parenting

Important Information for Kids

February 22, 2012 Leave a Comment

Now that both my kids are older, I make sure they know some personal information just in case they get lost or separated from me. Even if we are together most of the time, it is important that they remember and memorize the following:

their complete name
their address
their parent’s name
contact number

It is one of the reasons why we have bought address plaques for house so that the kids would see our address printed and remember it more easily. We never know what could happen in the future.

Do you have any tips that you can share on how your child remembers these important information?

Filed Under: parenting

Purity Talk : Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss

February 15, 2012 1 Comment

Valentine’s day is here. Love and romance is on the air! What better time than now to read the Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss book by Jennie Bishop. I have already posted about the story book the Princess and the Kiss but my daughter and I are going through the 21 easy-to-use devotional lessons which covers biblical teaching on purity, relationships and God’s plans for marriage (or singleness). I like it because the words used are non-threatening and used in an age-appropriate way. Each lesson has several activities which can help your daughter remember each lesson more vividly.

It is truly a great tool to help moms openly talk to their daughters about issues on purity, having a good conscience, sincere faith and marriage. I appreciate the questions and the suggested discussion in each lesson. It has allowed me to discuss issues about integrity, guilt, purity and love with my daughter. Some lessons are repetitive but I believe that it was done so to stress the importance of the lessons.

I know that after 5 years, I would need to discuss this again with her but I am glad that I am able to plant seeds as early as now. Hopefully, by then, we would be able to do a simple purity commitment ceremony as suggested in the last part of the book. We will do it as a reinforcement to what we have learned in this study and for her to commit to saving that kiss for her future.

Filed Under: book review, parenting Tagged With: The Princess and the Kiss

Surviving With Little Kids

February 5, 2012

When you have small kids under the age of 7 at home, most of the time, everything can be in chaos! A simple trip to the supermarket or quiet time for your devotions can become impossible. If you are in this season of your life, I would like to encourage you that it is not impossible. It takes a bit of planning and flexibility on your part, but this season of your life can also be an organized one for you. Here are some simple tips that I have learned over the years:

Follow a basic schedule. Meal time, chores and bed time should happen everyday around the similar time to establish routine and habit.

Train the kids to do chores. Older kids can be taught to help out with the chores inside the house.

Choose activities which you want to participate in. Learn to say “no” to social activities for you or your kids which aren’t productive and limit extra-curricular activities. The activities chosen should enhance family life and not pull the family apart.

Spend time alone each day. This could mean waking up earlier or sleeping later than the rest of the other people in the house. Spending time to plan your activities each day or spend some time in prayer could refresh your soul and make you better prepared to face the whole day with the kids at home.

Do you have some simple tips you would like to share?

Filed Under: parenting

Parenting Tip: Resolving Anger

February 1, 2012

My 5 year old son is very animated. He is also very expressive. So most often, in the house, he shouts to get attention and he gets mad easily. I have been having a hard time teaching him how to control his anger. Of course, I don’t want him to deny or suppress his emotions, but I want him to learn to control it as he grows up. There are probably other moms out there who are facing the same situation, so I would like to share this parenting article I received from my email.

When we talk about calming down and controlling anger, we don’t mean denying it. Some people may think that controlling anger means ignoring it, pushing it away, or stifling it. That is unproductive. We want to teach children a strategy to address their feelings and manage them in a healthy way. Anger should not be stifled and ignored, but rage does need to be controlled.

Some people believe that the only way to get rid of anger is to drain it by venting. Unfortunately, this venting doesn’t take into consideration the person upon whom that anger is vented. Venting anger is selfish and hurtful to others; it’s a demonstration of a lack of self-control.

Often the expression of anger is harmful and hurtful to other people. Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” Venting anger may bring immediate resolution on a feeling level. Exploding and venting anger often helps a person feel better. The problem is, allowing children to vent their anger doesn’t teach them how to manage their emotions in constructive ways. So the next time the child feels enraged, he is more likely to be explosive.

The solution is to help children learn to control their emotions and funnel the energy into constructive solutions. The most important key in any anger management plan is to learn to stop and take a break from the situation to settle down and then reenter in a more self controlled way.

Refuse to dialogue with children when they’re angry. Require an angry child to sit in the hall or on the bottom step and settle down before proceeding. If you dialogue with an angry child you may even get angry as well and then a battle will ensue. Don’t let anger control your family dynamics. If your child even begins to get angry, stop the process sooner.

This tip comes from Chapter 5 “Dealing with Anger in Children” in the book Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Filed Under: parenting Tagged With: anger management in kids

Teaching Your Baby to go to Sleep Without your Help

January 19, 2012

Teaching your baby to learn to fall asleep independently is one of the most satisfying long-term lessons she can learn. If a baby cannot settle without one of her parents there, bed time becomes a stressful time for all parties. A child that peacefully drifts off to sleep is a pleasure for all, especially when compared to a distraught, wailing baby who is fretful and restless, refusing to settle.

There are no rules set in stone when it comes to getting your baby to go to sleep without parental help. Every infant possesses a different personality and some will naturally sleep well without any intervention, whereas others might have clingier characters and be more demanding.

A new-born’s sleep patterns should never be interfered with. She should be fed and allowed to sleep on demand. This helps to build her trust in her parents and provides a safe and secure environment for her. Over the first few weeks, she will start to develop her own pattern, which can be built on when putting her to bed.

One of the most important aspects of helping your baby to fall asleep on her own is to ensure that bed time is a pleasurable period rather than a traumatic one. When she is old enough to start developing a routine, use this to your advantage by establishing a night-time pattern that you repeat every day.

Start with a warm bath and then dry her off in a secure, peaceful area. Dress her in comfortable night clothes, preferably cotton or other natural fibres and give her a last feed. Try not to let her fall asleep on the bottle, but remove it when she is relaxed and dozing. Place her gently in her cot, ensuring she is warm and cosy. It helps to warm the beds and bed clothes, but never leave any heat source with her. Some babies like a security blanket or favourite toy with them as they fall asleep. Sit where she can clearly see you so that she feels secure and softly read her a story or sing a lullaby. Unless she is poorly or teething, this is usually enough to help her fall asleep.

Many parents rock their baby to sleep in their arms, or use a rocking cot, or let them fall asleep in their arms before putting them in their cot. If this suits your lifestyle and your baby there is nothing wrong with it. All children will eventually learn to sleep on their own. However, if you want to help your baby sleep independently from an earlier age, it is better to establish the routine as soon as you can.

Some experts propound the “let them cry themselves to sleep” method but each parent has to decide for themselves whether this is in the best interests of you and your infant. If you do decide to go with this method, always leave it until after your child is six-months old so that she has established trust in you. Never leave her crying for long. Go back every five minutes or so to reassure her without picking her up. Over a few nights, she will learn to go to sleep alone but be warned it is a stressful method for all concerned!

Just remember that every child is different and that one routine or method will not suit all. By getting to know your baby and her unique personality, you will be able to work out the best and least-stressful ways of establishing independent sleep patterns.

Filed Under: parenting Tagged With: sleep