Search Results for: blog why modeling is good for your child

Raising a Moral Child

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Have you thought much about your child’s moral upbringing? Unfortunately it is one of the things that can fall by the wayside when you are a single parent. With all the other things that need to be done every day you may think that as long as you model good morals your children will learn by example. In some cases, this is true, in others, not so much. I’m not saying you have to take your kids to church every Sunday, I’m just saying that teaching morals needs to be a more active thing than simply modeling what you want … Continue reading →

Do You Force Your Kids to Apologize?

Why is it that parents are often segregated into two camps: Those who do and those who don’t? Those who apologize to their kids and those who don’t. Those who drag their kids to the mall on Black Friday and those who don’t. Those who allow their kids to run around naked in public and those who don’t. Those who whip slices of pizza at their unruly kid’s head when they are frustrated and those who absolutely, undeniably, under no circumstance, who even consider doing so. And, finally, the ultimate division in parenthood: Those who force their children to apologize … Continue reading →

Modeling Your Marriage for Your Kids

The other night at dinner, our four-year old daughter got very giggly, as little girls with their heads full of princesses and glittery things are wont to do. My husband and I looked back at her a few times and shrugged it all off to kid weirdness. We returned our attention to our dinners. A few minutes later, the giggling started again, along with a question, “Are you getting married again?” “We are already married, honey,” my husband responded. “Then why do you keep looking at each other?” she asked. Okay, this conversation was now getting interesting, I thought. We … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: November 2008

I hope that you had a good holiday with your little one(s). November went by so fast, it is hard to believe that december and the holidays are already upon us. Here are all of the blogs that we posted last month in the Baby Blog. November 1st Baby Blog Week in Review: October 20th Through October 26th As parents, we always worry about our children. It is so important to stay informed, whether it is an issue with BPA in plastics or baby clothing that is causing medical issues. Explore the posts in the Baby Blog for the week … Continue reading →

Teach Your Child How to Dream

I’m a firm believer that children need to be taught how to dream. By “dream,” I mean having a driving hope for the future—a clear concept or idea of what they want to do or be. Every child needs to learn this, and children with special needs are no exception. Some children develop a dream for their lives from early childhood, but many children must be taught to dream. These are the kids that shrug their shoulders and say, “I dunno,” when asked about their future plans. Why Dream? A child with a dream has greater motivation to achieve. Children … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Child What Makes a Good Friend

The fact is, we don’t always like our children’s friends. There, I’ve said it. Before I was a parent, I swore I was going to be nonjudgmental and hands-off when it came to letting my children choose their own friends and playmates. I have remained “almost” true to my pre-parenting promise, but I did learn that children don’t always naturally know how to be and choose good friends and that friendship is something we parents have a role in teaching too. There is a great deal of trial and error in the socialization of a child. Our kids probably learn … Continue reading →

Children Can Learn to Be Kind

Although I think there is a lot to be said for temperament and personality, there are still plenty of character traits that can be learned. I believe that kindness is one of those traits that a person is not necessarily born with, but can be taught and socialized. If we want our children to be kind and caring individuals, there are things we can do to help foster that… It might help to think about how kindness is NOT an innate expression in other living creatures. In fact, in the animal world, it is all about survival and kindness is … Continue reading →

Identify Your Triggers

There is a great deal of psychology that goes along with parenting–and it is not just child psychology. We have to dig down and understand some of our own issues and personal psychology in order to be effective, present, parents. It is quite easy to blame our children for all the tussles and miscommunication, but the fact is, we bring our own triggers and issues into our interactions with our children too. If you can identify your own triggers, you may be able to maintain control and be less likely to get into power struggles with your children. Additionally, owning … Continue reading →

Deal With Your Own Feelings First

If you have ever traveled on an airplane, you know that you are told that should an emergency arise, you should put on your own oxygen mask first, before attending to your child. For many of us parents, this seems counter-intuitive. Aren’t we trained and conditioned to meet our child’s needs first and then look after our own? The point, of course, it that unless we are healthy and stable, we will not be able to look after our child’s needs. When a major crisis, event or difficult time occurs in a family, a parent needs to figure out and … Continue reading →

Are Your Really Modeling Appropriate Behavior?

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Modeling appropriate behavior is something parents strive to do and most times we do a good job of it. We remember not to swear in front of our kids. We always say “please” and “thank you”. However, I’ve realized that we do weird things sometimes. Take for instance, yelling. We want our kids not to yell and talk loud yet we yell and talk loud. I realized the absurdity of this on Saturday when Tyler had his volume at full-blast. “Stop making so much NOISE,” I yelled. Where does that kid get his loud mouth? Well, duh! I try to … Continue reading →