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Sunday, 24 August 2008 00:01 |
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Being a parent is one of the most important jobs anyone can
have. It takes a lot of work and determination to be a loving
and supportive parent to any child. There are a few things that
you can do to become a better parent and produce happier and
healthier children. Some of the following tips will help you
through some very tough situations with any child.
The one thing to remember is that all parents get frustrated.
Children can take a lot of time and energy. Parenting is so hard
when you have problems in your life like worrying about your
job, your bills or problems with your relationships. It is even
worse when there are problems like drugs or alcohol. Being a
good parent depends on taking care of you even if it means
getting help with certain problems.
It is always good to take a break when you are frustrated.
Everyone needs to take a break from being a parent occasionally.
If you have someone else in your family that can help out, take
turns getting away from it for a while. Take turns with your
spouse or other family members with things like sleeping late on
weekends, or running errands.
There is not just one way to be a good parent. There is no such
thing as a perfect parent or a perfect child for that matter.
You should show your love to your children. Tell them how you
feel and that they are special to you. That is the most
important part of being a good parent.
Make sure that you listen when your children are talking. Tell
them that they are important and that you are interested in what
they are saying. Another part of being a good parent is to make
your child feel safe. Comfort them when they are scared. Do not
say things to scare them or let them in on family troubles. This
could only frighten them and make them worry.
Good parenting also requires you to praise your children. When
your children learn something new or achieve certain goals, you
should tell them how proud you are of them. When your child
makes a mistake, you should never say they were bad. Being a
good parent means that you should explain what they did and why
it was wrong.
Be consistent with your child and keep your rules clear to them.
If you have more than one child, treat them equally and do not
favor one child over another. Being a good parent means all of
the above and so much more. Take your time and enjoy each moment
that you have with your child.
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Saturday, 23 August 2008 17:00 |
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Maturing from a teen into a young adult is a period of intense
exploration of your individual beliefs and goals in life. For
many teens, it is a time of excitement yet turmoil; everything
is rapidly changing around you and you struggle to keep your
feet on the ground. Surviving your teen years is possible with
perseverance and a positive outlook on life.
High school is a critical period in which you are establishing
patterns now that will dictate how you will deal with life
planning. It is very important to the success of your future
goals to set up habits such as, effective time management and
organizational skills, that will keep you from losing sight of
your goals.
Even if you haven"t identified any goals yet, cultivating great
habits early on will assist you when you finally have decided
upon your aspirations.
High school should be viewed as a training ground for real life.
Treat assignments and obligations as an actual job (even though
you won"t be getting paid!) by meeting deadlines and keeping
your promises. You will find yourself experiencing great
satisfaction from completing tasks that are required and you
will also be viewed as dependable and responsible by adults in
your life - future employers love these qualities.
Keep in mind that everything you do while in high school affects
your future. If you fail to maintain satisfactory grades, you
probably won"t be accepted into that top-notch training program
you were eyeing. Or, if you neglected to learn some of the
material from high school, you risk having to relearn that
information further down the line when you need it to maintain a
job.
Your actions have consequences; however, you can determine if
the consequences will have a negative or positive effect on the
quality of your life by being conscious of the decisions you
make. Find an adult that you admire and use that person as a
mentor for valuable advice and positive feedback.
No one is advocating a boring life that is void of fun and
games. You should certainly be enjoying the opportunities to
experience life with peers because these experiences can also
teach you important lessons about yourself and life. The most
critical thing to remember is that you must aim for a balance
between getting the most out of your education while making time
to have a little fun. Isn"t your future worth it?
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Friday, 22 August 2008 03:01 |
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If you find that you are repeating the same things repeatedly to
your children about house hold chores, then there are a few
things that you can do. There is no reason to get upset and
angry with your children when the do not want to do chores. Here
are a few parenting tips that you can learn to get your child to
do chores.
You can change the pattern in your life and it is never too
late. Use simple steps each time you ask your child to do
something. They will just take a little bit more time and lots
of attention at the first request but you will save time and
frustration when you are done. With some practice, this will
become a habit. You will see that this is less frustrating and
you will not be so angry or stressed out when you ask your child
to do something. You will see that you will get respect from
your child with a few parenting tips to follow.
The first thing that you want to do is decide in your own mind
what you want your child to do and give them a time frame to
complete it in. You will need to get their attention, which
means that you need to make eye contact at least. Do not yell a
chore from another room. If you are busy, stop what you are
doing and ask the child to do the chore face to face.
Good parenting advice is to make sure that you tell the child
specifically what you want them to do. Watch to make sure they
start what you have asked them to do. After they do the
requested task, you should praise them for what they did. This
is very important. You must tell them how wonderful they did
each time.
Good parenting also requires you to ask the child why they have
not started the task if they do not do it when you ask. Do not
use a harsh voice, be calm and respectfull when you ask them
why.
If you have asked twice and the child still has not done what
you wanted, make everything stop. They cannot to do anything
else until they have completed what you ask of them. When the
child throws a fit put them in a time out as a first step in
settling the child. When they come out, tell them again what you
want and explain that there will be consequences if it
incomplete.
It is not easy to have good parenting skills and it will not
come at once. You have to be patient and understanding and it
will all work out in the end.
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Thursday, 21 August 2008 08:00 |
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As a new parent, one of your priorities will be to establish
good sleeping habits with your newborn. Your baby needs to learn
to sleep on his own; the transition from sleeping with his
mother to sleeping by himself takes some time. Of course, as add
added bonus, if you get your baby to learn to sleep on his own
you will also get some much needed rest yourself. To instill
good sleeping habits in your baby, research and try to employ
different baby sleep tips: try a lot of things and see what
works for you, and don"t be afraid to trust your instincts.
Many baby sleep tips center on the idea of establishing routines
and associations for your child between nighttime and sleep. The
sooner you child begins to associate bedtime with sleep, the
more likely he is to be able to go to sleep without a fuss. A
period that is often overlooked, however, in establishing day
vs. night associations, is the period of "transition" - that is,
the one between being awake and falling asleep. Here are some
transitioning techniques to try:
Try what is sometimes called "fathering down." Just before
placing the baby into bed, the father should cradle the baby in
such a way that the baby"s head rests on the father neck. The
father should then talk gently to the child. Because the male"s
voice is much deeper than the female"s, babies are often more
soothed by it, and will fall asleep more easily after being
exposed to it for some time.
You can also try what is sometimes referred to as "wearing
down." This is effective if your baby has been active throughout
the day and is too excited to go to bed easily. All you have to
do is place your baby in a sling or carrier - "wear him" in
other words - for about half an hour before his bedtime. Simply
go about your regular household activities: being close to a
parent and slowly rocked about before bedtime will provide your
child with an easier transition from being awake to being asleep.
Finally, if you"ve exhausted other options, you can go for the
tried and true method of "driving down." Most parents are
probably familiar with this as a last resort: place your baby in
the car and drive around for awhile until he falls asleep. This
one, while inconvenient, usually works every time, and if you
desperately need some sleep it can be a godsend.
Obviously, you don"t want to do things like drive around every
night to get your child to sleep. Nor do you want to have to
carry him around in a sling. The idea, though, is to start with
these more drastic techniques and then slowly ease out of them.
Keep in mind what a major transition your baby is going through
when he is tiny: he"s never slept on his own before. He simply
doesn"t know how to transition himself from being awake to being
asleep. By employing these transition techniques you will be
slowly teaching him how to do so, and as they are gradually
removed your baby will learn good sleeping habits, which will
ensure that both you and your child get a good night"s rest.
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