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Mar
06

CRYING BABY – REASONS.

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Introduction:

Crying is a normal event in the lives of all babies.When a baby comes out of the woomb the first thing to do is crying.By the first cry he will take some air in to the lungs for the first time in their life.After delivery if the baby doesnot cry then it should be initiated by slightly pinching or gently strocking the feet.From this it is clear that the healthy baby should cry and it is a normal physiological event ,still some times it can upset the mother or family members.

We all know that a baby can’t tell his needs or troubles in words. The only way for him to communicate with others is by crying.Babies show some other signs like feet kicking,hand waving and head turning ect.But the best way to take the attention of others is by crying.

Excessive crying may not have a firm definition because the crying habit changes from baby to baby and some babies can be calmed easily but some are difficult to sooth.If crying is distressing for the mother and home nurse it can be called excessive.Many a times baby become quiet by giving breast milk or by carrying with a gentle rocking.Sudden onset of excessive crying means baby is distressed and needs attention.The causes of crying extends from simple reasons to life threatening conditions.Hence crying of a baby should not be ignored.

Most of the time it is difficult to find the cause of the cry .Common causes are discussed here for awareness.

Common reasons for crying:

1,Hunger:–

A hungry baby will cry till he gets the milk. Here the old saying comes true’crying baby gets the milk’.

2,Wetting:–

Urination and defecation causes some discomfort and results in crying till his parts are cleaned and made dry .

3,Company:–

Majority of the kids need somebody near. If they feel lonely they cry.When their favourite doll slips away from the grip they cry for help.

4,Tired:–

When the baby is tired after a journey and unable to sleep just cry simply.They feel tired in uncomfortable sourroundings and due to unhealthy climate.

5,Heat & cold:–

If they feel too hot or too cold they become restless and cry. Child is comfortable in a room with good ventilation.

6,Tight cloathing:–

Tight cloaths especially during warm climate is intolerable for kids.Tight elastic of the the dress can also produce soreness in the hip region.

7,Dark room:–

When the baby wakes up from sleep he needs some dim light.If there is darkness he will disturb the sleep of parents by crying.Ofcourse he will be irritated by strong light resulting in cry.

8,Mosquito:–

Yes,these creatures disturb the sleep by their blood sucking and make the baby to cry.

9,Nasal blocking:–

Child may not be able to sleep when there is a cold and go on crying till the passage is open.

10, Phlegm in throat:–

This also causes difficult breathing resulting in cry.Often a typical sound can be heard with each breath.

11,General aching:–

Generalised body ache with restlessness is seen in flu and prodromal stages of some infectious diseases can result in continuous cry.

12,Habitual cry:—Some babies cry without any real cause ending the parents in agony.Many a times doctor is called for help.

13,Nappy rash:– If a tight and wet nappy is kept for a long time results in this conditon.
Rash can also be due to some allergic reaction to the elastic material of the nappy. When the rash appears it causes soreness and baby become sleepless and cry. All other skin lesions like eczema,ecthyma ,candidiasis ect also causes same problems.

14,Earache:–

Ear infection is common in wet climate.The infection may spread from the throat.Ear infection can result in rupture of ear drum causing discharge of pus.Eareache usually becomes worse at night when lying down.Child will become restless with cry and may not allow you to touch the ear.Some children with earache rub the affected ear frequently.

15,Colic:–

When the baby cry continuously most of us diagnose it as colic.This roblem is still a topic for debate because exact cause for colic is not known and diagnosis is also difficult to confirm.Colic may be associated with rumbling and distention of abdomen.Child often feels better when lying on abdomen.Some children may not allow you to touch the abdomen.If the child cries continuously doctors help is needed.

16,Infections:–

All infections causes some kind of pain or irritation resulting in cry.Infection may be anywhere in the body.Usually it is associated with fever, redness and swelling.

17,Reactions to certain food:–

It is said that one man’s food is another man’s poison. Some food articles can produce some allergic reactions.Allergy is manifested in the form of redness, breathlessness,gastric symptons and continuous cry.

18,Hard stools:–

Constipated babies with hard stools may cry when they get the urge for stool.Some children hesitate to pass stool because of pain .

19,Gastro esophagial reflex:–

Here baby cries with spilling of food after feeding.If this continues it may be due to gastroesophageal reflex.This is due to failure of the lower part of esophagus to close after food causing regurgitation from the stomach.It is difficult to diagnose this condition and can be confirmed by giving antireflex medicines.

20, Dentition:–

During dentition child becomes restless with crying.Often associated with gastric troubles and diarrhoea.

Some rare reasons
—————–

1,Bowel obstruction:–

Bowel obstruction is associated with severe pain and vomiting.Abdomen is distended with rumbling sound.Baby is constipated with absence of flatus.

2,Septicemia:–

Invasion of pathogenic micro organisms in to the blood is called septicemia.Fever is associated with this condition.

3,Torsion of testes in male kids:–

When a male baby cries continuously his scrotum should be examined.Torsion of the testes produce severe pain which will be worse by touching the affected testes.When the testes is pressed upwards pain is releived.If this is not treated properly it can damage the affected testes due to lack of blood supply.

4,Meningitis:–

Initially there may not be fever,hence crying baby with alternate vacant stare and irritability should not be ignored.Fontanel is bulging. Neck rigidity and seizures may appear later.

5,Retention of urine:–

Children with retention of urine will have agonising pain making them restless.

7,Major injuries:–

Major injury to any parts of the body causes pain.Occasionally children will fall while arrying and results in head injury.Head injury is associated with reflex vomiting and convulsions.

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Feb
28

Is My Teen Lying?

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All teens lie, right? Teen lying is something that is done harmlessly and viciously. Teens lie for many reasons; most of them have to do with their ability to do it. Pulling a fast one over on mom and dad is something you probably tried too. But, in today’s world, lying teens can get into a whole lot more trouble than you could. That is what makes it so important to know if your teen is lying to you and then to handle it.

Teens lie that their homework is done. They lie that they are fine when they may be dealing with heavy amounts of stress. They lie because they want to do something you are saying no to. They lie and they lie. Yet, what should you do if you think that your child is doing this?

Here are some things to think about.

  • What makes you think they are lying? If you accuse them of lying to you, they will never fess up to it. Instead, they may try to cover it up and they may get away with it. Instead of accusing them, sit them down and talk to them about it. Really, you just need to talk about it without yelling and accusations to make the problems less important.
  • Teens lying may be built onto something. They may want to impress you with where they are in their lives. They may not want to disappoint you either. Make sure that you are not pumping them up so much so that they feel they have to lie to you.
  • The lying teen may be covering up trouble. Know your teen and recognize the symptoms of other problems. Talk with them about things like drugs, alcohol and sex. Talk with them about how to react to these situations. Spot when you think there is a problem and work it out then.

While all teens lie from time to time, those that make it a habit may be covering up something that is much bigger. It is up to you to handle this now, before the teens lying gets them into huge amounts of trouble.

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Its never to soon to teach your kids how to save! In fact, the sooner you teach them how to save the better they will be at learning how to manage their money in the future. If they start early saving, they will understand the value of money and how much can be accumulated over time by saving.

How should I start teaching my child how to save? A good way to start is to follow some of these tips to assist you with helping your child to save:

1. Give your child an allowance which will provide your child with money that they can manage. Encourage your child to save a least half of their allowance.

2. Show your kid how much interest they can earn over time on their money when they save it! Especially the power of compound interest.

3. By saving money today, your kids would have money saved, for a future purchase they might want to make.

4. Make saving fun for your kid. Have your child put their savings in a piggy bank or jar so they can watch their money grow.

5. Open a bank account for your kid and let them deposit money from their allowance or other monies received into their bank account.

You say this is all good information, however, youre unable to give your kids an allowance because you just dont have enough money. What should I do, I really want my child to learn how to save? Dont fret, they can still save! You can have them save by collecting bottles and cans to earn money so they can start saving. No matter, how much money your kids earn, every amount adds up!

So, it seems easy, It really is! Get your kids into the habit of saving today, so they will learn how to manage their finances now and for the future.

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Jan
29

Helping Kids Become Good Readers

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Reading is such an important life skill that it is important to do everything that you can to help your children become the best readers they can be. To encourage your childs reading habits, it is pertinent that you not only give them the skills to succeed at reading, but give them the tools that make them enjoy it as well. If you can get your children to love reading at an early age, you will turn them into life long readers and studies show that kids that love reading tend to do better in school, which helps them to prepare for whatever life throws at them.

There are several ways to help your children in their quest for reading knowledge. There are many good programs, books, and even games on the market that help children learn the basics of reading fundamentals. With the market so saturated with different reading and phonics programs, parents often overlook a rather simple and fun way to get their kids excited about reading. Magazines are a great resource to use when you are trying to develop a love of learning in your children.

There are many childrens magazines on the market that are geared for children that dont even read yet. While it may seem silly to buy a magazine subscription for a child that doesnt know his letters, it is a great way to have fresh material that you can read to your toddler. Research has shown that children that are read to become readers and it is never too early to instill a love of reading in a child. If you make reading to your child a part of your daily routine, reading will become a habit to them, in much the same way getting dressed or brushing their teeth becomes a daily activity. There is also a lot to be gained relationally when you take the time to let your little one snuggle on your lap and listen to your voice as you take off on the merry adventures each story offers.

Once your child is old enough to begin learning to read or if he has already started to read on his own, a subscription to a magazine of his or her own can be an exciting treat. Let your child be involved in the process of picking out the magazine subscription. If you really want them to be excited about reading it, you should let them pick out the title of the magazine that they want. If you are worried about the choice they will make, give them a chance to choose between a select few titles that have been pre-approved by you. The main thing is to allow them to be involved in the process, so that they take a little ownership in it and really feel as if the magazine is their own when it comes. If they are old enough to do math, let them calculate the total cost of the magazine. Have them add up how much it would cost if your were to buy each magazine separately at the grocery store and then have them subtract that amount so they can see how much you are saving by taking out a subscription.

Once you have ordered the magazine remind them everyday that it will soon be coming in the mail. Once it does arrive, make a big deal about it, telling them they have mail of their very own. If you have more than one child, each one should get their own subscription to a different magazine. That way they can share them, but at the same time, everyone feels special and important because they have their very own magazine to read.

Once your child has thumbed through the magazine, encourage them to pick out a story and read it to you. This is a great way to spend time with your child while you are cooking dinner or folding the laundry. If they are reluctant to read out loud, ask them to retell you a story they read or describe what they just read about. Ask them lots of questions so they have to think about what they read and soon when they read, they will have better and better retention levels.

Magazines are a great way to get kids excited about reading and an inexpensive way to introduce your child tons of new information. With hundreds of magazines geared toward children available, you can start expanding your childs world today!

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Babies must eventually learn how to sleep away from their mothers. This transition takes some time, and new parents can help by establishing good sleeping habits for their newborns. The added benefit of creating good sleep habits for the baby is that parents also get more rest!

Most recommendations focus on developing routines and habits for babies that encourage them to associate sleeping with nighttime. The sooner parents can get their children to associate bedtime with sleeping, the more likely the children will be able to go to sleep without making a fuss.

However, the transition period, the time that exists between being awake and going to sleep, is often overlooked in these recommendations. Several techniques can be applied during this period.

One technique is known as fathering down. Just before putting the baby into the bed, the father should cradle his baby so that the babys head lies on the fathers neck. The father should talk to his child gently. Babies are often soothed by a male voice because it is deeper than the female voice, and they may fall asleep more easily after hearing the fathers voice for a time.

Another technique is called wearing down. This can be especially effective if a baby has been active all day and is too excited to be put to bed easily. Put the baby in a sling or carrier and wear him or her for approximately 30 minutes before bedtime. Perform your usual tasks. The baby will experience an easier transition from wakefulness to sleep because of being close to you and being slowly rocked by your general movements before bedtime.

If these techniques fail, you may want to try driving down. This is a method of last resort and involves putting the baby in the car and driving around for a period of time until the baby falls asleep. While this method is somewhat inconvenient, it is usually effective. If you need some well-deserved rest, driving down is an attractive option.

Of course, you dont want to get into the habit of driving the baby around in the car every night! And you dont want to always carry the baby in sling before bed to encourage sleep. The idea is to use these techniques and slowly ease away from them. You should only use them during the major transition that your new baby experiences when he or she has never slept alone before. The baby does not know how to handle the transition, so you must teach him or her how to go from being awake to being asleep. These transition techniques can gradually be eliminated as the baby learns good bedtime habits, and both you and the baby can then have a good nights sleep!

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Parenting does not constantly have to be a demanding job. There are ways to take care of your kids after consistently getting warn out. Here is a list of approachs that a person can use to help administer their daily problems and anxieties while pleasing the kids.

Share the tasks of being a parent with your better half. Do not try to do everything all at once. If you and your better half can learn to work as one then parenting will not be as difficult. Your stress will come down when you share the tasks in looking after the kids.

Many times we get dumbfounded with many irregular tasks that we face. When this occurs, a person should be obliged to stop what they are doing and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the dilemma. A person could take a walk, read a book, or watch some TV to get their mind off of their dilemmas. This will help you to refocus on your situation.

Do not put off tomorrow what you can do today. Concerns have a habit to build up if you keep adjourning them. Do what you can do today. If you have to help your kids with a college activity, then try to get going today instead of dawdling till the end of the week. When the end of the week comes, you will feel exeptional that you got going in this differentiating task.

Learn to pace yourself. Don’t do too much seeing as you will get burned out. Parenting is hard work! A person can only do so much in a individual day. Stay disciplined and don’t do everything all at once. This will help you to administer your stress.

Take a day to relax. Having the day off to go to the beach or to go to the shopping mall will help you to relax. Let your guardian or better half take care of the kids for part of the day.

Being a parent does not have to be that difficult. Finding ways to cope with your stresses will help you to enjoy parenting and enticing of the kids. If you have commotion doing this, then seek the welfare of an expert.

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Be a Good Teacher for Your Baby

Babies learn by exploring the things around them. Show your baby how to look at, listen to, touch or smell something new or different. Hold your baby so she (or he) can see things. Help her hold objects like her socks or a rattle. As she grows, give her safe objects to feel, shake or put into her mouth.

Be your babys teacher. She (or he) will see how you react to things. When you get excited about a toy or object, shell get excited too. As she grows, show her how things workfor example, how doors open and close. Talk about what you are doing. For example, I am putting the food in the pot to cook it.

When a baby is learning something new, it helps her to try it again and again. With your help and support this can be fun, and your baby will like trying new things.

Protect your baby from harsh disapproval, teasing or punishment. A baby doesnt understand right from wrong. She doesnt know what things are dangerous for her to do. Watch her to keep her safe. Remove her from situations where she can be hurt or injured.

Talk and sing to your baby. Even before she is able to speak, this helps her develop language skills. Babies learn best when you talk to them.

Read to your baby from the earliest months of her life and continue this habit as she grows.

Babies Have People Skills, Too

From the start, your baby is interested in your face. She notices your expressions and tone of voice. She reacts to your emotions. For example, when you say something in a soft and loving way, she will relax and feel more secure.

Scientists have learned that babies show emotions as early as when they are one month old. Something else scientists have learned is that feeling good helps babies learn better.

Why? Happy babies are more alert, attentive and responsive. Babies remember things better when they are happy and at ease. The way you hold and talk to your baby can help her feel happy.

Babies who are alert and feeling good are more likely to look at things, explore and play. They will pay attention more. For example, they will try to make new things happen with toys or make sounds with people. This helps them learn and remember new things.

Brief periods of distress or difficulty will occur. These will not harm a child. Short periods of negative emotions can be helpful for your baby. You should do something quickly to help her feel better. From this she will learn you care about what she tries to tell you. Long periods of negative emotion, like crying, can do harm.

In the first month, the negative emotion that occurs is distress or a response to pain. Later, she will show sadness and anger. Next comes fear. All people have these emotions to protect themselves. Help your baby be at ease with having emotions. Respond to her emotions in a warm and loving way.

You can tell what your baby is feeling by changes in her facial expression. You can also see what she is feeling by her posture, movements and the sounds she makes.

Learning to Communicate

It will be months before your baby says her first word. But babies start learning about language much earlier.

Even in the first few weeks after birth, your baby is learning about language. Very young babies can tell the difference between speech and other sounds. They can tell the difference between the voices of men and the voices of women. They even know the voices of their own mothers. A baby can tell the voice of her mother from the voices of other women. Researchers think babies are able to do this because of the way specific parts of their brains work.

Babies can also communicate long before they speak. They use movements and sounds to let you know what they want or dont want. Some people refer to these as a babys signals.

Right now, your baby can tell you if she needs something by fussing or crying. She can also let you know when she likes something or someone by looking intently. Babies learn best how to tell parents what they like or dont like when they begin to see that parents respond to them in positive ways.

Even before she can speak, you need to talk to your baby. Even though there are differences among individuals, babies whose parents talk to them talk sooner. They also have larger vocabularies. Talking to babies gives them language skills that will help them learn more easily when they get to school. Hearing words on the radio or TV is not very helpful to babies learning language. Your baby benefits from having you up close smiling, talking and singing.

Babies Cry for Lots of Reasons

Crying is the way newborns communicate. Your new baby cries to let you know she needs or wants something.

The first thing to try when she cries is to feed her. By noticing when she wants to be fed and when she doesnt, you will learn which cries mean that she is hungry, uncomfortable or wants attention. Sometimes she will want to be held. Sometimes she wants a dry diaper. Sometimes she is tired or bored.

As you and your baby get to know each other, you will sometimes be able to tell the difference between each kind of crying. You can then try to give her what she needs.

Taking care of your baby when she cries will not spoil her. It will help your baby feel loved and secure.

Smile, touch and talk to your baby as often as possible. Do this when you feed her, change her diaper or give her a bath. Your baby will learn that she can rely on you to take care of her.

Ways to Soothe Your Baby

Sometimes babies cry even when they have been fed, have clean diapers and are healthy. If your baby is crying because she needs comfort, there are many things you can do. Every baby is different.

Here are things you can try to find out what calms your baby down.

- Rock your baby in your arms or while sitting in a rocking chair.

- Stroke your babys head very gently, or lightly pat her back or chest.

- Make soft noises to let your baby know you are there and you care.

- Talk to your baby.

- Softly sing to your baby or play soft music.

- Wrap her up in a baby blanket (but not too tightly).

If your baby keeps crying after you have tried everything, stay calm. Babies know when you are upset. No matter how stressed you are, never shake your baby. Shaking your baby can cause blindness, brain damage or even death.

If you need a break, call a relative, neighbour or friend to help. All babies cry. You will not be able to comfort your baby every time. That does not mean you are a bad parent. Do the best you can to soothe and comfort your baby.

Heres a simple tip to help your baby cry lesscarry her. Research shows that babies who are carried more often dont cry as much as other babies.

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Have you made your usual New Year resolutions? You know the resolutions where you turn over a new leaf to get fit, steer away from junk food and start a savings plan. While you are reflecting on past bad habits and setting new directions for your personal life consider taking stock of your parenting as well.

A word of warning — you will probably feel a little inadequate as you look back on some of your past practices. If you are like most parents you nag your kids too much, over-react when they mess up and you probably regret not spending enough time with them. Dont be too hard on yourself. Not only is parenting the worlds hardest job but children arent born with owners manuals so we tend to rely on trial and error a great deal.

As you ponder the next twelve months of parenthood here are 15 New Years resolutions to consider. Avoid trying to adopt every idea. Be realistic and choose one or two to add to your list of New Years resolutions.

1. Be consistent with your discipline. This is a big ask as dealing with kids misbehaviour tests the patience and resolve of the even the most assured parents. Set consistent limits and boundaries, even for adolescents, and be willing to negotiate and give a little ground. When children refuse to cooperate or break the rules, act calmly and reasonably rather than resort to severe measures to teach them a lesson.

2. Avoid nagging, yelling and constantly reminding children to cooperate. Sometimes it is better to keep quiet than nag or remind children to do their chores, behave or just be reasonable human beings. It is no coincidence that parents who nag frequently complain of deaf children. There is usually nothing wrong with childrens hearing. They simply listen to what they want to hear.

3. Focus on childrens positive behaviours. If you find yourself continually pointing out your childrens misbehaviour and getting nowhere then try to ignore the inappropriate as much as possible. Get into the habit of catching kids being good. Like adults, children respond to favourable comments and are likely to adopt behaviours that gain them attention.

4. Encourage children persistently. It has been estimated that children hear 17 negative comments at home for every piece of praise or encouragement. Exposure to continuous criticism and negative comments can have disastrous effects on childrens self esteem. If you are not an encouraging person then linking your positive comments to something you normally do such as saying good night to your children. Then you will know that you have encouraged them at least once each day. Thats a good start.

5. Spend more time together as a family. In an era of working parents and busy children finding time for everyone to be home together is increasingly difficult. Be specific with this goal or it will end up on the scrap heap of broken resolutions. Aim to have at least one shared mealtime each week or spend one weekend a month devoted purely to family purposes.

6. Give yourself a regular break. Dont be a slave to your family. Taking time out to do something just for yourself is a necessity rather than a luxury. Revise your household routine, solicit the help of your partner or relatives, or employ a baby-sitter to provide you with some time-off.

7. Plan some time to be with your partner. Whether it is a romantic weekend away or just meeting for coffee together once a week make sure you have an opportunity to spend time with your partner – and dont talk about the kids.

8. Make guilt work for you. Lets face it, parents can find plenty of issues to feel guilty about. Leaving children in child-care, long hours spent at work, and even discipline measures are common sources of guilt. Avoid easing your guilt by being too lenient, spoiling or indulging children with toys or other material possessions. Guilt can be beneficial though; if it reminds you to take time off work to attend a childs school play children or prompts you to hire some domestic help to create more family time.

9. Make a plan to survive those difficult times. Only television families are free of manic times of the day. Mealtime mayhem, morning madness and bedtime battles are common in many families. Identify your difficult time of the day and get super organised and be willing to make yourself scarce if children make unnecessary demands on you at these times.

10. Stay out of childrens fights. Brawling siblings disturb the peace so it is difficult for parents not to become involved. Chances are you either plead for peace and quiet, make a ruling to end the dispute, or take sides to lay blame on the child who caused the infraction. If you are tired of interfering in childrens battles then leave it up to them to resolve. When your children begin to bicker beat it to another part of the house or boot them outside until they have finished.

11. Control that television set. If the television is continually on in your house then it is time to establish some tight limits for viewing. Ten hours per week is a reasonable guideline for children of most ages. Have a television-free night and let children sample other forms of entertainment.

12. Check your childrens computer usage. Computers are rapidly replacing the television as the electronic baby-sitter in many families. To be fair, computers have more educational potential than the television but children predominantly use them for games, unless they receive assistance and direction from parents. Pull up a chair and join in rather than leave children to their own devices whenever they hit a computer.

13. Avoid giving into temper tantrums. Do you give in when your toddler throws himself on his back in the supermarket and thrashes about like a crab? Do you throw your hands up in despair if your teenager stomps off to her bedroom slamming the door behind her when she doesnt get her own way? Tantrums are a potent form of emotional blackmail designed to coerce parents to give in to childrens demands. Next time your child throws a major wobbly remove yourself and refuse to give in to such tactics.

14. Avoid the good parent syndrome. Good parents protect children from many of lifes difficulties and rob them of opportunities to develop independence and responsibility. They take forgotten lunches to school, pay fines for their childrens overdue library books and believe that chores are for parents rather than children. If this sounds familiar let children take more responsibility for their own actions in the coming year.

15. Keep misbehaviour in perspective. You probably think at times that your children or teenagers are the worlds worst or that no one else acts up like them. Think again. If your child misbehaves the chances are that he or she is no trailblazer. Many others mess up too. That is little comfort, however, if you have to put up with difficult kids day in and day out. Regardless of how hard things become try to focus on their positive behaviours and work hard to maintain your relationship even if it appears that the effort is all one way. Your persistence will pay off in the long run.

For more great ideas from Michael Grose to help you raise confident kids and resilient young people subscribe to Happy Kids, his fortnightly email newsletter. Just visit www.parentingideas.com.au and subscribe. Receive a free report on Seven ways to beat sibling rivalry in your email box when you subscribe

Michael Grose www.parentingideas.com.au

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