Parenting Troubled Teens

An Understanding About Child Development Stages

May 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

What child development stage is your child in? And what can you expect from that stage? Realistic expectations of your child in a particular stage will not only relieve your mind but will allow you to further develop your child within the specific area.

Here’s what to expect:

1. In the Sensorimotor Stage (0-24 months) expect that your child will only be thinking of him/herself. Your child is at the center of the universe and they will be interested in exploring objects and what they do. Think color, shape, and sound when you consider toys for your baby.

2. At the Preoperational Stage (2-7 years) you’re growing child will be surprised to learn that cars really don’t have brains and that they can’t think for themselves or feel bad if they get hurt. The way your child thinks is the way everyone else thinks; the way they play is the way everyone else plays, etc. Consider playing up imagination; give your child opportunities to draw and color. Give them opportunities to learn through variation in play.

3. Between (7-11 years) you’re pre-teen is at the Concrete Operational Stage. This means he/she is interested is shifting into adult thought and action. Interest from self is directed to others. Service is “key” during this stage. Helping someone out will be fun for your child.

4. At the Formal Operational Stage (11-15 years) reasoning increases; including the ability to reason without comparing his/her reasoning to something happening in the world. Questions asked can bring up fantastic, thought provoking answers. Make writing, reading and discussion important.

Advantages of Prepaid Cell Phones for Teens

May 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image by Nemo’s great uncle via Flickr

As soon as your child is old enough to talk, it feels like they want a cell phone. If your child is a teenager, then getting them a cell phone might be a real discussion you have to have. While you want your child to have some luxuries and a sense of independence, you are also thinking that you don’t want to put too much technology into their hands. You are afraid of high phone bills, endless texting, and more. That’s why a prepaid cell phone make absolute sense.

The market of prepaid cell phones is growing daily and is the perfect solution for the teen phone dilemma. Every parent who has their kid on a family plan worries constantly about overages. It’s a dangerous game. Having a prepaid phone means that the kid, whether they are a text-and-talk fiend or not, is not going to run over their allotted minutes. Once they have spent their max, their phone ceases to be active. It will take buying more minutes to make it work.

This can also teach your teen the value of money. By making them purchase the minutes themselves, they will understand just how expense their endless talk and text can be and just how hard you have to work to buy those minutes. Teens don’t often understand just how much of a privilege a cell phone is. A prepaid phone could teach them. Thinking outside the box about your teen’s cell phone will save you money. You can have less aggravation and more control by going prepaid.

Filed Under: Teen Development Tagged With: Adolescence, Mobile phone, Prepaid

How to Keep your Two-Year-Old Entertained

May 5, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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The terrible twos; you’ve heard of the phrase, heck, you’re living it. A temper tantrum at the drop of a hat, clean (now dirty) pots and pans all over the floor, toys strewn to the bedroom and back.

Is your two-year-old bored, or what?

The truth is two-year-olds love to explore. Everything is new and exciting, and they want to experience everything! What they don’t realize, can’t realize yet is that in the process of being creative they are making one grand mess. So what can you do?

Consider making the basement the playroom. Or limit the toys that can be brought into the main living areas. A book is usually an okay thing to drag into a living room but not a container of large Lego’s.
Spend some one-on-one time playing with your child each day. Show them how much fun it can be to play in the bedroom or other play area.
Help your two-year-old pick up. After they play with one toy, show them how to pick it up before they play with another.
Get out more. When the weather is nice, go to the park or other child friendly place and spend a few hours away from home.

No, your home will never be as clean as it used to be before you had a child, and things will often be scattered throughout your place whether you want them to be or not. Two-year-olds might be messy, but they are lovable, fun—and cute—something that (fortunately) tops all other ills on the planet.

Filed Under: Teen Development Tagged With: Lego, Playground, Tantrum, Toy

When Your Child Wants What Everyone Else Has

April 28, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

At some point in your parenting experience, you’re going to come up against the dreaded words, “Mom, you have to buy me this pair of jeans (or this shirt or these shoes) because everybody is wearing this now.” When this happens, and, again it will happen, what are you going to do?

Why, you’re going to do exactly what every other parent in your position has done. You’re going to march right back into your room, pull up your favorite online resources, and reread the articles about how to handle this situation. Then, you’re going to march right back out there to your child and say the words he dreads to hear: “Let’s talk about this.”

When you do talk to your child about why it’s so important to have a specific type of clothing, find out what he really thinks about it. For example, he may really like the way the fabric feels and how well the clothing fits. If this is the case, he may be surprised to find that LRG clothing is the perfect solution.

You’ll like knowing that LRG clothing isn’t all that expensive. You’ll also appreciate the fact that there are clothing items for very casual wear, for recreational use such as snow skiing and water activities, as well as woven shirts which look neat and will go well with both jeans and more dressy pants.

You never know, your child might be the one to start the next trend. Before you know it, everyone will be asking him where he got his LRG clothing, and you’ll be the coolest mom ever!

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Mommy/Online Resources/How to/Tips and Advice/All ages

Get your Child to Clean their Room

April 27, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Getting your child to do their chores is no small feat, especially when it comes to cleaning their room. How do you keep it clean? And more important, how do you get your child to clean it without a screaming fit?

One of the problems children face in cleaning their room is the magnitude of the mess. They just can’t see past the mountain of laundry and the scattered toys. The task seems overwhelming. Make the job easier for them by not allowing the mess to accumulate. If they clean their room once a day—at night before they go to sleep—the new day will dawn with a cleaner room and a happier mom.

Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gemsling/278243753/lightbox/

Teach your child the ropes of cleaning a room. Go through the steps to a clean room such as: 1. Make your bed. 2. Pick up your toys. 3. Clean up your books, etc. Show your child how to make their bed, how to pick up their toys, how to clean up their books. Make a chart that can be hung on the wall for reference. Parentsresource.org can help you.

Reward positive behavior with things other than money. A trip to the library or park will usually do the trick.

Play music while your child cleans. Make sure the music is upbeat and fun.

Making the experience of cleaning more enjoyable and less like work, will usually appease your child’s desire not to lift a finger, but if cleaning for your child is still an issue, try rotating the ideas mentioned above until you find one that works for both of you.

Filed Under: Communication Tagged With: Cleanliness, Cleanroom, Toy

Furniture Shopping Tips for Parents on a Budget

April 25, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Budgeting is an unfortunate concept. Each day becomes an exercise in saving as you tighten your spending and plan out how your budget needs to be plan. You — like so many parents — must spare every penny.

And this makes shopping for furniture a challenge.

Trying to create a look worthy of Atlanta apartments (without spending an excess of dollars) is no easy task. It can be accomplished, though, if these suggestions are noted:

Classic Styles

Trends are meant to appeal: they move through the seasons, tempting with their patterns and designs. Such designs can fade shockingly fast, however, and the consequence is disaster. It’s imperative that parents seeking to furnish their Atlanta apartments avoid the momentary. Choose styles that aren’t defined by a specific theme (leave those instead to wall colors and minor decorations).

Durable Materials

Accidents are all too frequent in homes filled with children, pets and harried parents. This means that you’re guaranteed to have stains and lots of wear and tear. Be sure to select items that are durable. All pieces should be able to withstand the years — rather than being shaped from too delicate materials that have to be replaced again and again. Consider wood frames and easy to clean fabrics.

Secondhand Relief

When it comes to finding the right furniture for you, remember to set a budget beforehand. As you begin your search, remember that you don’t have to buy furniture new. Choose instead to search through consignment stores, yard sales, online classifieds, and thrift shops. The prices will be considerably less.

Use these tips to have a look that is worthy of your style and your wallet.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Atlanta, Budget, Furniture

Are you a bad parent?

April 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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Every parent would like to believe that they are doing their very best for their child. However, sometimes, even you best isn’t enough. A child deserved good nutrition, education, a safe environment and a morally sound upbringing among other things. Even though you may not excess at all these things, this doesn’t imply that you are a bad parent!

However, there is a certain kind of behavior that is completely against the tenets of good parenting. Here are some things you should absolutely avoid in order to be a good parent:

Physically abusing your child is a criminal offence. While parents do ‘spank’ there children to discipline them, this should never be with such intensity that it causes unbearable pain or trauma.
Never use foul language against your children. Verbally abusing them can have a bad psychological affect on the child, not to mention that you will be setting a poor model to follow!
Don’t ever reprimand your kids in front of others as this causes humiliation that can lead them to lose their self-esteem.
Don’t complain about your child to others, especially when the child is around as this also causes a lot of embarrassment to the child is not constructive in any way.
Comparison with other children is not a great way to encourage your child to behave better, it will only make them feel unloved and degraded.
Never fight with your spouse or anyone else in front of your children as this sets a bad precedent. It is important for children to believe their parents love each other.
If your kids see you lying, they will do it too!

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Divorce, Family, Parent

High School Students Enrolling in College Classes

April 18, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The practice of high school students enrolling in college classes is becoming more popular, as competition for the best jobs continues to rise. Students know that the sooner they can finish their college education and start choosing their chosen career, the better off they will be.

But, what does this mean for parents? While it may be a good idea, it may also raise many more questions. For example, how can the student maintain a good balance between earning a high school and part of a college education and being part of the family? How can parents handle the transportation issues that may arise from attending high school on one campus and college somewhere else in the area?

The answers to these questions and more can be found at elearners.com. This website provides information on colleges and universities, both online and traditional, as well as tips and advice on how to provide a proper balance between home life and two different kinds of education.

For many high school students, online college courses may be a good option. This not only takes care of transportation issues, because much of the studying is done at home, but also may be more financially practical. And, if a student is at home rather than on a college campus, it can be easier to arrange family time and events around the student’s class schedules.

Using elearners.com to find information on online college courses as well as other parenting advice can make having a high school student who is also a college student much easier. Basic courses can be taken online, leaving the student’s college schedule free for taking those classes that are specific to their major or chosen field.

Filed Under: Teen Development Tagged With: Distance education, High school, Higher education

The Budgeting Needs: Tips for new Parents

April 17, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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Obligations and demands, tallies and expenses: you’re defined to dollars and their limitations. The days are far too long; the costs are far too many; and a life bound by minimum wages seems destined to fail.

Such failure seems even more imminent when a child must then be considered.

Parents often find themselves undone by the arrival of a newborn. Concessions must be made; schedules must be changed; and money… remains tragically scarce. Trying to gain value from pennies seems impossible.

It’s not, however. A budget must simply be established.

New mothers and fathers must understand the importance of saving. Every dollar must be tucked away, allowed to gather interest and remain secure within the bank (where they can wait for any possible emergency). Siphoning away coins can prove to be difficult, though — unless a budget is in place.

First study all monthly expenses. Understand all costs and determine which can be avoided. A simple examination of bills will often reveal the potential for saving, enabling you to find spending errors. Divide all totals into needs and indulgences, and be willing to remove items you simply don’t require.

Create a limited budget then. Chart out only what is essential and calculate the cost for the month. See the difference in savings and be aware of what can then be placed into the bank (or possibly given to reducing any debts).

Be certain to include any expenses a newborn may generate. Don’t assume each week will be the same. Changes in purchasing will instead be made.

Choose to form a budget; see immediate results; gain security for you and your family.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Budget, Expense, Saving

The Importance of Children’s Literacy

April 17, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Those who are truly interested in helping their children reach their fullest potential in life need to start the minute their kids are born. Actually, you can begin before your children are born. “Great”, you say, but what do you do? You focus on raising literate children. Obviously, to do this you have to actually read to your little ones. Studies have shown that unborn babies have the ability to hear their mother’s voices while still in the womb, which means that reading to unborn babies will not only create a stronger bond between mother and child, but will also improve the chances of raising literate children.

Sadly, there are many children whose families can’t afford reading materials for them. However, there are many ways in which you can help promote children’s literacy. You can do this by donating to charities that give new books to underprivileged children such as First Book and Lima Junior Service League. You and your children can directly make a difference by donating books that your family no longer reads. If you are looking for something unique to do, donate a car with Kars 4 Kids to help with child literacy expenses.

Reading to young children helps them develop their language and comprehension skills as they’re constantly being exposed to new words. Children who have parents who read to them on a regular basis have been shown to do better academically in school than those who didn’t receive this. Playing reading games with your kids or rewarding them for every book they read are great ways to encourage your children to continue reading.

Filed Under: Teen Development Tagged With: Child, First Book, Literacy

An Understanding About Child Development Stages

Advantages of Prepaid Cell Phones for Teens

How to Keep your Two-Year-Old Entertained

When Your Child Wants What Everyone Else Has

Get your Child to Clean their Room

Furniture Shopping Tips for Parents on a Budget

Classic Styles

Durable Materials

Secondhand Relief

Are you a bad parent?

High School Students Enrolling in College Classes

The Budgeting Needs: Tips for new Parents

The Importance of Children’s Literacy

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