The most popular New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, exercise more, become better organized, get out of debt and quit smoking. Seldom, if ever, will you find someone saying, “I want to be a better parent” or “I want our family to be happier” this year. Wouldn’t that be a good goal to ... Views: 1471
Many parents dread the end of summer. Kids are reluctant to get back into the routine of early mornings, structured days and the homework that school brings. Many parents are also reluctant to get back into the routine of early mornings, structured days and homework!
Whether your child is ... Views: 2865
I know that as parents we’ve all wondered, “Why the heck is she behaving this way?” Or “Why on earth can’t he just behave?”
I’d like to offer you some ideas today about common causes of a child’s misbehavior. I’ll also offer some pointers on how to address the misbehavior if you get a gut ... Views: 4419
If you’re the parent of an 8-to-11-year-old, perhaps you’ve noticed a surge in back talk, defiance and sensitivity. Simple requests may be met with intense outbursts. You may be asking, whatever happened to my amiable child who liked pleasing me? If so, you’re not alone! And your child is not ... Views: 11877
Have you taught your child about “good touch/bad touch”? That’s a good place to start, but not enough to protect your child from possible sexual abuse, according to Libby Bergman, executive director of the Center for Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment.
“Children need to know the difference ... Views: 2237
Kids these days have twice the amount of homework that we did. And when your kids have homework, you have homework, too. I’d like to take this opportunity to share tips from Irene Gutmann, an academic coach who works with teens and college students on achieving academic success. Also, I’d like ... Views: 1447
The biggest change in kids, according to a teacher of 27 years, is that kids these days don’t take responsibility for their actions.
Kids are quick to blame others and make excuses for mistakes rather than saying, “I messed up.” Unfortunately, parents are quick to provide excuses for their ... Views: 6381
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Save Money With Your Kids - by Toni Schutta, Parent Coach, M.A., L.P., The Official Guide to Parenting
Cutting back on expenses? Most families are.
Asking children to share the burden of spending less is a reasonable choice to make.
If you’ve lost your job and huge cuts need to be made, it’s reasonable to explain to children that the family will be making major cutbacks. The key is to ... Views: 2143
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Reclaim Your Couple Time! - by Toni Schutta, Parent Coach, M.A., L.P., The Official Guide to Parenting
If you’re like most parents you devote yourself to your children, work long hours, take care of all of life’s demands and let your relationship with your loved one drop to the bottom of the heap.
You may believe that since your loved one isn’t demanding your attention like the children do ... Views: 1559
(Take the “Is Your Child Overscheduled?” quiz here: http://www.familiesfirstcoaching.com/pdf/IsYourChildOverscheduledAssessment.pdf
Are you busy scheduling summer camps and activities for your child? There are a plethora of great options to choose from. A word of caution, however. Make sure ... Views: 2636
Many of us hate our bodies. We shun swim suits. We are quick to find fault. Some of us are even self-loathing. The question is do you want your child to grow up with these insecurities, too? If not, what can we do as parents to help our child grow up feeling good about his/her body? And what can ... Views: 1195
Many of us make New Year’s resolutions every year. We set goals for exercising, loosing weight, staying organized. But how many of us take the time to size up our family?
Are you conscious of how your time is spent together? How many meals are you eating together as a family? How much time ... Views: 1057
Let’s turn this holiday season upside down. Let’s shift the focus to giving rather than receiving. Let’s spend more time with our kids rather than spending time being frenzied in stores. Let’s help our children develop the gift of generosity.
With the country facing difficult economic times ... Views: 856
Can your well-intended words of praise actually be harming your child? The answer to that is “yes” and “no” depending on what words you choose, how sincere you are and how old your child is.
Complicated? Yes, it is.
One of the researchers that I like best is Carol Dweck. Dweck has spent ... Views: 1178
Transitions happen every day in your child’s world and September, like no other month, is a time of transitions for your child. Starting a new grade. Getting a new teacher. Learning new classroom rules. Adding more homework. No matter what the transition, you can expect an added level of stress ... Views: 932
EQ?! What’s EQ? EQ is short for emotional intelligence and the latest research is showing that your child’s EQ is more important than their IQ for success later in life.
In short, emotional intelligence takes into account how your child relates to others, how adept they are at expressing ... Views: 918
Consider that the average American child watches four hours of television a day. By one estimate, when U.S. children finish high school, they've spent nearly twice as many hours in front of TV sets as they have in the classroom. (Jane Brody, New York Times News)
Have you ever tallied the ... Views: 873
You really want your child to have a great school year. You’ve bought the right school supplies, new outfits and a back pack. The transportation plan is in place. Your child has met his/her teachers. Now it’s time to buckle down and give your child the boost s/he really needs to be successful ... Views: 1130
Thirty or 40 years ago parenting in an authoritative manner i.e. “Do it because I said so and I’m the parent” was the cultural norm. “Children should be seen and not heard” was a mantra that many of our parents used. We weren’t asked about what we wanted for dinner, we weren’t offered choices, ... Views: 1119
Your child wants ice cream at bedtime. You say “No” but your child persists, whining and bugging you until you finally give in to stop the incessant whining.
Your child wants to play with a friend, but you’ve said “No friends until your book report is done.” A friend calls to ask your child ... Views: 1131
Like any good relationship, the relationship with your child can benefit from thoughtful gestures that help your child feel special and deeply loved.
It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities of parenting that we sometimes forget to add touches of love that can deepen ... Views: 1052
Almost all of us dread the end of summer. Kids are reluctant to get back into the routine of early mornings, structured days and the homework that school brings. And many parents are also reluctant to get back into the routine of early mornings, structured days and homework!
Whether your ... Views: 1091
You’re probably busy planning every detail so your kids can have a memorable summer packed with vacations, summer camps, sports activities and more.
As you finish your planning, be sure to allow time for three surprising activities that are research-proven to help your child’s emotional, ... Views: 1071
“He did it.” “She looked at me!” “He stole my iPod.”
For parents, it can be really tough to know how to handle tattling. Do you ignore it? Do you let them duke it out? Do you plug in your own iPod and drown it out?
Here are a few options for you to try and see what works for you.
Option ... Views: 1150
“He did it.” “She looked at me!” “He stole my iPod.”
For parents, it can be really tough to know how to handle tattling. Do you ignore it? Do you let them duke it out? Do you plug in your own iPod and drown it out?
Here are a few options for you to try and see what works for you.
Option #1: ... Views: 1717
Thirty or 40 years ago parenting in an authoritative manner i.e. "Do it because I said so and I'm the parent" was the cultural norm.
"Children should be seen and not heard" was a mantra that many of our parents used. We weren't asked about what we wanted for dinner, we weren't offered choices, ... Views: 999
How many times have you heard “It’s not fair!” and responded, “Well, life’s not fair, get over it!” Probably more times than you’d like to count!
Or perhaps your child wants to do everything her friend gets to do and says to you “Emily gets to do it, why can’t I?”
When talking with your ... Views: 1095
If your child walks in the door with her shoulders drooping and her face forlorn do you say something like “You look sad. Come in and tell me what happened.”
Or if your child is stomping around do you say “You seem upset. Your feelings are important to me. Let’s talk.” Or do you tell your child ... Views: 967
A friend shared a wonderful story recently in a seminar on
"Smart Parenting." She said that ever since her children were
little, she's set aside special one-on-one time with each of her
children. She made a commitment to do this once a week and
put it on the calendar. As her children became ... Views: 1037
Why is it so hard for parents to be consistent when disciplining their children?
Many factors come into play. How tired are you?! How persistent is your child? How were you disciplined? What kind of parenting style do you have? Does the other parent agree with you on discipline methods and ... Views: 971
A new survey shows that the average adult tells four lies a day, or 1,460 lies a year. Is it any wonder that our children tell fibs, too?
Yet chances are when your child tells a whopper, it makes
you mad.
Why do kids lie?
Kids lie for lots of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is to avoid ... Views: 1471
Let’s say you ask your child to do a simple task like feed the dog. The next thing you know, you hear “Why do I always have to feed the dog?”
Or maybe you hear sarcasm and a smart-alecky tone of voice while your child says, “You don’t really expect me to do that?”
Makes you long for the days ... Views: 1058
Almost all of us dread the end of summer. Kids are reluctant to get back into the routine of early mornings, structured days and the homework that school brings. And many parents are also reluctant to get back into the routine of early mornings, structured days and homework!
Whether your child ... Views: 848
A new survey shows that the average adult tells four lies a
day, or 1,460 lies a year. Is it any wonder that our
children tell fibs, too?
Yet chances are when your child tells a whopper, it makes
you mad.
Why do kids lie?
Kids lie for lots of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is
to ... Views: 860
Why is it so hard for parents to be consistent when
disciplining children?
Many factors come into play. How tired are you?! How persistent is your child? How were you disciplined? What kind of parenting style do you have? Does the other parent agree with you on discipline methods and ... Views: 768
Let’s say you ask your child to do a simple task like feed the dog. The next thing you know, you hear “Why do I always have to feed the dog?”
Or maybe you hear sarcasm and a smart-alecky tone of voice while your child says, “You don’t really expect me to do that?”
Makes you long for the days ... Views: 775
Has your child thrown a tantrum lately, thrown
toys across the room or hit a sibling? Odds are
that s/he has!
Children’s anger can be exacerbating for parents.
After all, many adults still struggle with healthy
expression of anger, so dealing with a child’s
anger can be doubly ... Views: 2030
“No!” “I don’t want to!” “You can’t make me!”
Dealing with a defiant child can be exasperating!
Children who are defiant will readily enter a power struggle and wear a parent down. The key is not to enter the power struggle with an oppositional child. Listed below are nine options you can ... Views: 1058