Family | Support Kids

Activities for the Grieving Process

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If you have a child or children that are going through the grieving process over the death of a loved one, you may be looking for different ways to help them deal with the process. Some children may think that they need to completely forget about the death in order to get over the loss. However, helping your child understand the death will actually help in the long run. You can help your child through the grieving process by engaging them in activities that can assist in helping them understand and move through the process.

Here are some ideas for activities that can help your child. You can also find additional tips at many online sites for more help.

Artwork

Children can visualize their pain by creating art. Have your child draw or paint something that explains their pain. This can be a simple drawing or a complex collage. After finishing the artwork, have your child share the picture and explain what it symbolizes. This will open up a dialog about how your child is feeling.

Sharing Stories

Read stories about loss together. Your child can start to identify with characters who are grieving. This will again start a discussion about grieving because you can have your child explain how he or she feels compared to the story characters.

Music

Have your child choose music or songs and have him or her discuss how it represents the loss. Have him talk about why these songs have meaning to him. Your child should be allowed to make a connection to the music so he will have a connection and understanding of the loss.

Filed Under: Family, Grieving Tagged With: Animal loss, Child, Grief

What You Have to Know about Yorkie Puppies

Today the popularity of the Yorkshire dogs has exploded in both the USA and worldwide. In the USA they are the second most popular dog breed after the Labrador Retriever.

Yorkies as they are referred to are highly sought after as pets due to their quite interesting characteristics. Yorkies are relatively small with an average full growth adult weighting only less than 7 pounds. As a rule, these dogs have high levels of intelligence, a need to cuddle and be loved as well as a lot of energy. This is a mixture of these qualities that makes a lot of dog lovers avid for looking for these energetic and joyful dogs.

You have to know that Yorkies are afraid of larger dogs, strange noises and people. The bark is quite enough to alert anyone of an unwanted presence. As a rule, these dogs do poorly with small kids and this has to be taken into consideration before you make a purchase. The Yorkies have sheepish personality to anything louder and bigger than they actually are. If there are some kids, this could present Yorkie puppies with such mishaps as falls, trips, accidentally being sad on or occasional tight squeeze. It is necessary to mention that none of these scenarios will be taken lightly by your dog and could easily result in trauma to the dog or kid depending on the dog’s reaction. As well you have to remember that Yorkie puppies as well as adult dogs require a lot of attention – frequent brushings, cuddle time and activity. If these are things that do not seem attractive to you, you just could not have enough time to fulfill the needs of your dog.

Yorkshire terriers are quite sought after breed of dog. They are quite popular due to their energy, intelligence as well as their need for comfort. Yorkies will make a great house dog if your environment is proper for the dog.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: dog, Pet, yorkie, yorkie puppies

Finding the support you need

Becoming a parent is hard work. You think you have everything figured out and are prepared for the big day to arrive, but you soon realize that you could never really prepare yourself. You find yourself having more questions then answers. So, what do you do? How will you figure things out? Finding support shouldn’t have to be that hard. You can read a book, download an application for your phone, or you can visit some very helpful websites.

There are many websites that offer support from professionals and from parents that are going through or have been through the same situations you are. Websites such as www.parenting.com offer articles that you are able to search through for a particular topic. There are categories to browse through as well that range from dealing with babies and toddlers to help getting through your pregnancy.

Other sites allow you to interact with other users and parents. You can ask questions, search for relevant questions that have already been asked, or answer someone else’s question. These sites are key in getting support from other mothers that have gone through the same situations as you. Having a community of other parents that are there to support you can be a vital tool when raising children.

Books can also we a wonderful support tool. A wide range of topics have been published throughout the years. “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” helps to outline the entire pregnancy process. However, make sure your don’t forget the advice of your pediatrician.

Filed Under: Child, Family, Parenting Tagged With: Family, Parent, Website

How To Help Children Learn Discipline

Parenting is not only giving what the child needs, to the child, but parenting also involves the punishments that are given to a child. There are many people who think that the kids should not be disciplined as this can cause the child to become rough as an adult. The people also feel that the kids who are disciplined lose their individuality. There may be some truth I all this, but the kids will learn discipline only when they are controlled by their parents to an extent. Though the parents may give adequate freedom in various activities, there should also be guidance and control by the parents.

There are many different kinds of punishments. The common ones include those like spanking, giving time outs and also controlling what the child likes, if the child makes a mistake. There are several other such punishments. This will also help the child to learn all about discipline. Spanking a child may be needed at times, but when the child is spanked, then people may also think that it is child abuse. So, though spanking may be called for, it should not be used regularly.

All of the methods of punishment need to be used by parents when they are trying to help their kids to learn about discipline. Though there are many times when the children are able to learn discipline, there are certain times when the kids are not able to learn what is right and wrong. Parents have to try their best to make the kids to understand right things and wring things through disciplining methods. This will help the child to be a better person and will prevent the child from making major mistakes.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: Child abuse, Parent, Spanking

Deciding on the Size of a Life Insurance Plan

Most people want to concentrate on life and not death-related subjects. However, if you have children to raise and protect, buying life insurance is an important step. When you start to compare insurance quote after insurance quote, you will likely be faced with dilemmas about how large of a life insurance plan to purchase. Making this decision requires thinking through a number of factors.

Understanding the Needs of Your Dependents

The purpose of life insurance is to provide for your loved ones in the event that you pass away. If you suffer an accident or are faced with an unexpected and terminal illness, you want to ensure that your family will not be in a financial bind. Just how big of a policy do you need? What financial needs will they have should you pass away?

Your ideal life insurance policy should cover all of the debts left behind, such as your mortgage, car payments, other loans and credit card debts. Beyond this, you’ll want to consider how much your children or your spouse will need to meet basic needs. If your spouse will need to continue working, how much will he or she need to make sure that the children are cared for, either by a babysitter or in an after-school activity? In addition to these costs, you will want to think about the future of your children. How much money will they need to go to college?

Compare Insurance Quote to Your Present Budget

When you have a dollar amount in mind, you will then want to compare insurance quotes to your present budget to determine an affordable premium amount. Life insurance premiums are adjusted based on age, so the price will increase gradually as you age. However, investing in financially protecting your family in the event of an untimely death is one of the more loving steps you can take for your family.

Filed Under: Adaptation, Family Tagged With: Child, Death, Life insurance

A Financial Fresh Start for the New Year

Everyone likes to start the new year off right. One of the many new year’s resolutions that parents make is to improve and make a difference in their family’s financial situation. They do not want to have to keep living paycheck to paycheck. If this is a resolution that you have made for yourself then here are a few things that you can do to start improving your finances and finding ways to save.

Start a Savings Account. Many families do not have a savings account. It is important that you try to place money into the savings account as often as possible. Many families will place money directly from their paycheck into a savings account. It’s a great way to build up an emergency fund should something happen.

Track Spending. It’s amazing how fast money is spent. Try to create a tracking system that allows you to write down everything that you spend money on. You will be able to see where the money is going and places where you can cut expenses. A tracking system is also a great way for people to be accountable for what they are spending money on and can help a family save.

Backup Plans. Even with all the savings in the world, emergencies can still pop out of nowhere. It is usually these emergencies that end up putting a family back financially. It is important that you have a backup plan should something come up and you need money. Some great backup plans include cash advances from credit cards or using the payday loan services at places like GreatPlainsLending.

Getting your family back onto solid ground when it comes to their financial system won’t happen overnight. It will take a little bit of planning and self discipline but it is possible. Follow some of these tips and you’ll be able to reach your new year’s goals in no time.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: Family, Saving, Savings account

Talking Makes a Difference

When children grieve, it is important that they know they can talk about the grief as much as they want. Talking not only lets out emotions, but it also helps caregivers pick out any misunderstandings or misconceptions the children have. Being able to catch a new fear or hang-up in the early stages can save caregivers a lot of trouble in the future, as well as a lot of time dealing with worse issues. It can save the child a lot of emotional pain as well.

It is also helpful to make sure that children who are talking through their grief understand how to have boundaries. They need to know who they can talk to. This could include a teacher, counselor, parent, clergy member, etc.

They also need to know that it might not be okay to talk to some people. A younger sibling or friend might not be as ready to handle things the way he or she is. This can cause confusion and fear in the younger child. Sharing too much information with a seemingly understanding stranger can cause a child to be putting him or herself in harms way if the stranger uses the confidences and weaknesses of the child to take advantage of him or her in some way.

Most importantly, never give a grieving child the impression that the grief should be kept inside or bottled up. Letting them know that there are times and places where sharing too much may be inappropriate, but that there are many times when it is safe and healthy to share their thoughts and their feelings.

Suppressed feelings turn to anger, rage, and depression. It is much better to take the time to deal with the feelings of grief now than it to have to deal with the outward manifestations of the rage or depression in the future as these are much harder to deal with than grief itself.

Filed Under: Family, Grieving Tagged With: Caregiver, Grief, Mental health

The Purpose of Grief Counseling

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While many people believe that the purpose of grief counseling is to help someone “get over” the loss of a loved one, that can not be further from the truth. In reality, grief therapy or grief counseling is meant to help those who are suffering from the loss of a loved one and help that person make choices in their life that eventually show the ability to reflect positively on the loved one with memories of happy times and less pain.

Many grief counselors teach children coping skills to help them deal with their grief. While these skills do not eliminate grief, they help a child understand how to deal with feelings that arise. For example, a child who begins to feel angry about a death can stop and write a letter to the deceased or to God to get their feelings out without shouting or hurting anyone.

Another coping skill that children often learn in grief counseling is called story telling. When grieving children feel a wave of sadness rush over them, it is often helpful for the child to share a story with others of a happy time with that person.

The most important thing a grief counselor can do, is make sure that the child who is grieving does not feel any responsibility for the death over which they are grieving. Children need to understand that it is okay to not be able to control everything, and that this there was nothing that they could do to prevent this death nor to bring the person they are missing back to them.

Prayer can be another important coping skill that covers a wide range of grief-related emotions. Sadness, anger, questioning, and many other emotions can be sent to Heaven in a prayer. This also helps the grieving child understand that he or she is not in control of the world and when they need help, it is best to call on someone.

Filed Under: Family, Grieving Tagged With: Death, Grief, Grief counseling

Mourning as a Family

When a parent or child within a family dies, it is important that everyone is allowed to grieve in their own way. However, feeling supported in their grief is also important for all of the immediate family members as well. There are ways that families can mourn together to help each other work through their grief.

Working together on the funeral may be helpful for some families. However, funerals are often so soon after the death of a loved one that some are physically and emotionally unable to contribute in a meaningful way.

Having an anniversary celebration on the birthday of the loved one can be a family ritual. Each family member can come with memories of the one who has died and share them with others. This can take place at the loved one’s favorite restaurant or over the loved one’s favorite dish.

One example is a family that has a “paddle out” ceremony on the birthday of a loved one every year. The family meets at the beach, climbs onto their surfboards, and paddles out just beyond the breaking waves. They then throw leis into water and sing a few songs that the child loved before jumping on their boards and surfing back in.

Another way a family can mourn together is to take up a cause together. This can be something the person who has died loved such as the local animal shelter, or it can be a group that had to do with the loved one’s death. This could be a fundraiser for the National Suicide Hotline, a blood drive for the National Blood and Marrow Foundation, a toy drive in the memory of a child, or even a fundraiser to create a scholarship in the name of the loved one.

These ideas are just examples of way that families can mourn together in a positive way, keep the memory of their loved on alive, and stay close as a family.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Death, Family, Grief, Mourning

When a Child Doesn’t Want to Attend a Funeral

The fear and pain surrounding the death of a loved one can cause a child to want to pull back and retreat within themselves immediately after a death takes place. Unfortunately, this is when most funerals take plce. While children who are old enough to choose should not be forced to participate in ceremonies, they need to know that there are good reasons to do so.

First of all, the child needs to know that this is an event that only happens once. Funerals, for the most part, are not video taped. If the child thinks they will ever have wished they had participated, they should do it now as there will never be another chance.

Secondly, families need to stick together. When a parent of one family committed suicide, the oldest child did not want to attend services. Knowing that his mom might need a hug or his sisters might need a shoulder to lean on was enough to make him consider attending.

This same child’s decision was made final when the events surrounding the funeral were explained to him by his aunt who had lost loved ones before. When she explained to him that a big part of a funeral and the dinner afterward is talking about the person who is gone and sharing stories about their life, he began thinking of experiences he had with his step-father that he wanted to share with others that might make them smile.

His final decision was made just before the funeral while sitting outside the church doors. When someone commented, “Did you know that Frank used to be a boy scout like you?” The child turned to a family friend and said, “I need to hear more stories about him” and went inside.

Framing the funeral in a way that will show the child what he or she is missing may help keep a child decide on his own that he needs to be there.

Filed Under: Child, Family, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Death, Death Care, Funeral