A penny for your thoughts… and a dollar for your efforts. It’s the old allowance conundrum. We’re talking chore charts, compensation rates and more. For an allowance novice, it can feel like a real handful. The dilemma goes beyond what to give and what not to give to your children….
Whether it’s an April shower, a sick day or just a quiet day indoors, things can get boring pretty fast. If you don’t want your kids to veg out in front of the TV for hours, then arts and crafts can provide a great diversion. But don’t run to the…
Sometimes it seems that babies cry for absolutely no reason. You’ve fed, burped, changed and clothed the baby properly. You’ve ruled out illness. And if you have to play that Barney song one more time to get the baby to calm down, then you’re the one who’ll be crying. What…
Sex, drugs and alcohol — these are subjects you’ll want to talk about with your children before there is a problem. As a family, you can establish boundaries and consequences and come to a common understanding of what is acceptable. Sex: According to Advocates for Youth, statistics indicate that children…
Young, wild, and free … isn’t that what it’s supposed to feel like to be a teenager? While it’s normal for teens to push and discover their limits, it’s also dangerous. Due in large part to the fact that parenting decisions are only as sound as the information on which…
Parenting can be a fun and exciting journey for anyone that wants to have kids. Along the path, they discover the bumps and bruises that parenting is all about. One of the first things a parent thinks about when having a baby is making sure that it is protected. Baby…
None of us want “spoiled” kids – kids who are bratty, self-centered, demanding, inconsiderate. So, what spoils children and what doesn’t? When I was raising my children, I was often told that I would spoil them if I didn’t let them cry – if I held them a lot. Fortunately,…
Preschool education is a hot topic among parents and early childhood educators today. If you are the parent of a preschooler (or younger child) you need to ask yourself why you should care about preschool learning. There are three key reasons why you should not only concern yourself with your…
Many kids suffer from low self-esteem, which can lead to depression and other feelings of worthlessness. A child’s self-esteem forms early in life, even when a child is a baby learning to roll over successfully. The pattern of trying, failing, trying again and ultimately succeeding builds a child’s self-esteem intrinsically….
Pop Pop. Mom Mom. Papa. Nana. Grandpa. Grandma. They go by many different names, but their role is always the same – to spoil their grandchildren with hugs, kisses and everything in between. Every year, Grandparents Day falls on the first Sunday after Labor Day. When Marian McQuade founded National…