Articles » Parenting Tips
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Enjoying Fatherhood While Raising Your Kids
Are you a Dad to a wonderful daughter who is going through those monumental changes from young girl to an adult women? Many fathers all over the world have a hard time adjusting to the fact that their "little girl" is turning into a young lady. Many times it is our own ego that gets in the way of us being as close with our teenager daughters as we were when they were little.
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Is it possible to not only be your child's parent but also their best friend as well? Is there a fine line between being that parent role and also acting as the "friend" role?
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If you are a parent who is dealing with good old fashioned "sibling rivalries" between your children then this article is for you. Fighting between brothers or sisters (or both) is a matter that you may have to deal with for a long time, but the good news is that there are effective ways of handling and understanding this situation without getting all stressed out.
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Are you a single parent who is looking to be a better Mother or Father to your children? While single-parent families are becoming more and more common today than ever before, it still is never easy on the parent or the child. And increasingly large groups of children live with parents who were never married. Also, there are a small number of children living with a widowed parent.
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Sleeping Arrangements: Compromising The Family Bed
There's a lot of talk and opinions over children and their sleeping habits when it comes to family beds. This is when the parents and children sleep together. Every remark has been made from "Oh, what a great idea" to "That's gross." This article covers the pros and cons of a family bed - and the compromise that can come from both sides of this debate.
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Once you have decided to go back to work and have chosen your substitute care there is much you can do to smooth the way, lessen the load, and prevent pandemonium as far as your child is concerned. Prepare your child in advance and ease his transition. Streamline your household. Work on the trouble spots - getting everyone up and out in the morning and getting everyone back and in for the evening.
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The Challenges Of Becoming A Step Parent
Too often the role of the stepparent is fuzzy and ambiguous. The step parent can never take the place of the child's real mother or father, living or dead. On the other hand, the step parent is more than just a friend who happens to live in the same house and occupy the same space as the child. So what is the step parent exactly? It is not easy to carve your own role.
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How To Reduce The Stress Of Parenting
As a parent, having patience all begins with your attitude. If you're a perfectionist, now is the time to get over it - and not until your kids are grown and out of the house will everything be sane, clean, and in order (at least not all at once). If you have the attitude that it's all going to be just fine and you can deal with it for about 18 years - you're ahead of the game.
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Sometimes it's surprising that the divorce rate isn't actually higher than it is (about 46% in the U.S.). Assuming it isn't just inertia on the part of the 54%, it's a tribute to the willingness of so many couples to work out their differences.
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Traditional vs Non-Traditional Parenting
In the past 40 years, roughly since the 1960s, parenting (along with dozens of other life issues) has undergone a revolution in thinking. Traditional methods were questioned, in many cases rejected, and a spirit of experimentation resulted in the adoption of many alternatives.
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Parenting - The World's Toughest Job
Parenting is the most difficult 'job' in the world. The process lasts longer than most modern careers. It requires a larger investment - in time and money - than just about any other activity. The complexity of choices is greater and the outcome more uncertain. Greater patience is needed and the roller coaster of emotions steeper than any other undertaking.
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Parents understandably want to do everything possible to protect their children from harm. Today, that often includes - some would say is first and foremost - teaching them to be wary of others. Parents will often instill a (healthy, they would argue) fear of others, along with providing practical tips on staying safe.
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Step-parenting and Sharing Authority
Being a step-parent is somewhat like being in middle management - you get the complaints from 'above' and 'below'. One way out of this dilemma is to step out from the middle and simply be part of 'senior management'. Successful employment of that strategy will require cooperation from the biological parent. But if you don't have that already, that may well be a major source of the difficulty to begin with.
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Single Parenthood, Pros and Cons
Since roughly 1970, approximately 20-30% of children live in single parent homes. The number varies from study to study and country to country. More of those are female than male, but again the numbers vary substantially from one study to the next. Whatever the sex of the parent, parenting alone raises some unique challenges.
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Sibling rivalry - conflict between and among brothers and sisters - can take all the forms that occur among adults: loud arguments, sports competition, physical fights, property destruction, etc. As the list suggests, some forms will require parental intervention, while others may be safely left to the kids to work out for themselves.
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Teaching responsibility is one of the most difficult aspects of parenting. It is here that parents most often worry about the dilemma of stifling individual choice versus inculcating values and habits that lead to appropriate behavior.
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In parenting circles, the word 'punishment' often brings to mind 'corporeal punishment' - spanking, slapping or other forms of physical action. One can agree that such behavior is counter-productive in rearing a healthy child, while at the same time avoiding the false alternative of excessive permissiveness.
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A fundamental fact for almost all children is that eventually they grow older. But, sadly, not all grow up. If an individual is to have a hope of a happy life, a large amount of independence is essential.
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Natural and Logical Consequences
Knowing when to require a child to obey and when to let them take the consequences of an independent choice is always a tough dilemma for parents. One pair of ideas that can help them are the twins: natural consequences and logical consequences.
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Home vs Public vs Private School, The Never Ending Debate
Few issues have such a long-term effect on the welfare of a child as the choice of the type of school to attend. The average child will spend about 13 years in school prior to college, often attending one type the entire time.
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Grandparents and Other Dilemmas
Sometimes being a parent is like being in middle management. You have not only a whole host of issues to deal with in relation to the kids, but grandparents can introduce another set. Grandparents in the parenting mix present all the issues of influence from others, but with the obvious added wrinkle that they have a special relationship to both the parents and the children.
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Parents often put a lot of thought into choosing a school, saving for college and other issues related to getting their son or daughter the best possible education. Less thought, sometimes, goes into what used to be completely common: educating that person outside school.
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Discipline and Individual Choice
The word 'discipline' often brings to mind images of harsh punishment, unreasonable restrictions and an approach to parenting that is cold and insensitive. As a result, many parents will accept the false alternative of being excessively permissive.
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Few subjects in parenting are as fundamental, or as important, as communication. Humans function so much by language, whether implicit or explicit, that learning how to communicate effectively affects virtually every other sphere of family relations.
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Adopting a child may be both a long train of practical and emotional nightmares and the fulfillment of a dream.
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A major part of good communication between parent and child is active listening. But, what is ACTIVE listening? It means not merely staring at the child while he or she talks, but actively taking in what is said and exploring its meaning.
