Parenting | Support Kids

Childhood Phases ? Every Child Has A Unique Pattern Of Growth And Development

WENZHOU, CHINA - NOVEMBER 2: A doctor from th...

It is very easy to glibly talk about the various phases of childhood. However, as a parent, it is very important to keep in mind that childhood phases should not be treated as watertight boundaries. Your child is not going to get up one fine morning and announce that he or she is moving on to the next phase.

How to find whether your child has moved on or not? The best option is to keep track of the level of obedience of the child. If you find that your child is suddenly making a large number of mistakes and infractions, then perhaps it is time to change the rules because your child has grown up.

It is time to explain why going to bed is important if your child argues against bed time rule. You may have never bothered doing this in the past because scolding your child or yelling at him or her was enough to scare the child into submission.

When you find your old methods not working, you will quickly realize that the child has changed. Many persons are uncomfortable with this trial and error approach. However, don’t expect any book or resource to tell you when your child’s behavior is going to change. Some children may move from the obedient phase to the disobedience phase and then further to the understanding phase very quickly. So much so that you may never realize that a phase has been crossed in between.

The best way to change your behavior is to look for changes in the behavior of your child. As the child grows, these changes would become apparent and clear.

Filed Under: Child, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Children Youth and Family, Parent

Medical Malpractice: Helping Your Child Cope

If your child has lost a loved one or had his life significantly altered by a medical malpractice case, it can be difficult to know how to help him grieve. Not only do you have your own grief, but you may experience a level of anger and frustration. Note that if you are feeling those emotions, it is possible that your child is too, and he will need to work through them in order to move on. You can help your child through this by working through it yourself, and by seeking support from another community.

While money cannot make up for the loss, a settlement can help ease the financial burden that is now present due to a lost loved one. Many malpractice cases end this way. Not all malpractice cases involve wrongful death, however. For one Los Angeles malpractice case, a child was no longer able to walk. The courts ruled for a settlement that would recompense not only the emotional trauma the child faced, but would also go towards the extra expenses that the family was now faced with due to the child’s disability.

While you can seek justice in court, your child will primarily need your love and support to come out of this time of grieving. Support groups can help a suffering family who does not know how to grieve or how to help each other in their grief. If you and your family are in need of extra support during the aftermath of an instance of medical malpractice, finding help in a support group, counseling, or a church could be one of the things that will get you through.

Filed Under: Child, Parenting Tagged With: Los Angeles, Medical malpractice, Support group

Birthday Parties with a Twist

Adults today remember their childhood days when birthday parties consisted of cake, ice cream, party hats, and favors that were all served in the home of the birthday child. Many parents today opt for birthday parties at a roller skating rink, a restaurant, the movies, or at a neighborhood carnival or amusement park.

What would happen if parents combined their childhood memories with a new twist on today’s versions of birthday parties? Many parents might think that taking the birthday child and their friends to historical places for a special birthday treat, would be boring for the children. However, parents can get costumes for kids to dress up in while visiting these historical landmarks.

Children in elementary school learn about the Presidents, the founding fathers, inventors, and astronauts. Choose the places you will visit, and create a theme around it. Kids will have a hands-on learning experience and because children love to dress up, they will not think of it as a school lesson.

For added effect, consider preparing party favorites that go along with the theme of the party, and have a picnic at a nearby park. Look up the history of games played in the past, or create activities coinciding with the theme of the party.

If the weather is not ideal, take the kids to a fast food restaurant. A dozen or so kids dressed up like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, or John Glenn will certainly be eye-catching for other patrons. Then, head back to the house for cake and ice cream, and have everyone talk about what they learned that day.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: Birthday, George Washington, John Glenn

Tips for Helping Your Child Grieve

As a parent, one of the most difficult things you may have to face is how to help your child grieve. Whether it is from the death of a beloved pet, a friend or a family member, children may not be emotionally or mentally equipped to properly grieve. As an adult you know how truly painful that anguish is that your child is feeling. Here are a few tips that can help you assist your child in dealing with this pain.

Listen and be prepared to take the appropriate time to answer any and all questions. Through listening, you can help your child comprehend the death better.
Talk honestly to your child about death. Don’t make up stories in hopes of alleviating his or her pain. The truth will help your child determine what is real and what is not true. Tips for talking about death and grieving can be found at many online sites as well.
Help your child express their deep feelings about the death. In addition, you need to take these feelings seriously to help them cope.
Your entire family may be grieving as well, so it is important to make sure that your child is included in the process. Don’t send them away to a friend’s house or to a babysitter, as this will not allow them to properly grieve with other family members. It may also cause feelings of isolation.
Finally, give your child plenty of love and affection so they will feel secure when dealing with his or her grief.

Filed Under: Child, Grieving, Parenting Tagged With: Grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Support group

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

Raising Your Credit Score After Bankruptcy

p>If you have recently had to file bankruptcy you may feel that you are at a dead end and that you may never regain financial solvency or a good credit score. You feel that your family is suffering emotionally and perhaps even physically because of the financial situation.

While you are doing everything you can to keep your family healthy emotionally by implementing plans for emotional support, you do need to think seriously about getting back on track financially. You will need to start the process of rebuilding your credit worthiness. Having a higher credit score will enable you to finance purchases in the future, as well as obtaining a better interest rate on those financed purchases. There are many ways to raise your credit score such as making sure that you pay all your bills on time. If you can, pay more than the minimum amount required. Consider opening a savings account and make regular deposits. Lenders look more favorably on people who have shown the ability to save on a regular basis.

You may be considering a step toward car refinancing in order to lower your monthly payments. Again, you will need to have a higher credit score in order to do this. You should not even attempt to apply for a refinancing scenario until your score is up to a satisfactory level. The higher your credit score, the better your chances are of being able to refinance at a lower interest and payment rate.

Take some time and develop a plan and you will soon be on your way to a better financial picture after bankruptcy.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: Credit card, Credit score, Finance

The Common Types Of Parenting Methods Used

There are different kinds of parenting styles that are commonly used by people. Some of the parenting styles are used by each and every parent. It is not true that a parent will use only one kind of parenting style. Each and every parent will use many parenting styles over a period of time. It is important for the parent to ensure that the results are seen through their parenting. The kids would be well behaved and disciplined as this is the most important outcome of the parenting.

The different methods of parenting include those like autocratic style, permissive type and also the neglecting type. The last method that has been mentioned is something that needs to be avoided. Any parent who is neglecting the child is asking for trouble. The child will not listen to the parents and instead will cause a lot of problems. The child who is neglected will also be difficult to discipline.

The permissive parenting style is something where the parent allows the child to get away with any mistake. This will cause the child to make more and more mistakes. This will cause a lot of problems as the child grows. So, this kind of parenting style should also be avoided. Instead, the permissive style of parenting should also be used at times, but when the child does make mistakes, the parent needs to control the child by giving adequate punishment.

There are some parents who are autocratic in nature. These are the people who aill cause a lot of ill will in their children because of their dictatorial style of parenting. This can cause the child to be very submissive and may not shine when he grows up.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Parent, Parenting styles

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

The Underlying Grief That Causes Irritating Behavior in a Child

Pretty much anyone we spend any amount of time with can develop some pretty annoying behaviors. Children are certainly no exception. In many cases the child may not even be aware of what he or she is doing. Often there is some emotional issue that is manifesting itself through these habits. If there has been a significant loss in the child’s past, then it could be the underlying grief that causes irritating behavior in a child.

After the death of a parent or someone close, children sometimes pick up irritating behaviors such as whining, clinginess, or constantly interrupting others. To adults it’s just annoying and something that should be easy to fix. Not so with children. The threat of punishment will not make the behavior go away. If the behavior seems to come out the blue, it could be that a significant death from years earlier is still playing out in the child.

If your child picks up some annoying habits, consider that it is grief related. You might simply need to be more reassuring to the child to let them know that you are not going away. You can gently point out the problem and ask them to stop. They probably won’t realize their doing it. You can reward them for kicking that irritating habit. But mostly, you need to help the child understand the loss and work through it in a healthy way.

If the behavior continues, then a child psychologist may be needed. If you notice that certain situations make the behavior stop naturally, then try to keep that atmosphere more prevalent in the child’s life. Does baseball seem to make the child act more normal? It could be those activities are what feels normal. As the child grows emotionally, the tic or habit will go away. But the adults in the child’s life have to assess the irritating behavior and be vigilant in making sure the child feels secure and loved.

Filed Under: Child, Parenting Tagged With: Behavior, Child, Mental health

The Thin Line Between Abuse And Spanking In Parenting

Parenting is an art. The reason for this is because there are only a few parents who are able to control their kids. There are many parents who try parenting, but are not able to be successful in this. This is the reason for the parenting to be called as an art. The main and the most important question in parenting is to know if the child needs to be spanked and of there is a difference between spanking a child an also abuse of the child.

Many of the experts feel that the spanking of a child is something that should not be done. The reason for this is that when the child is spanked, the child may lose the confidence that he or she has. The child may also become very scared. There are many other kids who are not able to take spanking and they also become abusers when they become older. All these are the reasons for the experts to feel that parenting should not invite spanking.

In spite of this argument, there are many kids who need spanking at some time or other. This is because they need to understand some of the right from the wrong. When they are punished in other methods, they may not realize the seriousness of the mistakes that they made. So, there is only a thin line of difference between abuse and also punishing the child with spanking. So parenting needs to be done very carefully and parents need to make sure that the kids are given spanking only for extreme mistakes. At all other times, they should be punished with other methods like giving time outs and also cutting out television programs.

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