Being a parent can be chaotic enough, but having a spouse who’s reluctant to help with the kids and chores can really up the stress meter. Dividing chores and responsibilities is one of the challenges of living with a partner, and not surprisingly, it’s one of the things couples bicker…
Most financial experts believe that children should receive an allowance. The earlier children are taught financial skills, the better. Money management is a skill that many adults struggle with. By teaching children early on how to manage their money, it can go a long way into their adult years. Allowances…
Bad behavior is often an effective way to attract attention of parents. The conflicting time will probably start at the stage during her third year: tears and tantrums often go hand in hand with being two years old. Phrasing limits in a positive way focuses on what to do, rather…
If you haven’t taken a peek into your medicine cabinet lately, it might be time to take a look. Every home should have basic supplies to help with minor accidents or middle-of-the-night illnesses. A medicine cabinet should also have important phone numbers taped inside of the door to call in…
Watching a young girl hit, kick, and call her mother names I never imagined a 6 year old knew, engaged in an (ultimately successful) attempt to get dessert led to an enlightening luncheon conversation with a few friends last week. As parents ourselves, we had all dealt with incidents like…
We all know the feeling…the moment of pride when someone notices how outspoken or articulate our child is. We bask in the knowledge that our child is smart, has a great sense of self-esteem and succeeds at virtually everything they attempt to do. There is a fine line between confidence…
Parenting can be a fun and exciting journey for anyone that wants to have kids. Along the path, they discover the bumps and bruises that parenting is all about. One of the first things a parent thinks about when having a baby is making sure that it is protected. Baby…
Next to rent or mortgage payments, childcare often ranks as the second-highest expenditure in a household budget. Working couples can pay a whopping 10-20% of their incomes on childcare while their children are small. Seeing the high cost needed to be expensed for their children’s care, some couples decided to…
When it comes to our children’s happiness, less is more. That’s the surprising perspective of one Chicago psychologist concerned about the rising rates of youth depression and anxiety. “Millions of well-intentioned parents have made life harder for their children by shielding the kids from every kind of unhappiness,” according to…
It used to be that parents were skeptical when it came to their kids using cell phones. The technology seemed too grown up for kids and teens, and the possibilities of them having instant secret communication with their friends sparked concerns about all kinds of trouble. Today, all that is…