it doesn’t taste good. If you don’t want to buy anything you could also use something from around the house that is safe for them to consume, but doesn’t taste good. Switch it up so they don’t know what kind of taste they are going to get if they put their thumb in their mouth.

 

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Kids and Healthy Eating

Getting children to eat a healthy well balanced diet is a constant struggle in many households. They naturally gravitate towards what tastes good to them, which usually means foods high in fat and sugar. So how do you get kids to choose foods that are good for them and to think that these foods actually taste good?

One of the most important keys to success is to start early. If they start out eating healthy foods it will be what they expect and what they are used to. If they start out eating processed foods and junk food, they will continue to want to eat it.

It is also helpful to have the kids help you shop. Let them pick out the fruits and vegetables they want to eat, and they can even help you plan the menus. It is okay to let some treats sneak in every once in a while, but the main part of their meals should be nutritious foods.

Kids are also more likely to eat what is put in front of them if they have helped cook it. Bring your kids into the kitchen with you and let them help make dinner for the family. Not only does this teach them about food, it also will help them to develop a life skill they will need later.

If you have picky eater, don’t force new things on them. Let them feel it, touch it and smell it a few times if they want to before they actually try it. If you are patient, you will be much more successful in getting them to try new things.

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Helping Your Child Focus During School

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When a child begins going to school, it’s a dramatic change from the unstructured environment they had during the early years of their lives. From the days of taking regular naps and doing whatever they please, the child has to rapidly adapt to the strict schedule of the school environment. Schools are set up to teach a lot of skills quickly to young children, and concentration is critical. So if your child doesn’t focus well, that problem needs to be addressed immediately.

While your child sits there dreaming of American Girl doll clothing, she can’t very well learn what she needs to know in order to be successful in the future. So you need to work with your child on finding ways to keep her focused on school during the day. There is a time to play and a time to work, and they don’t always get to be the same time.

So how can you get your child’s mind off play and onto work? For starters, you can ask your child every day to tell you something interesting that happened at school.

Once your child knows that you’re going to ask, she will be more likely to concentrate, just so she can remember something interesting to tell you. Another way you can help your child focus during school is to ask if she’s having trouble focusing. If your child has some symptoms of ADHD, you can get help for her from a pediatrician. It’s also helpful to talk to your child’s teachers to get their perspective on how well your child focuses on the task at hand.

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Tips for Preventing Cyberbullying

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It seems we hear about cyberbullying almost every day. Cyberbullying is when individuals use the Internet to bully or intimidate others. A good number of children have experienced this either as the victim or the bully.

This is a serious issue and should be considered as such. It is important that parents realize that negative consequences can arise from this, and they should teach their children how to avoid and stop cyberbullying.

Parents should help their children avoid this situation before the children are given internet access. Children should also be given information about keeping their identity safe and should be told never to give out the name, address, age or any other personal information.

Parents should guide their children in setting boundaries during internet usage. This way they can learn safe internet use and boundaries when they don’t have parental supervision when using the Internet.

Children should be taught that they should not email, text or post message that they wouldn’t say in person. This will help them understand cyberbullying and this will also help them recognize it as well.

Children should be taught that there are consequences if you catch them engaging in cyberbullying. Make sure you monitor their usage.

Parents should report any cyberbullying acts that they witness. This will prevent their children from either being the victim or perpetrator of online harassment. While many children will try to keep this activity from their parents, it is important that adults make the children understand just how serious cyberbullying is.

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When Vegetables Can Be Harmful for Children

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The world is going to end? Dear, God! It was on the news recently, yes — about how the Apocalypse was coming (thankfully, a complete and total fallacy). But, Christ have mercy, we’re talking about how vegetables can be harmful? To kids? Really? The world would have to end if that was the case –

Don’t worry, the world’s not going to end, but be surprised — there are situations when vegetables can be harmful to eat. Contact all the class action attorneys in Los Angeles while you can. Keep these possibilities in mind, because the next piece of broccoli your child eats might be his or her last (not really!)

Dirty Produce

Wash your vegetables before you prepare or eat them. This is especially true if you’re worried about pesticides. They can be harmful. Many use water to wash their veggies, but do you know there are products out there that are designed to literally eliminate contaminants as well as clean the skins? Open your eyes. Some people even use soap and water to wash their veggies. That’s smarts.

Smart Gardening

There couldn’t be anything fresher than growing your own produce — but, again, be careful. A wealth of poisons exist and can be detrimental to the health of your children if they contaminate the veggies in your garden. So whenever your kids are out there helping with the produce, make sure they’re not pulling the hollies or yuccas out as well.

Who would’ve thought veggies would be harmful? It’s not their fault, though. Don’t worry — with a little vigilance, your kids can enjoy those Brussels sprouts with ease.

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Helping Your Child Love Reading

Giving your child the love of reading is one of the best things a parent can do. With the gift of reading, you will give your child the chance to develop his or her imaginations, enlarge and expand vocabulary skills and learn to enjoy “alone” time. Your child will also be able to expand his knowledge, experience new ideas and places.

Here are a few tips to instill the enjoyment of reading in your child.

It’s never too early to start reading to your child. Start and birth and don’t ever stop. Those wonderfully colorful childhood books are a great place to start. Consider purchasing a “personalized” book complete with your child’s name. Your child will love having a story just about him.

Make reading your childhood favorite books a routine. It’s fun for both you and your child.

As your child gets older, making trips to the library a weekly event. Let your child choose books and go to story hour at the library. Also, consider going to theater and plays about your child’s favorite books. You can also rent videos about those books.

Make sure you know what the popular books are for your child as their age progresses. You can either purchase these books new or even find them at yard sales or library sales.

Books on tape are another great option and the whole family can enjoy the time spent listening to these. Make this an option that can be varied with family movie night.

Finally, set an example and spend time reading yourself.

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Teach Your Children About Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles

Healthy eating pyramid similar to that of the ... 

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Most, if not all, parents want their children to have and be the best. One part of this is making sure that children learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, including nutrition so they can have a good quality of life as the grow to be adults.

Parents should act as role models to provide the skills and information to maintain a health lifestyle and habits. Here are a few ways parents can help guide their children to good nutrition and health.

Make sure you know each family members caloric requirements. These requirements vary according to height, weight, age, activity level and gender. You can consult your family physician for this information concerning your entire family.

Make sure that each family member maintains a healthy weight. If the parents are overweight, it is more likely that their children will be as well.

Be a good example to your children. Eat healthy foods in proper proportions, and don’t overeat. Try to maintain a regular schedule of meal times. If your child sees you doing these things, they are more likely to maintain them.

Let your children help with meal planning. Let them have some input on meal choices and let them shop for groceries with you. In addition, let them help cook the meals. These are habits and processes that can help your child learn good nutrition habits.

Teach your children the importance of reading labels. You should do this while grocery shopping with your child. Include information about portion size, how to determine the calorie count. In addition, teach them about fat, cholesterol and sodium content in their foods.

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The Importance of Sports to Child Development

For many children, excelling academically may be more difficult. However, that same child may shine on the sports field. Both academic and sports achievement are important to child development, so it is necessary to strive to strike a balance between them. You can do this by using sports allegories and examples when helping your child with school or giving homework help.

For example, when working with math, you can help your child figure out a problem by having him or her pretend to figure out how many sets of Nike athletic clothing needed for his or her athletic team. For more complex math problems, you can show how learning a specific concept will help him or her be able to determine how he or she can improve sports performance.

All this leads up to another important factor in child development—that of receiving the proper attention from one’s parents. It has been proven that children whose parents are involved in their lives tend to be more successful and less apt to get into trouble.

As a reward for trying as hard as possible, you can allow your child to purchase Nike athletic clothing to wear while playing a favorite sport. When approached properly, this will not appear to be a bribe (which it isn’t); rather, it will act as an incentive for your child to try harder.

You can learn more parenting tips, including where to find the best bargains on Nike athletic clothing online or by talking with other parents. Remember, though, buying your child the latest and best clothing does not take the place of spending time with him or her.

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