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Archive for the ‘Parenting’ Category

Many parents may not be aware of what it takes to be an intentional parent. Of course, parenting is an ongoing process that teaches parents new things each day and leaves much more that needs to be learnt before they become a good parent. With their busy schedules, it is hard enough for them to be a good parent and intentional parenting may seem quite daunting and unattainable at first.

Not Necessarily Perfect Parenting

Intentional parenting may not be perfect parenting; instead, it refers to a parent that has mentally determined that some action or result related to parenting need to be performed. In other words, the intentional parent is an “on purpose” parent. Parents often tend to react to their children rather than have a plan that they have prepared in advance. This is a tendency that parents readily acknowledge, but do little about.

Some reasons that contribute to intentional parenting being difficult to achieve are vision, know-how and accountability. Furthermore, the biggest obstacle to intentional parenting begins in the mind – there may not be enough time for contemplating what hangs in the balance. In other words, parents often fail to realize what can be gained and what is lost if they do not invest in their children through intentional parenting.

Lack of know-how is another challenge facing parents. Parents will often be at a loss to visualize what intentional parenting looks and feels like, and what it all about is. This means that parents’ lack a plan of action and it can be compared to driving in a foreign country without a map for guidance. To get over this shortcoming, parents need to read, research, and utilize resources to get started on the road to intentional parenting. It may even necessitate changing their strategy and approach towards the child.

After developing the vision and plan of action, there is still the task of implementing the intentional parenting concept. Being accountable is a good first step in this direction because when the parent deviates from the path of intentional parenting and may be slipping, accountability will enable the parent to get back on course and escape the mistake of falling out of habit.

With all these well meaning thoughts and ideas in place, it only remains to act with energy and time which, for busy parents, seems to be always in short supply. Nevertheless, with courage one can become a good parent. Every parent should be able to muster up enough courage and take the intentional parenting path, to achieve betterment of both child and parent.

Ann Marier
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/intentional-parenting-requires-courage-vision-and-accountability-116710.html

Parenting adolescents is a huge challenge but with communication, teenage parenting can be made easier for you and your child. One of the hardest things in parenting adolescents is communicating in the right way, and here are some ways that teenage parenting can be made a little less stressful:

Firstly, recognize opportunities to talk. Whether you’re driving your teen somewhere or sharing the washing up, you have a chance to talk. The pressure of ‘having to have a chat’ isn’t there and you may find that it is a time your teen can open up to you. One mistake that many people make in teenage parenting is to try and talk when it suits them and not when it suits their teen. If your son is in the middle of trying to beat a high score on his latest game, or your daughter is just leaving the house, they are not going to want to talk! So pick your time, even if you have to be a little creative about creating an opportunity – parenting adolescents isn’t just about authority, it’s about creativity too!

Secondly, think about what you say. Everybody knows teenagers who answer in words of one syllable, or who grunt responses. Don’t ask them yes or no questions or they will continue to do it. Ask them open ended questions like, ‘What happened at the football match?” You may still get a “nothing” or an “I don’t know” answer but at least it increases the chances of a longer reply and a continuing conversation. Don’t try and turn the conversation round to suit your needs. Parenting adolescents is hard enough without trying to create more problems. Bombarding them with demands, instructions, or questions you want answered, when they are actually talking to you about something else will make them feel unwanted and unimportant which will make teenage parenting even more difficult for you.

Lastly, think about how you react. Show your teen the same respect you would show other people. Give your full attention to the conversation, don’t try and multi-task and don’t veer off into talking about your day if they seem bored listening to it. You will probably be tempted to try and impose your views onto your teen at some time, but give your child space and support to formulate their own ideas about the world – they will become a much stronger person for doing so. Parenting adolescents can be very hard when they do rebel against the ‘family ideals’ and it is likely to happen to some extent at some point. However, if you do hear something you don’t like, don’t jump to conclusions and assume the worst. Take a deep breath and say you will talk about it later if you feel you are going to react in an angry way. Teenage parenting is stressful enough, without knee-jerk reactions making things worse.

It is difficult to remember that our parents had the same problems parenting adolescents as we do today, but they did. If you manage to communicate with your teenager you are doing really well. Try and think about ways you can talk to your teenager – are there activities you can do together? Think about what you say to them – try and see things through their eyes. Think about how you react – keep calm. Bear these three things in mind and teenage parenting may just get a little less fraught.

Kinjal Shah

Raising children as a single mother is a challenge. There are moments when you find that your life is in complete disarray and your house is in complete chaos. This is the time when you feel that you lack essential parenting tips as a single mother. It is better to have such arsenal at your disposal before you land in such a situation.

There are numerous ways to deal with various age groups. Confronting strategies for toddlers differ with those for teenagers. Your 16 year old boy is likely to make fun of you if he is told to spend some time in a thinking chair as he is being obstinate, stubborn and aggressive. On the other hand a few minutes time out will do wonders while tackling a 4 year old. So to be successful as a single mother you should have a set of parenting tips for each group.

Material regarding good parenting skills is widely available. A number of genuine and self proclaimed specialists are also around. A list of websites, books and other means in this aspect would probably require paragraphs. To make your life easy I would mention a few here. You can start with a library or a book shop. Single moms bringing up toddlers and smaller children will really benefit from the Parents Magazine. Unfortunately the major content in Parents Magazine is aimed at married parents. Among the various books available, you should go through at least a couple of them. Those who like Dr. Fan will recommend you his books. Dr. Terry Brazelton is an authority on child behavior. He is a father as well as a pediatrician. Even though a number of his books may be out of date, the attitude of babies and other children has remained the same since long. Last of all “The Well Trained Mind” is a good choice for those who want to train their children early.

A number of websites and organizations are available to assist single mothers with parenting tips. A renowned group is Parents without partners. They provide a wide range of information for single mothers. In the UK similar information is available on gingerbread. Early Start and Head Start Programs deliver the same services in the USA. You may not be eligible for their preschool assistance, but you can participate in courses and seminars which they conduct on positive parenting. Last of all you can look for topics like single parenting and single mothers through any search engine on the internet and get the required information. So if you are a single mother in search of parenting tips now you know where and how to get the required information.

If you require some parenting tips just now I can give you a few basics. As an adult you should be in control. Keep yourself composed all the time. This may not be easy, particularly when you find green finger paint all over your kitchen. The moment you become angry and irritable, you lose your composure. Such a situation may make your little child scared. To be successful always be composed and exercise control over your voice and actions.

Jennifer A. Gardner

The existing era of human being is deprived of so many priceless values and arts of living. The knack of parenting is no exception; in fact, it tops the list. In this age and time, the art of parenting is taken for granted by all parents. They believe themselves to be born perfect parents and start acting as if they were well versed in the art of parenting. But in the long run, they turn out to be unsuccessful and precarious parents for their progeny unknowingly. As a matter of fact, parenting is no kids’ stuff. It is an arduous act of art. Parenting is like preparing or nurturing a brand new generation.

Pragmatically speaking, food determines one’s mood and parenting decides the propensity of a progeny. Therefore, a failure in rearing and caring a child can cause so many disorders in a child. If parenting is aggressive in nature, it can even paralyze a child on physical, mental and spiritual levels. There are so many parenting styles to rear and care a child and each style has a different type of demand and responsiveness, and the resulting child is different for each style. According to a pediatrician from Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, aggressive parenting style may be the cause or effect of sleep disorders in young children.

A study was conducted by the Harriet Hiscock in which he analyzed data from 4600 families in order to find out the impact of the parenting styles on the sleep behavior of children between the ages of one and three.

As per the finding of the study, “children were nearly twice as likely to have sleep disorders that continued through the toddler years, if their mother used ‘hostile or aggressive’ parenting style as a way of caring and rearing their children. In aggressive parenting a mother or father yells or screams at them always and give physical punishment such as beating, slapping, smacking and the like rather than being cordial and loving with the baby.

Beyond any shade of doubt, it is a big responsibility to be the parents of infants and toddlers. Pro-progeny parenting requires dedicated care, including but not limited to feeding, changing diapers, bathing, potty training, ensuring safety, teaching and health care with no chagrin and aggressiveness at all. Because aggressive parenting is more likely to cause sleep disorders in the children as per findings. Sleep disorders caused by aggressive parenting may be in the form of nightmares, night terrors and sleepwalking, resistance to going to bed, awakening during the night and the like.

It must be taken into consideration that sleep disorders can have pernicious repercussion on over all health and the development of the children in the long run. So, it is strongly recommended for the conscious parents to avoid aggressive parenting and adopt pro-progeny parenting style (a style of parenting which is in favor children).

The relationship between parents and children should be such that it may encourage or motivate children to express themselves with integrity and honesty. Parents should help their children have firm faith in themselves and let them understand that their lives, feelings, actions and all that jazz are their own responsibilities. Aggressive parenting not only causes sleep disorders in children but also make children zestless, serious, diffident, imitative and timid. A parenting with understanding can help children develop an enthusiastic, confident, jovial and valiant approach to learning and living.

Instead of being aggressive they should be permissive helping children transform their natural inquisitiveness into a strong inner discipline and motivation. Parents should be cognizant of this fact that each and every individual is endowed with some gift, some talent and treasure. All they need to do is to create as much space and develop as many opportunities as possible for the child’s creativity and individuality to unfold.

Ronald Eapen
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/destructive-parenting-produces-sleep-disorder-in-the-young-726865.html

Co-parenting isn’t easy. It’s actually quite a chore. When neither parent is willing to negotiate or communicate, the child has the job of transitioning from one parenting style to the other. As a parent educator and family therapist, I have seen many anxious and confused children affected by their parents’ inconsistent rules and styles. Sometimes children do this under the same roof and sometimes under two, but the bottom line is that it is the parents’ responsibility to create a balance.

Parenting skills vary much like personalities. The differences can be as subtle as the setting of bedtimes to as serious as choosing consequences for bad behavior. The bottom line is adults have a number of motivations for parenting. For instance, they might try to do better than their parents. Thus, we attempt to find new and effective strategies to raise good kids. These ambitions can be difficult enough. Now add the challenge of joining forces with another adult who was raised by different parents and who may be select different strategies.

So how do parents, married or divorced, stay clear and consistent, raise confident children, and feel influential as parents? They learn how to work together and become better co-parents! Here are several successful co-parenting steps:

1. Identify your personal style and motivations. Your first job in becoming a successful co-parent is to figure out your general style and motivations. If it were all up to you, how would you parent? How would you motivate your children? How would you use punishment and encouragement? What are the top 10 values you would like to teach your kids? Now ask yourself WHY? Why would your style be that way? What is your motivation? How did your parents parent you? Are you attempting to repeat their upbringing or compensate for it?
2. Share your parenting style and motivation with your co-parent. I understand that you might feel vulnerable sharing your style and motivation. Your style may be different than your spouse’s style. In order for you and your partner to co-parent successfully, you both need to appreciate and support the ideas you bring to the table. When you listen to where the other parent is coming from, it will allow you to join forces.
3. Before deciding on a parenting style and direction, consult parenting books and classes. Now that you have looked at each other’s parenting style, take a look together at good parenting books and the current research. Report back to each other and consider how your styles measure up.
4. Decide on a parenting style. You now have several examples of parenting strategies and philosophies. Its time to blend what you believe with what your co-parent believes and what the experts say. This is the ultimate in negotiation but remember that if you do not negotiate at the adult level, it leaves your child to figure it out. Once you’ve decided, then write down the basics and embrace your new co-parenting style.
5. Implement your new co-parenting style. Now you parent! Both parents are on the same page. Children are clear on what is expected of them and what the consequences are if they do not follow the family expectations. Thus, it lessens the occasions of arguing between the parents and the opportunities for manipulation by the children.
6. Hold weekly co-parenting meetings with your spouse. Since you are the CEOs of your family and are business partners in a very real way, you must stay in constant communication. The success or failure of your family rests in your capable hands. Thus, co-parenting meetings are a must! These meetings should include finances, home maintenance, parenting, and relationship issues. Meetings should be held weekly with schedule book, meeting journal and budget book in hand. Continue to review your parenting style. You may find that one child thrives under your new system while another loses balance. Good co-parents always re-evaluate and restructure when necessary.

We are busy parents today. It is difficult to take the time to evaluate our parenting styles but the payoff is big for you as a parenting unit as well as for your child. Co-parenting takes the pressure off our children and the conflict out of our lives.

Copyright 2008 Parent Education Group – Reprints Accepted – Two links must be active in the bio. The article homepage: http://www.familyauthority.com/articles/family-day.html

Laura Doerflinger, MS, LMHC
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/developing-co-parenting-skills-working-together-to-raise-happy-kids-704058.html

The perfect wedding can only happen if everything goes right when preparing for it, and the perfect ring is in fact essential to a woman. When planning a wedding the last thing on someones mind would be losing his or her wedding ring. But someone should always keep in mind anything can happen, and if someone wants to keep their diamond eternity ring they must take precautions. After the wedding is done a person does not want to deal with a lost or stolen ring. The upside of getting jewelry insurance is exactly for the reason if the ring is stolen or lost. Platinum Eternity rings is an ideal ring for a bride to be due to the fact it has great variety in its designs. A diamond eternity ring has great variety and will suit any womans needs.

There are different kinds of settings that can be done to fit a persons own interest. Someone does not want to even have the thought of losing a wedding ring. It is a devastating thought and no one would want to go through that! A person must always be prepared for anything and protect their jewelry. Jewelry insurance is a very important concept when getting married and buying rings. A diamond eternity ring is a very valuable ring and can cost a lot of money, losing it would be disheartening. There are numerous ways to get information on how to go about insuring your jewelry. It is a smart decision to make even if a person thinks they will never lose their valuables. Even if it is not lost the diamond eternity ring can be stolen, and all the money spent will be wasted. It is important to get information on how to insure your ring and you can do it in lots of ways. One can speak to a specialist and be shown the right route or use the Internet and do some searching. It does no harm to search and see what is available to you. A person does not lose anything when doing this in the long run one may only gain from getting insurance. To insure a ring one must pay yearly costs to keep it insured but that is a price to pay to keep your jewelry secure! Who would not want to keep their diamond eternity ring safe!

To get full coverage you must get an official appraisal. A diamond eternity ring is the quinessential ring to insure because of its cost and beauty. The diamond eternity ring is lined with diamonds that appear on the finger to be a circle of gemstones. This arrange is very appealing to the eye and most often one will notice the Diamond Eternity rings for this specific reason, and they are the most popular! The Diamond Eternity rings has grown in popularity due to the fact the continuous circle of diamonds is symbolic of the eternal love between the couple. The circle symbolizes the never-ending love they will share.

One of the toughest job for parents, especially for those who have just got a newborn baby seem to be selecting the right furniture for their baby. In worse case, they just do not know what precisely the set of kids furniture should actually consist of. However, this could not be blamed on the new parents who have just gotten their first born, so they may lack experience and thus feel confused sometimes. However, there are some parents with previous experience. It is a really good idea for new parentS (who also have a newborn baby) to have everything that they need for the baby as soon as possible. According to facts, parents do not know what kind of baby furniture that they should purchase.

This article provides you with some basic information that could help you define what type of baby furniture set you should have at the first stage, which may be suitable for parents who have a small budget but want to purchase the most necessary things first. For the basic element of baby furniture set, a crib and a wardrobe is a good place to start. Let’s elaborate from that. Remember that the newborn will play on the floor for the first year or so. However, this kind of furniture may be a little bit expensive so it is quite understandable for you to look for a secondhand baby furniture set at first.

These two pieces of furniture are probably the most necessary ones that you will have to get beforehand because baby could not function without them. Also, you can buy the rest of baby furniture later on and according to its availability and your budget. This will probably happen after you have learned from other parents what else you should buy. However just one thing that I have to mention here is when you are buying the above mentioned furniture, if you have a large budget, try to get bigger size of them, rather than having a small size. This is because you can use it for years without having to buy a new one. If you invest in a good wardrobe you can keep it for years. Remember that it has to be steady and safe.