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1) Children need to be able to fall asleep on their own. Infants and toddlers who are always rocked to sleep, or breastfed or bottle fed to sleep, learn to depend upon others for falling asleep and do not develop their own falling asleep mechanism. This can cause much distress for parents who go through the nightly nightmare of trying to get their infant or toddler to sleep. Instead of always picking up and rocking a crying little one, which only reinforces the childs dependency on you putting him or her to sleep, try patting the child and then leaving for a few minutes. If you keep coming in, patting your child and reassuring him or her that you are here, eventually your child will stop depending upon you to rock, hold or feed him or her to sleep.

2) Children need to learn very young to play by themselves and amuse themselves. It is not healthy for children to be constantly dependent upon others, or upon the TV, to amuse them. I work with many adults who never learned to play by themselves. These adults feel lost when they are alone, having no idea what to do with themselves. Instead of turning to creative or learning opportunities, they may participate in addictions such as eating, drinking, drugs, TV, work, spending, and so on. When children learn to play by themselves at a young age, they tend to be more self-sufficient and creative as adult.

3) Children need to learn how to self-nurture. This means that they need to learn how to take some responsibility for their own feelings. Infants often self-soothe with their blanket, thumb, or pacifier. But as they grow older, they need to learn other ways of self-nurturing because they will not be taking their blanket or pacifier to school.

Even children as young as 2 1/2 years old can learn to attend to their own feelings. You can help your young children start to take responsibility for their feelings by giving them a doll or stuffed animal that represents their emotions. You can tell them that the doll or stuffed animal is the baby inside them that has a lot of different emotions. When they are feeling sad or angry, they can learn to talk to the baby inside and find out what that baby needs from them or from you. As they get older, they can learn to connect their thoughts with their feelings. They can learn that if they judge themselves by telling themselves that they are bad or stupid or ugly, they will feel very badly.

It is vitally important for all of us to connect our thoughts with our feelings. Most of us grew up believing that others caused all our good and painful feelings. If someone yelled at us or told us we were bad or stupid or ugly, we certainly felt badly, and if someone approved of us, we felt good. So we learned to believe that all our feelings are being caused by others. It is important for children to learn that their feelings are also affected by what they tell themselves and how they treat themselves. For example, if an older brother tells his younger brother that he is stupid, the younger child might start to tell himself he is stupid, without realizing that he is causing himself to feel very badly. By talking with his baby, he might realize he is treating himself in a way that is hurting him.
He also might also be able to understand that his brother is not telling him the truth. The way he can learn to realize this is by learning to access his Source of Love and Truth.

Small children can easily learn to open to a powerful Source of Love and Truth. You can ask them to imagine a wonderful friend, a guardian angel, or a fairy godmother. It is very easy for most children to imagine a wonderful being who is here to love them and guide them. They can be encouraged to ask questions of this loving being, such as Is it true that I am stupid? They can learn to bring through true and loving statements to themselves when they open to learning with their spiritual Guidance.

These skills, learned early in life, will do much to foster personal responsibility in our children.

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See if this scenario is familiar. Alan, 9, has known since October 1 that his book report is due by the end of the month. Mom sees at the end of the second week, Alan hasnt even started. Alan, youre going to read the next 20 pages for your book report. I mapped out how many pages you have to read every day to still have time to write the report, but youll only make it if you keep to my schedule. Now get started. He trudges upstairs and begins to read, but puts the book aside to play a video game. He repeats this pattern for the next week and a half. On October 30, he suddenly realizes his report is due!

Mom, he cries in panic, Im not done with my book report! Ive read most of it, but I havent gotten to the ending, and I still have to write the report! Its due tomorrow! What am I going to do? Hes crying remorsefully and he sincerely feels bad about the impending poor grade.

Mom devises a plan. Shell read the last two chapters of the book while Alan begins writing the summary. By the time hes written as far as he can, shell have read the ending and can tell Alan what happens.

Alans learned a lot, but not necessarily the lessons intended. Hes discovered that Mom will get him out of a jam he created for himself and that the ultimate grade counts more to Mom than how he earns it. He has notlearned taking responsibility for his grades or how to accomplish a longterm task. He doesnt have to organize his time or stick to a project, because if he messes up, Mom will take care of it.

This scenario could be much different. At the beginning of the month, Mom could ask Alan to set up a calendar, showing what pages hell read by what dates, leaving time for the actual report before the due date. If Alan is on schedule, she can build his self-praising skills by noting, It looks like youre sticking to your plan. Hows that feel?

If Alan goofs off for two weeks, Mom can ask…(read the full article at the link below)

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At first I thought of titling this article “The Lazy Parent’s Guide” but then I realized that most parents aren’t lazy, but they may have a slightly different philosophy about children and learning.

If you’re a big reader yourself or if you’re homeschooling, you’re probably concerned about how to teach your child to read. Reading is one of the most important skills a person can learn, and a great joy in life.

My laid-back methods of teaching a child to read:

1) Be a reader yourself

Children naturally want to copy adult behavior. If your kids see you often with your nose in a book, they will probably begin to wonder what is so interesting about this activity.

2) Read to your kids

This is probably a huge no-brainer. Read to your kids early and often. And don’t read in order to “teach your child how to read”. I believe that the best way to teach your child to read is to NOT teach your child to read!

Read to your child because you enjoy it and it’s fun. Some forward-thinking education experts believe that the teaching of reading is mostly what prevents reading. After all, don’t adults read as a means to an end? Because they want to learn something or because they enjoy the act of reading?

3) Don’t worry so much

Don’t worry about a right or wrong way of reading to your child.

If your preschool-age child isn’t interested in books yet, or won’t sit still for more than 30 seconds to finish a story, don’t fret.

If your 3 year old wants to point at pictures or turn to favorite pages and ask a million questions, don’t fuss.

Children learn in different ways than adults do and I don’t think anyone knows enough about the human mind to figure it all out. Make reading together pleasant, not stressful.

And don’t worry about how old your child is when they learn to read. If they’re reading at 3 or at 8, studies show that it makes little difference in their intelligence or ability by the time they reach middle school.

4) Pick topics that interest your child

My oldest son’s interest in reading really skyrocketed when we started the Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket. We would sit for hours and read aloud together when he was only 5 or 6. Visit Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events for more information about these books.

These books were technically above his age level, but I advise you to forget all that.

John Holt, the legendary educator and author, has been quoted as saying:

“Its nice to have childrens books, but far too many of them have too much in the way of pictures. When children see books, as they do in the family where the adults read, with pages and pages and pages of print, it becomes pretty clear that if youre going to find out whats in those books, youre going to have to read from that print. I dont think theres any way to make reading interesting to children in a family in which it isnt interesting to adults.”

So let your child pick books from the library or bookstore and don’t concern yourself about whether the titles are “age appropriate”.

5) Strictly limit TV and other electronic media

A growing body of evidence is pointing to the fact that TV, video games and computer usage are hurting our children’s interest in reading. TV and video games rewire the brain and teach it to be lazy. Reading is much more work, because the mind can’t be passive while engaging in it (unlike plug-in entertainment). Kids who get bored are more likely to pick up a book.

Above all, have fun snuggling up with your child and enjoy reading together!

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But why do teens insist on drinking? Is it peer pressure? Is it the thrill of doing something illegal? Do they think it will make them cooler in the eyes of others? Most likely, it’s one (or more) of these reasons. Teens are easily pressured into things. Almost all of them want to be accepted, and are willing to do just about anything to gain acceptance. Even the smartest student in school could very well be giving in to peer pressure, drinking, doing drugs, and having promiscuous sex.

Most Parents wouldn’t like to think of their child being the one to give in. “My child is smarter than that,” they say. While it is quite possible your child is very intelligent, it takes a very strong willed teen to just say “no.” The fact is that most teens will give in to peer pressure at one time or another, whether it be with alcohol or something else.

Parents need to be on the watch when it comes to their teens. Make sure you know where they’re going and verify that parents are going to be there. This will likely assure that drinking will not take place, but it is still a possibility. Make sure your teen knows the consequences and dangers of alcohol over-consumption, such as liver damage and alcohol poisoning. Teens usually have a different attitude about it if their parents explain to them the effects of alcohol. Parents work a lot better than health class in school, and can be more personal.

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In this article we will discuss some of the ways you can teach your teen to be responsible when it comes to both money and credit. We will discuss several options in regards to credit and cash management for teenagers.

Many of us, even as adults, dont really know a lot about money management. This article may also help you as an adult manage your money and credit better. First lets discuss goal setting. Why do you need to manage your money? What are you trying to accomplish?

The first thing you can introduce your teen to and maybe even yourself to do, is tracking where your money goes. How many times have you asked, Where did I spend all that money? If you have ever asked that then tracking your money can give you great insight into managing your budget better.

There are workbooks you can buy or you can use a simple notebook. Have your teen do this with you so you can both learn together. If you make it a family experience, your teen is more likely to pay attention and participate, because they will get to see how you manage your money too. It has the extra benefit of making you manage your money better to set a good example.

In this new workbook you and your teen write down every expense. Every time you or they spend money on ANYTHING, it gets written down. Not in a category, what was actually paid for with the money. You will be able to review this later when building categories like, Items I could have done without.

When you review your workbooks together, trade them. Each of you can mark what expenses the other probably should not have paid out and how much money you could each have saved if you didnt make those extra expenditures.

It isnt a bad idea for you to make a couple of mistakes on purpose so your teen gains confidence that they can handle their money and identify what expenditures were not necessary. You need to understand that the spending habits your teenager acquires in their teens will stay with them for the rest of their life.

An allowance is okay, but just until they get a job. Never make the allowance enough to get the things they want most. Make them learn to save their money up to buy those things. Once they do have even a part-time job, no more allowance. They will respect the money they earn a lot more than the money you give them.

When your teenager is around 16 and has a job, help them open their own checking account. Teach them how to balance their checkbook. If you have been doing the workbook with them, this should be easy. You can help them get a prepaid credit card or teach them how to use the debit card that comes with their new checking account responsibly.

Again, if you two have been doing your workbook and marking down everything you spend money on, managing a debit card will be easy. Also by continuing to do the workbook, you will both learn how to save more money because you will be more aware of where your money gets wasted.

We all want to help our teens and we want to buy them nice things, but as parents we also need to teach them responsibility. Nowhere is that more important than teaching them to be responsible with money and credit.

Buy them the necessities, but make them pay for the extras. That applies to clothing, school supplies, or anything else, especially where your teenager decides they want the better, more expensive version of the items in question. Let them pay for the extras and they will appreciate their money much more or will learn to do without the most expensive item.

If you help them with the purchase of a car, offer to match them dollar for dollar toward the car. If you do plan to buy the car for them, make them responsible for the payment of the insurance, gas, and other extras. That will also have the added benefit of teaching them to respect and take care of their automobile.

I hope this article has given you some ideas about how to teach your teen how to handle credit and money. Just to repeat one thing, remember that what you teach your teen about money and credit now will determine how successful they will be later in life. So take the time to teach them.

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Even though self-esteem has been studied for decades, its precise nature and development is still subject to debate. However, child development experts generally agree that parents and other adults who are important to children play a major role in laying a solid foundation for a child’s self esteem development.

When parents and teachers of young children talk about the need for good self-esteem, they usually mean that children should feel good about themselves. With young children, self-esteem refers to the extent to which they expect to be accepted and valued by the adults and peers who are important to them.

Self esteem is so important in young children because it is a self fulfilling prophecy. The more confident children feel about their social, physical and intellectual success then the more likely they will succeed. Conversely, the less confident children feel then the more likely they will fail.

Children with a healthy sense of self-esteem feel that the important adults in their lives accept and care about them. They feel that those adults would be upset if anything happened to them and would miss them if they were separated. Children with low self-esteem, on the other hand, feel that the important adults and peers in their lives do not accept or care about them very much.

During their early years, young children’s self-esteem is based largely on their perceptions of how the important adults in their lives judge them. The foundations of self-esteem are laid early in life when infants develop attachments with the adults who are responsible for them. When adults readily respond to their cries and smiles, babies learn to feel loved and valued. Children come to feel loved and accepted by being loved and accepted by people they look up to. As young children learn to trust their parents and others who care for them to satisfy their basic needs, they gradually feel wanted, valued, and loved.

Self-esteem is also related to children’s feelings of belonging to a group and being able to adequately function in their group. When toddlers become preschoolers, for example, they are expected to control their impulses and adopt the rules of the family and community in which they are growing. Successfully adjusting to these groups helps to strengthen feelings of belonging to them.

Young children are unlikely to have their self-esteem strengthened from excessive praise or flattery. On the contrary, it may raise some doubts in children; many children can see through flattery and may even dismiss an adult who heaps on praise as a poor source of support–one who is not very believable.

As they grow, children become increasingly sensitive to the evaluations of their peers. When children develop stronger ties with their peers in school or around the neighborhood, they may begin to evaluate themselves differently from the way they were taught at home. You can help your child by being clear about your own values and keeping the lines of communication open about experiences outside the home. You can also help by teaching your child to socialize well with other children and encouraging interaction with children with similar family values.

Children do not acquire self-esteem at once nor do they always feel good about themselves in every situation. A child may feel self-confident and accepted at home but not around the neighborhood or in a preschool class. Furthermore, as children interact with their peers or learn to function in school or some other place, they may feel accepted and liked one moment and feel different the next. You can help in these instances by reassuring your child that you support and accept him or her even when others do not.

Self-esteem is most likely to be fostered when children are esteemed by the adults who are important to them. To esteem children means to treat them respectfully, ask their views and opinions, take their views and opinions seriously, and give them meaningful and realistic feedback.

A child’s sense of self-worth is more likely to deepen when adults respond to the child’s interests and efforts with appreciation or interest rather than just praise. Respond positively by taking their interests seriously with appropriate encouragement, for example, reading a book about dinosaurs or studying worms in the garden.

Young children are more likely to benefit from tasks and activities that offer a real challenge than from those that are merely frivolous or fun. Young children can be given appropriate responsibilities and tasks that make them a part of the community or family.

You can help your child develop and maintain healthy self-esteem by helping him cope with defeat as well as success. In the moment of failure remind your child that you still love and support him. Later, when the initial emotional response has passed talk with your child about the situation. Sometimes, it is important to point out that most people are not good at everything they try. Or perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from a mistake or lack of preparation. Teaching children to work past the small disappointments and troubles of childhood can help them handle the greater challenges life will throw in their path.

As a parent, you play a primary role in the development of your child’s sense of self worth and that sense of self will play a crucial role in your child’s future success. Showing your child that you value and care for her and helping her learn to value herself can go a long way to building that important sense of self esteem.

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You dont have to suffer endless night after night without sleep however, even with a newborn.

Babys actually follow certain sleep patterns, and if you get to know what these patterns are youll start sleeping more soundly and better the times you do have a chance to get some sleep!

Babys dont actually sleep at the same intervals adults do. They actually sleep very unsoundly. Their sleep is full of interruptions because their sleep cycle is not yet fully developed, thus they wake more often during the night.

Generally grown adults spend about six hours every night in deep sleep. This is the really restful phase of sleep you require to feel fresh and new in the morning. Usually time permitting another 2 hours are spent in light sleep.

Babys generally have twice as many light sleep cycles as adults though, and their deep sleep cycles are much shorter than adults.

Babys also have to LEARN how to fall back asleep, it is not a skill that comes naturally. Whereas adults might zonk out the moment their head hits the pillow, a baby will actually lie there looking for something to soothe them back to sleep.

Newborns actually sleep a lot, approximately 16 to 18 hours every day, but they dont enjoy this sleep all at the same time.

Most babys will sleep in increments of only two to three hour intervals. Sometimes their internal sleep clocks are also confused from being in the womb, and they mistakenly believe that night is day and day is night. This means that theyll spend more of their time sleeping during the day than at night!

Heres the good news, your babys sleep patterns will eventually changes, usually by about the time they are 12 weeks old. They will start sleeping about 14-16 hours per day, and many of those hours will be spent sleeping at night.

What can you do in the meantime to feel more refreshed?

- Sleep when your baby sleeps. No matter what time of day, take a nap whenever your baby does catch some zzzs.

- Open the blinds and keep things bright during the day. This will help change your babys clock around so they spend more of their time sleeping at night and not during the day.

- Sleep near your baby at night. This will help comfort them and allow them to sleep more easily. There are many co-sleeper products available that allow you to sleep with your baby safely at night. Consider trying one until your baby is about 12 weeks old, when they are old enough to start sleeping on their own.

- You can teach your baby to be a good sleeper with a little time and a little patience, armed with a little bit of knowledge about their sleep patterns!

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One of the best, most enjoyable things you can do with your kids, is to read to them. This is a great way to connect with them and to share different parts of your life story in a natural, easy, and relaxed setting.

One of the best books, or sets of books, to start reading your kids, is the “Little House on the Prairie” series. Beginning in the late 1800’s, it tells the story of a distant, almost forgotten, time in American history. A time that many of us might not believe ever existed, if Laura Ingalls hadn’t shared her life with us.

Can you imagine living without cars, without light switches, without TVs? Well, once you start reading “Little House”, you will be transported, in your imagination, back to moments that seem almost surreal. A time where kids actually played outside, and got dirt between their toes and beneath their fingernails. Where children were thrilled to get 1 or 2 holiday gifts, and enjoyed playing with them for months afterwards. A place where adults planted and grew, hunted and prepared their own foods, right from the land they were living on.

The Little House “picture” can’t be painted completely rosy, either. There are some statements and beliefs, throughout the series, that can make you cringe. You may even want to reconstruct how they are read to your kids. For example, almost all of the comments about Native Americans are derogatory. But you can not just sweep American history under a rug, or hide it, in the hopes that all the painful parts will just disappear or go away. Remembering the struggles and accomplishments is a large part of sharing and passing on your heritage to your children.

Your kids will probably be excited to share such relaxing, enjoyable quality time with you. Plus the thrill of each chapter, will provide a rich and pleasant adventure for you and them.

Whether fighting a bear in hand-to-hand combat, or travelling all night across a frozen lake, or enjoying the beauty of Jack Frost’s artwork on a window pane, you are sure to find something that you and your children will love in the “Little House” series. So make plans to start reading to your kids, and open up a whole new world of imaginative possibilities.

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