It’s late, it’s a school night, and you need to go grocery shopping. As a single parent, this is tough. You have few options but to drag the kids along with you. If you have a partner, could one of you stay home with the kids while the other does the shopping? Different strategies work for different families but the bottom line is what’s best for the kids?
By 7PM most kids are winding down from their day, or at least they should be. Kids need lots of sleep! According to Webmd, kids 4-6 need 10-12 hours of sleep per night! Taking your children to the grocery store at this hour is just asking for trouble. It’s hard for children to behave when they’re overtired. Why set yourself up for disaster?
If you have to bring your children to the grocery store, make sure they’ve had something to eat beforehand. This will help alleviate the whining for snacks. You can always pack an easy to eat snack such as a cheese stick or crackers. When my mom took us shopping we always got a little box of animal crackers to munch on when we shopped. At the end of the trip the cashier rang up the empty box. Yum! CLICK HERE for some great tips on how to have a stress-less grocery shopping trip with your child.
Before going anywhere out in public it’s important to communicate with your child what they can expect as well as what you expect from them. Children need lots of direction when it comes to good behavior and lots of practice.
Follow-through is the hardest thing for most adults. We have to say what we mean and mean what we say. Giving kids mixed messages is frustrating for all.
Dealing with children takes a lot of energy. Have you had something to eat? Have you gotten enough sleep? According to Webmd, “Most adults need seven to eight hours a night for the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as five hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day.”
After a long day at work it’s difficult to stay one step ahead of your energetic child. Putting in the effort to teach them self-control and good behavior when they’re young will pay off big time when they get older. It’s your job as a parent and they’re worth the effort, don’t you think?
What do you think? Do you have any “shopping with children” strategies? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Getting Organized
Do you have CHAOS? According to Flylady, that’s “Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome” due to a less than organized home. Flylady is a helpful resource for getting organized. She encourages you to just begin where you are and take baby steps. I have found it very helpful in all aspects of my life. CLICK HERE to check out her website. You can sign up for daily emails to help you on your path to a more organized and less stressful life.
In addition to the many books you can purchase and websites where you can pay for organizational strategies, there’s also a free online resource called Organized Families that provides free suggestions and strategies to get and keep your family organized. CLICK HERE to check out that website
Now that school has resumed, you may wish to reference some of my older blogs. I’ve got some great tips on time management as well as how to help with the homework blues.
Do you have any tips for organization that have worked well with your family? Please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Letting Your Child Stay Home Alone
Guidance—Grownups
How do you know when your child is ready to stay home alone? Every child is different and different states have different laws. The recommended minimum age ranges from 8-12. CLICK HERE for a link to the legal age limits for each state—not all states have them, however!
This can be a tough decision for families but the reality is not all grownups can be there when their child gets home from school. CLICK HERE for an online quiz to see if your child is responsible enough to stay home alone.
According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, there are some things to consider when making this decision:
- Is your child physically and mentally able to care for him- or herself?
- Does your child obey rules and make good decisions?
- Does your child feel comfortable or fearful about being home alone?
In an article reviewed by Nicole Green MD, you will find some great tips on this topic. They include:
- Factors to Consider
- Make a “Practice Run”
- Handling the Unexpected
- Before You Leave
- Ready to Go
CLICK HERE to read the entire article.
Knowing your child is home alone can be nerve wracking. Taking the above steps to ensure their safety just might give you some peace of mind. The effort is worth it for everyone, I think.
What do you think? Does your child stay home alone? Do you have any advice for other parents? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Haircuts Without Fear
Many children are afraid to get their hair cut because they think it might hurt. That word “cut” just turns some children into screaming, squirming maniacs in the salon chair. Is it a simple fear or a full blown phobia known as tonsurephobia?
According to Kendra Van Wagner - Psychosocial Therapist, some haircut phobias are due to a bad past experience. Perhaps the stylist nicked an ear or you just can’t stand the buzzing of the clippers. CLICK HERE to read the entire article.
At one point or another you are probably going to want your child to get a haircut of some sort. How do you make sure it is a pleasant experience? There is a lot of great advice to be had at baby center.com.
There’s also a cute book, “No Haircut” by James Grady, illustrated by Janet Grady. “Sprinkles First Haircut”
by J.C. Schwanda and illustrated by Dan Kanemoto is another good book for children to help ease their haircut fears.
by J.C. Schwanda and illustrated by Dan Kanemoto is another good book for children to help ease their haircut fears.Making sure your child is well rested, well fed, and distracted seems to be the common strategies used by many parents.
Do you have a strategy to help make your child’s haircuts more pleasant? Please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Politeness Pays
One of the best things that parents* can teach their children is manners. I always give “extra points” to the parents of children who say please and thank you when I’m making animal balloon sculptures.
Politeness pays! People are more apt to want to interact/help your child is he is polite. The basics of please, thank you, and excuse me come in so handy every day! As a clown I will give the patient, polite child a balloon much faster than the demanding rude child.
This applies to the classroom as well. School is preparation for the “real world” for when children get older and go on to further education and/or jobs. Being able to wait your turn and use courteous words gets you farther in life.
Civility breeds civility. By this I mean if your child is well-mannered, people will treat him better. Conversely, if your child is ill-mannered, people will avoid interacting with him. Which would you prefer?
And as always, your actions speak much louder than your words. Do you set an example? Are you polite and well-mannered? And not just to others but your child as well. That way they’ll be polite and well-mannered to you. It’s a two-way street!
How did you teach your child manners? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
*By parents I mean any primary caregiver of children.
Politeness pays! People are more apt to want to interact/help your child is he is polite. The basics of please, thank you, and excuse me come in so handy every day! As a clown I will give the patient, polite child a balloon much faster than the demanding rude child.
This applies to the classroom as well. School is preparation for the “real world” for when children get older and go on to further education and/or jobs. Being able to wait your turn and use courteous words gets you farther in life.
Civility breeds civility. By this I mean if your child is well-mannered, people will treat him better. Conversely, if your child is ill-mannered, people will avoid interacting with him. Which would you prefer?
And as always, your actions speak much louder than your words. Do you set an example? Are you polite and well-mannered? And not just to others but your child as well. That way they’ll be polite and well-mannered to you. It’s a two-way street!
How did you teach your child manners? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
*By parents I mean any primary caregiver of children.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Stress and Overscheduled Kids
Unfortunately today’s kids can be very stressed. CLICK HERE for an informative article on childhood stress. The demands of schoolwork, afterschool activities, and family can take their toll. The results are not pretty: lowered grades, disinterest in school and other activities, and even illness/injuries. What’s a grownup to do?
Teachers need to be careful when scheduling homework, especially in the older grades where students have more than one teacher. The teachers need to communicate. I try to give plenty of time for long-term projects. Nightly reading and math fact practice is expected, however. I sometimes suggest to students who are having trouble fitting it all in that they can break up their homework into chunks: do some at night and some in the morning before school.
Coaches and other extracurricular grownup leaders need to be cautious of their demands on children’s time. Often children are overbooked with sports, scouting, AND art lessons of one form or another. I know that parents want their children to be well rounded but we don’t want them falling flat!
So the bottom line starts and ends with parents and guardians. Parents and guardians have (or should have) the ultimate say in how much or how little their child is involved in extracurricular activities. If you feel stressed with all of the chauffeuring to and from these activities, imagine how your child feels?
Besides not overscheduling children, I highly recommend teaching them to meditate. Of course, it helps if you as the grownup model meditate, too. Dr. Robert Puff speaks about the benefits of meditation for children and gives a simple how to on this video. CLICK HERE for a link to the video. This Yoga Journal article link can help you instruct your child on how to do simple yoga. CLICK HERE for the link to that article.
What do you do to help your child feel less stressed? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Teachers need to be careful when scheduling homework, especially in the older grades where students have more than one teacher. The teachers need to communicate. I try to give plenty of time for long-term projects. Nightly reading and math fact practice is expected, however. I sometimes suggest to students who are having trouble fitting it all in that they can break up their homework into chunks: do some at night and some in the morning before school.
Coaches and other extracurricular grownup leaders need to be cautious of their demands on children’s time. Often children are overbooked with sports, scouting, AND art lessons of one form or another. I know that parents want their children to be well rounded but we don’t want them falling flat!
So the bottom line starts and ends with parents and guardians. Parents and guardians have (or should have) the ultimate say in how much or how little their child is involved in extracurricular activities. If you feel stressed with all of the chauffeuring to and from these activities, imagine how your child feels?
Besides not overscheduling children, I highly recommend teaching them to meditate. Of course, it helps if you as the grownup model meditate, too. Dr. Robert Puff speaks about the benefits of meditation for children and gives a simple how to on this video. CLICK HERE for a link to the video. This Yoga Journal article link can help you instruct your child on how to do simple yoga. CLICK HERE for the link to that article.
What do you do to help your child feel less stressed? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Your Child's Written Work: To Edit or Not To Edit?
After your child finishes a writing assignment for school, do you immediately proofread and edit it “with” them? As a caring parent it's normal to want to help your child with their homework. However, giving him the opportunity to find and fix his own mistakes is important. Throughout their school careers students are required to edit their work without assistance. Therefore it is crucial that they have experience doing so.
One strategy that I recommend is having the child read their piece out loud. Very often they’ll hear their mistake and be able to correct it. If they don’t notice, perhaps a gentle, “Does that sound right?” after you read it aloud to them, might help.
Sometimes though, when we read our own work, our brain fills in what we intended to write. You can read what your child has written out loud to them. If they have typed their assignment on the computer, you can have the computer read it to them. ReadPlease is a computer program that reads text aloud. CLICK HERE for free downloadable software.
A critical tool for every household is a dictionary. A good dictionary will include synonyms antonyms which can help increase your child’s word usage. Why use mundane words like said, sad, walk, when retorted, depressed, ambled, would be so much more interesting! The verbs are the power of our language, not the flowery adjectives.
One of the reasons children balk at writing is because handwriting is so cumbersome. I recommend teaching touch typing to children. There are many free typing tutor software programs available that have a game format, making it fun for the children to learn and practice. CLICK HERE for a link to an article comparing the different programs.
The more children write, the better they get. Encourage your child to write as much as possible. Model writing whenever you can. The more they see you writing, the more they’ll want to write. And most importantly: writing should be a joy and never used as a punishment.
One strategy that I recommend is having the child read their piece out loud. Very often they’ll hear their mistake and be able to correct it. If they don’t notice, perhaps a gentle, “Does that sound right?” after you read it aloud to them, might help.
Sometimes though, when we read our own work, our brain fills in what we intended to write. You can read what your child has written out loud to them. If they have typed their assignment on the computer, you can have the computer read it to them. ReadPlease is a computer program that reads text aloud. CLICK HERE for free downloadable software.
A critical tool for every household is a dictionary. A good dictionary will include synonyms antonyms which can help increase your child’s word usage. Why use mundane words like said, sad, walk, when retorted, depressed, ambled, would be so much more interesting! The verbs are the power of our language, not the flowery adjectives.
One of the reasons children balk at writing is because handwriting is so cumbersome. I recommend teaching touch typing to children. There are many free typing tutor software programs available that have a game format, making it fun for the children to learn and practice. CLICK HERE for a link to an article comparing the different programs.
The more children write, the better they get. Encourage your child to write as much as possible. Model writing whenever you can. The more they see you writing, the more they’ll want to write. And most importantly: writing should be a joy and never used as a punishment.
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