Parenting Tips for Teen Relationships

September 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Dating and building relationships is part of growing up. Remember your teen years and remember how you felt about your first crushes and dates? That’s what your teen is going through right now. You need to be available to your teen and be willing to help them if they need it.

When should your teen start dating?

It should be when you think they are mature enough to do so. As a parent, it’s your job to be the judge. Think back to how old you were and talk to your teen about your experiences. Just because they are 13 and have a crush doesn’t mean that they are mature enough to date.

It’s your call. When they start talking about their crushes or caring about how they look, they are probably maturing. Communicating with your teen can keep them talking and keep you aware of how they are feeling.

Online Dating for Teens

If your teen wants to do online dating, make sure that you stress the importance of safety. Safety online requires common sense, so teach your teen about the importance of being anonymous online.

Have your teen sign up for a Skype account before they get an online profile. Phone numbers can be traced to an address, but Skype can be completely anonymous. As you read about Parship Ireland dating websites—which are hugely popular for online dating in Europe—you’ll see that their teen users remain anonymous with Skype voice chat.

If your teen ever wants to meet with someone offline, make sure that they do it in a crowded place and that they will have lots of friends with them—or even you! Discouraging in-person meet ups from online dating might cause your teen to do it secretly—which is very dangerous.

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When you Toddler has a Temper Tantrum

June 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Example of an American grocery store aisle.

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She’s at it again. You’re in the grocery store and she wants that bag of M&Ms in the worst way. She is screeching and kicking her legs on the floor. People are looking at you. Should you pick her up and give her the candy? Leave her there kicking and screaming? What?

  • Agree to disagree. Tell your child you understand that she wants the candy and she is sad about it. She will probably calm down enough where you can discuss the problem.
  • Discuss appropriate behavior at the store before you arrive. Practice being nice to mommy and asking for things without crying for them.
  • Letting your child know that he has been good on a particular visit and that you are happy to take him to the store because of that builds confidence where candy doesn’t.
  • Move your child from the area and stand by him silently until the screaming ends. Yes, you will get some looks, but don’t be bothered by them. Be calm.
  • Make sure your child is fed before going grocery shopping. Make sure he is not tired. Being hungry and sleepy are the two most common reasons children have temper-tantrums.
  • Realize that temper tantrums usually occur when a child is trying to get what they want. Giving in to their wants is rarely the solution to an escalating problem.

Temper tantrums in children end quickly when we don’t get angry and we acknowledge the feelings of our child instead of trying to quiet them through yelling or force.

 

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Safety Tips for Dressing Up Your Pet

June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Dressing up your pet can be an exciting experience full of laughter and pictures. But you do want to ensure that you are safe, so as to not harm your pet through the experience.

Some women try to squeeze themselves into pants that are tighter than tight. Internally, who knows what damage is going on? But you certainly don’t want to squish your pet in the same way. Look for pet costumes that fit your pet with precision.

Since many shopping trips for dressing up a pet occur without them, it is wise to take your pet’s measurements to ensure that you are looking at costumes that will fit your pet comfortably. If zippers or Velcro come too close to your animal, it is likely that hair or even skin can get stuck to the costume, making dressing your pet a little uncomfortable. If you are shopping online for costumes, you also want to have specific measurements to ensure fit.

When dressing your pet, you want to make sure your pet is calm and not in a rambunctious mood, as they could easily hurt themselves as you dress them. You might want to find costumes that are easier to slip on if your pet is active or doesn’t enjoy being dressed. Get them comfortable in simple costumes before attempting something more close-fitting or a costume that has more substance.

Consider costumes parts. You don’t want your pet chewing on pieces of the costume that could potentially harm them. If your pet is a chewer, steer away from any excess fabric or pieces that dangle. Keep your pet safe.

Filed Under: Parenting, Young Children

Body Changes during Pregnancy

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are many changes that women’s bodies grow through during pregnancy. You might be aware of the normal change in size and appearance that the woman experiences, but there are also other internal changes, some unexpected.

  • Morning sickness can occur early in the pregnancy calendar. Nausea and vomiting in the morning can often be relieved by eating toast or dry crackers. However, it is possible to experience this throughout the day as well.
  • A woman might also experience indigestion and heartburn. This can occur as hormones and the growing baby apply pressure, causing problems with digestion. Constipation is also a problem that can develop within a pregnant mother. This can lead to a woman developing hemorrhoids due to the increased constipation, the growth of the uterus, and pressure being placed on the intestines and rectum.
  • As the stages of pregnancy continue, women can feel an increased need to urinate. The growing baby will need more room, so the bladder will be able to hold a decreased amount of urine. The pregnant mother will also need to go to the bathroom more as the weight of the baby presses on the bladder.
  • In some instances, a woman can experience swollen hands and feet. She may feel tired during the course of the pregnancy. This is due to the nutritional demands and hormonal changes that the pregnancy is placing on her body. She might even have difficulty breathing and not be able to walk as fast as she used to. This can be true during the later stages of her pregnancy.

Women’s bodies go through many normal changes during pregnancy. Knowing what to expect makes these changes manageable.

 

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Helping an Adopted Child Feel Part of the Family

June 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
father and adopted children

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The decision to adopt a baby or child has been made, and the rest of your family is anxious for the new addition. But what can you do to make sure the newcomer feels at home without jeopardizing the relationships you’ve already developed with the rest of your family?

These ideas should help:

  • Consider everyone’s feelings. When you spend one-on-one time with the adopted child, make sure your other family members know that you want to bond with the new child like you’ve bonded with them. Make sure you continue to spend one-on-one time with all of your children.
  • Allow the adopted child some room to be alone. It’s alright if they need to cry sometimes. It’s okay for them to have some time to themselves.
  • Tell your children you love them; don’t just assume that they know you do. With the new family member comes some special attention, don’t let your family forget that you love them too.
  • Spend time as a family getting to know the new member. Let him/her feel that you’re all together in the adoption.
  • Let your new child take part in the decorating of his/her room. If you’re receiving a baby, think about the age of the infant and choose appropriate colors for the room.
  • Keep positive. There will be some painful adjustments, but change is rarely as smooth as your favorite dairy dessert. When hard times come, discuss the problem early on, and decide as a family how everyone can do better next time. It might even be a good idea to set down some guidelines right before the newcomer arrives.

 

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Positive Discipline Techniques

June 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Discipline. It may not seem important to your children, but it’s definitely important to you. Along with values, boundaries and good old fashioned politeness, discipline is one of those things a parent simply can’t do without.

But how do you discipline without harshness? And what techniques will bring about the best and most positive responses from your children?

You may have heard the statement, “Parenting with love,” and although the idea sounds good in theory, it’s simply hard for you to do it in practice. That’s because when a parent has to discipline, their son or daughter has done something less than positive and their response merely follows suit of the child’s behavior.

For this reason, therapists and others suggest that parents take a breather before disciplining their child. Counting 1-10 silently or leaving the room for a moment to think over how they are going to speak to their child helps. So does trying to see the situation from their child’s eyes. Playing with smeared applesauce on the kitchen table may look like a mess to an adult, but to a two-year-old, it’s more like a painting—and it feels funny and sticky on their hands!

Time-outs work well for some children who have a time-out chair they sit on when they’ve misbehaved. The time-out corresponds to the age of the child—three minutes for a three-year-old, four minutes for a four-year-old, etc. Before moving from time-out the child and parent have a little talk about the unwanted behavior, and the parent gives the child a hug.

Remember, toning your voice down contributes a lot to the response of your child and how easily he/she takes the discipline.

 

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Managing the Family Budget

June 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What happens when you have trouble managing the family budget? Indeed, it can become difficult to cover monthly expenses from time to time. This can become compounded when unexpected expenses arise, from your car to your home. Tips to help make ends meet can hopefully give you some wiggle room in such scenarios.

You should first look at your budget in these types of cases. Even if it won’t help you this month, perhaps you can increase your “emergency cash account” to safeguard yourself next time. You also might be able to tighten up on casual expenses, in order to gain ground with regard to the situation.

It might be worthwhile to consider payday loans. These are short-term solutions that can, perhaps, help you when times get rough. You would do well to take time to find the right payday loan, which can help you save money.

More generally, you should strive to ensure such situations don’t happen, or at least are minimized. For some, this is not necessarily easy to grasp, but it can be done. Don’t hesitate to keep close tabs on the family budget. Most importantly, keep your budget current and don’t be afraid to update it.

From tough situations to those that are ideal, the common denominator is the budget. This is the most effective tool for staying on top of the family’s finances. When times get rough, or you have the opportunity to save and give money, consult the budget to consult for the short and long-term.

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