Parenting Articles
Back To School Routines
School activities are a huge departure from summer days filled with camp, trips, and late bed times. The transition back to school may not be easy for children or parents. As your child begins school, work on developing the routine and rituals of getting ready on time, having breakfast, and getting out the door for the school bus or ride. Getting into these daily routines can be a major source of tension in many families. Nagging and shouting often occur naturally as the parent tries to get their child moving in the morning. Remember to keep the tensions down and stay calm. If your child is not great at one part of the routine (getting out of bed and dressed on time), you can help. Perhaps clothes for [...]
How to Avoid Summer Vacation Meltdowns
A family vacation is a great way to spend time together and make lasting memories. It can also be a recipe for disaster. Here are some tips to help make your vacation more enjoyable. Long car rides. A road trip is a popular way to get to your family vacation spot. Hours in the car, can also be very difficult for children. Everyone is tired, hungry and sick of sitting. Be sure to pack snacks, activities, and take breaks for kids to get out and stretch and run a little. While you are away. Although family vacations are exciting, for many children being away from home and usual routines can be stressful. Consider establishing something as routine while you are away. Maybe you continue to [...]
Family Summer Time
School is almost out and that can be a relief for many families. During the school months, getting children up and out of the house on time, making special arrangements for after school or sick days, getting homework done, and so on is hectic. Summer can be a welcome and valuable break from these struggles, but of course has its own challenges and opportunities. Summer is a great time for family activities. It is beneficial for a family to have at least one activity in which family members are together. How expensive the event is, how much excitement the event brings to the child, and how many souvenirs are bought are not important. Family activities can increase a child's psychological and behavioral well-being. Going to a sporting event, [...]
Choosing the Right Activities for Your Child And Practice
Many parents want to have their child participate in lessons or activities of some kind to learn a new skill or develop a competence. These can include lessons in one of the arts (dance, music) or sports (gymnastics, swimming, martial arts). These activities often represent challenges for parents including selecting which activity, managing transportation, encouraging the child to practice, and of course the costs. It can be valuable to have your child learn a new area of competence. In selecting which activities are best for your child, there are a few considerations that may be helpful. Give priority to activities that can be lifelong. For example, developing an interest in a team sport such as baseball may not be lifelong, but physical activity and exercise [...]
New Year, Small Changes
Many parents use the beginning of a new year to reflect on changes they would like to make in themselves and with their children. Maybe you would like your child to be a better listener, be more respectful, or get along with siblings better. Big goals and ideas are great, but to make real change, we suggest you think smaller. You may wonder why you should start small if my child knows how to be good and is just not doing it. It seems that children often "know" how to do something especially if they have done it before, but they do not do the behavior consistently. Is that manipulative? Is it defiant? Usually the answer is "no" to both questions. In fact, knowing something [...]
“There’s no need to change your life to use every single one of the techniques for every situation. But if you’re sick of lecturing, threatening, and punishing, you can make life less stressful by reaching for one or more of the tools.”
— The Everyday Parenting Toolkit
