Are you being the person you want your children to be? Many parents today really try to be better parents than their parents were. They attempt to be there for their children – to listen to them, support them, spend time with them, as well as hold and nurture them….
Do you know the difference between discipline and punishment with their Latin roots? Punishment implies inflicting pain, while discipline means to teach. Parents who use punishment are missing important opportunities to teach their children better behaviors and help them self-discipline. Children can actually be taught responsible behaviors to help them…
As parents, we only want the best for our children. But sometimes our judgment is clouded, and our actions can actually impede our kids’ progress. By nature, we want to see our children succeed, even if it means giving them a gentle nudge. Unfortunately for some parents, that nudge often…
Everyone benefits from a good night’s sleep. Children also need to learn how to unwind at the end of the day with an uninterrupted period of restorative sleep. For some children, this comes easily. For others, it may mean a night of counting sheep and difficult morning rises. Break the…
You’ve had the familiar pang of longing while looking at the babies of friends and family. Heck, diaper commercials may even bring a tear to your eye. But it’s not all emotions; you’ve done the math, weighed your options and decided: it’s time to have a baby. Women of childbearing…
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…
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…
When you were growing up, did you ever wish that your parents were happy? Did you feel safe when they were happy and peaceful? My mother was rarely a happy person. Most of the time she was anxious, angry and felt overburdened, even though I was her only child. She…
Preschool education is a hot topic among parents and early childhood educators today. If you are the parent of a preschooler (or younger child) you need to ask yourself why you should care about preschool learning. There are three key reasons why you should not only concern yourself with your…
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…