Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Ease The Stress Of Parenting By Following These Tips

By Abena Nena


With the amount of books and videos available, you would think that everybody would be an expert on parenting by now. Unfortunately this is not the case because people are either getting bad advice, or they choose to not act on the advice that they are given. Use the advice provided in this article to help you be a great parent.

You need to set boundaries for your children right away. Children need to know what the expectations are and that they are expected to do certain things. By creating boundaries for your children you will be showing them that you care enough to pay attention to what they are doing.

Never assume that your children will just "learn it at school". If your children learn about drugs, sex, and alcohol at school, they will not be learning them with your morals in mind. This will also teach your children that you are not the person to turn to when they are faced with important life issues. Your children will be more likely to engage in these behaviors if they do not learn them at home.

If you have multiple children, you and your spouse or partner should each plan one-on-one time with each child. Your "dates" might include accompanying you on trips to the store, going out for ice cream, or other activities. Your children will relish in the individual attention, and they will appreciate being able to talk to you about their lives without interruption from their siblings.

Make use of online video conferencing to build your children's relationships with relatives who live far away. By scheduling regular calls with grandparents, aunts, and uncles, your child will become familiar with their relatives and not be timid around them when they come to visit in person. Your child will be able to enjoy the relationships despite the distance.

Routines are very important in a child's life. A routine is a not a rigid schedule, but a way of carrying out each day in the same basic structure and pattern. Routines give a child a better sense of security because the child knows what to expect from day to day life. They help children learn to organize their work and to develop and keep important and healthy habits.

To encourage adventurous palates and cultivate manners, introduce your children to the concept of a "no, thank you" or to have bite or serving. This teaches them not to insult someone by refusing food or pronouncing it "yucky," and by trying just a little, they may end up liking the new food anyway.

To get your child to take his or her foul-tasting medicine, try mixing it with a little chocolate syrup. You can also refrigerate the medicine to make the taste a little duller. Most medicines can be refrigerated, just make sure the bottle can be refrigerated before placing in the fridge.

Time-outs can be an effective tool when trying to teach appropriate behavior, but don't start doling out this popular consequence without a plan. Stay consistent with the reasons for giving a time-out, avoid talking with your child while they are sitting in a time-out and then, finish off the process with a comment about something positive and you will see just how powerful a well-planned time-out can be.

When you are traveling with your baby, be sure to set up your room as soon as you arrive at your destination. The closer the set up is to your room at home, the more comfortable your baby will be. This will help keep things as calm as possible during your stay.

Establishing a list of "House Rules" gives your child a sense of security, because your child will know exactly what behaviors are expected. Put your rules in writing and discuss them with your child to make sure your child understands what they mean. Set a good example by following the rules yourself.

Soothe your baby with your scent. A newborn can recognize the scent of her mother and is soothed by the smell, which makes her feel safe and secure. To help her sleep better or to soothe her while you are away, sleep with her bedding for a night, so it retains your scent.

Putting in the extra work when your children are young will make it easier for you to parent them when they are older. Setting reasonable rules and being consistent in their enforcement are important factors in discipline. Your children should know that you love them and are always on their side.




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