Parent

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.

Filed Under: News & Issues Tagged With: Parent, Parenting styles, University of Washington

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.

Filed Under: Parenting Roles Tagged With: Helicopter parent, Parent, Student

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.

Filed Under: Support & Resources Tagged With: Child, Cyber-bullying, Parent

Teach Your Children About Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles

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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.

Filed Under: Parenting Roles Tagged With: Health, Nutrition, Parent

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.

Filed Under: Child Rights Tagged With: Child development, Parent, Sport

Your Child’s First Day Of School

When your child begins school things begin to change. Your child isn’t home all the time anymore and you may not get to spend as much time with them. School is very important to your child’s education and development. There is a lot you can do to help your child prepare for the first day of school.

Preparing for the first day of school requires a lot of shopping. Your child may need new clothes and school supplies. The school will probably send you a list of supplies they will need such as pencils, crayons, notebooks, backpack, etc. Try to budget your money so you can buy them all their essentials.

Talk to your child about school to help them get ready. Tell them about what to expect and help them get excited for it. There may be days where your child can go meet their teacher before school actually starts and you may want to take them to meet them so they are not so nervous the first day of school.

Help them get ready before school. Wake them up with adequate time and follow a procedure that they will eventually learn by themselves such as waking up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, or whatever schedule you would like them to follow.

To help them be less nervous, you may want to accompany them to school the first day instead of making them ride the bus. Drive them to school and take them to their classroom if the school allows you to. Your child will be less nervous if you help them the first day. After a few days they should get into the routine and know what to do.

Filed Under: Support & Resources Tagged With: Child, Education, Parent

Helping Your Child Move Out

Inevitable and terrifying, your child is going to move out some day. It may either scare or excite you. Either way, your child is going to eventually leave and make a life of their own. As a mother, there is a lot that you can do to help your child move out including helping them find somewhere to live, helping with the first month’s rent, and packing boxes.
You can help them find a place to live by researching apartments or houses and going with your child to look at them if they would like for you to come along. If you go along with them, you can help them decide on places to live and give them tips about the quality of the apartment and the price. Try to be as supportive as you can and give tips based on what would be best for them.
You can help by contributing some money to their first month’s rent just to get them started. If you decide to do this, make it clear that you won’t help every month so that they aren’t completely relying on you. If you can help out with some, it will help them to get started before they actually begin living on their own.
Assisting in moving their possessions will also be very helpful to them. You can help them pack and decide what to take and what not to take. It will be very helpful to them if you can help pack and move boxes. You can also help them unpack when you arrive at their new residence.
There is a lot that you can do to help your child move. It is scary, but it is going to happen eventually. The best way for the two of you to deal with the fear of your child moving out is if you can do it calmly and together.

Filed Under: Support & Resources Tagged With: Apartment, Home, Parent

Hosting Your Child’s Sleepover

For the 18 years or so that your child lives with you, you are bound to host a sleepover or two. Your child will usually leave you responsible for getting everything ready. There are different types of sleepovers that require a different amount of preparation. Here are some tips to help your child with their sleepover.

If the sleepover is part of a party such as a birthday party, you want to get everything ready for the party as well as the sleepover. Make sure you get all the decorations (if you want them) and party food that you will need. Take enough time to go shopping beforehand so that you are well prepared for the party.

Any sleepover requires dinner, unless the guests don’t arrive until well after dinner. Plan an easy meal that will feed all your guests. Pizza is probably your best bet because it is cheap, easy, and your guests usually like it. Chips and soda are also traditional at sleepovers. If it is just one friend staying the night, you can simply cook whatever you usually do.

Clean the house before your child’s friends arrive. The least you can do is tidy up. Your child may be embarrassed if the house is not clean when their friends come over. This is something that you can also get your child to do that you don’t have to do on your own. If your child really wants their sleepover, they will be more willing to clean if it’s required before they can have their sleepover.

Ask your child about what they plan to do at their sleepover for entertainment. If they want to play games or watch movies, ask them if there is anything you can pick up for them. There may be a movie or two that they want to rent that you can pick up while running errands.

Filed Under: Parenting Roles Tagged With: Home, Parent, Sleepover

Your Child Is Headed To College

You can avoid the inevitable. As much as you don’t want it to happen, your child is going to grow up and move out. One moment you are staring into the eyes of your newborn child, and the next, you’re sending them away to college. It’s frightening as a parent to watch your child leave, but it’s just as terrifying to your child to actually leave you. When you’re child is going away to college, as scary as it is, there are plenty of things you can do to help.

Be as supportive as you can, encouraging them and helping them out. This will help your child feel more comfortable about being on their own and even help you be reassured yourself. Don’t tell them about how upset you are that they are leaving because it might scare them away from their chance at a higher education.

Help out with expenses. There are a lot of things your child is going to need in their dorm room such as towels, toiletries, bedding, and possibly a mini fridge, microwave, laptop, etc. You don’t have to buy everything for your child, but if you could take them shopping for towels and bedding, it will help them out a lot. You may even want to give them a little extra cash in case they need it for food or other expenses.

Once they’re at college, it’s okay to talk to them every now and then. You may call them, email them, or send letters. Some parents tend to contact their child a lot. Try not to call them every day. They have classes and are having fun and may feel too pressured already. If you have to call them, try keeping the conversations short unless they’re the one that keeps talking. Your child needs their freedom and probably doesn’t want their parents checking up on them every day.

Filed Under: Parenting Roles Tagged With: Dormitory, Parent

The ‘I Hate You’ Stage

Your child is finally at that age you’ve been dreading since the moment they were born— the “I hate you Mom” stage. This usually begins around the time they are 14 and continues on and off, or occasionally constantly, throughout their teenage life. This is a scary time in not only your life, but your child’s life as well. What can you do to help them?
You have to be the parent, but give them their freedom. They may think that they are now in charge of their own life, but you are still their parent and you need to do what you think is right. They will think that you are being unfair, but you have to protect your child. The point is, just because they say they hate you and rebel, doesn’t mean you should give up and let them do whatever they want. They may be mad at you now, but they will thank you later.
As much power as you still have over their activities, you need to let them have their freedom. If they want to go somewhere or do something and you trust the situation, they why not let them go have fun? Don’t isolate them from the rest of the world. Even when certain situations seem bad, you need to learn to trust your child, or they will just rebel against you. If they are asking for your permission to do something, talk to them about it until you can trust that they are telling the truth. You need to let them have fun and they will appreciate this from you.
Talk to your child often, but don’t embarrass them, especially not in public. The more you talk to your child, the more they will trust you, but don’t over do it. Let them sit in their room alone when they want, but talk to them so they know you care. As much as they say they don’t, they really want you to care. Try your best to not embarrass them or they will remember it forever.

Filed Under: News & Issues Tagged With: Child, Parent