September 2010 Blog Posts (17)

Here are the six things that parents can do to help their children be successful this school year.

1. Make sure your kids get enough sleep. The lack of sufficient sleep has been linked to a variety of physical and emotional problems in both kids and adults. Sleep deprivation has been associated with childhood obesity, memory impairment and poor impulse control. While individual needs may vary, here are the…

Continue

Good Morning everyone! I just got home from my usual morning chaos of getting everyone out the door and to all of their schools! Yet again this morning in my travels, I had to stop because there was another accident right in front of me. This one, included vehicles that all together had 4 small children in the cars. Thank god, these parents had their babies strapped in correctly into their carseats and everyone was safe even though, both cars were totaled. As I drove away, and was discussing…

Continue

The qualities that make women's friendships special remain cloaked in the mists of cultural myth and gender stereotypes - the ermine and pearls of the war between the sexes. A recent example surfaced during a camping trip that forms a cultural counterpoint to the fictional gal-pal gatherings of HBO's "Sex and the City," with flannel taking the place of Fendi, Birkenstocks instead of Blahniks.

On an annual outing with their families, the group of…

Continue

Today's parents - and especially those in the educated class who consume parenting information via newspaper columns, books, and seminars - tend toward what I call "psychological thinking." They assign psychological meaning and significance to any behavior on the part of their children that is the least bit out of kilter. So, for example, a somewhat clingy preschool child isn't simply introverted; rather, the child is insecure and…

Continue

This is very distressing to learn that the new school had to be closed because mold was found in the classrooms. Due diligence - isn't that what the contractor is supposed to perform when handing over new construction? And what about school officials did they perform an inspection of the site to ensure the safety to its sudent? Or, is this another episode of lack of oversight on officials who spend our money regardless of the value of the product?

Transitioning to middle school is hard. Kids go from being big-shot fifth-graders in a school where they knew everyone, to being pip-squeak sixth-graders in a school where they don't know anyone. They have six teachers instead of one, locker combinations they can't figure out, and nobody to sit with at lunchtime.

"It's such a traumatic time, even for a well-adjusted elementary school student," said Dr. Joyce Stalwart, senior associate dean in The…

Continue

Many cash-strapped families are turning to "survival gardens" to help dig out from the recession. These differ from the usual vegetable patch by delivering high yields from small spaces and producing wholesome foods that store well. Probably just as important: They can be done on the cheap. The term is part of a larger do-it-yourself trend toward growing more backyard veggies and eating locally grown food. Survival gardens are used…

Continue

She is taking care of business at home and on the job. She is savvy about caring for herself and her family - even if it sometimes gets overwhelming. She taps the Internet for information and resources to lighten her load, ease her mind and share her burdens. Increasingly, she not only controls the purse strings, she's putting a bigger share in the purse. She's "the New Mom," according to a recent report by…

Continue

Q: "It's how you say it." I've preached this consistently for years with no improvement. My 12-year-old will ask me a question or ask me to help her with a task in a tone that drips with sarcasm, demand, and impatience. Needless to say it makes my skin crawl. I need an appropriate response/reaction to this. Most times I find myself responding in a raised angry voice with something along the lines of "Who do you think you are talking to me like that?" This is not working. How…

Continue

Nobody likes a spoiled brat. And the air of entitlement wafting around this type of kid - which only grows thicker as the child grows older - is linked directly to money. Teaching children how to respect and manage money begins with an allowance.

"The only rule of thumb is a dollar per year of age," says financial expert and human resources professor Janet Stern Solomon, "but I wouldn't start at $5 for a 5-year-old in this…

Continue

The party's over and so is the picnic. It's back to school and back to business. Summer time is carefree, but once Labor Day is checked off the calendar, it's time for parents come up with some new ideas to create a healthy, lively lunch that your kid not only will eat but will like.

And kids, it's your job to pay attention not only in school but to what's in that lunch sack. This year, there is going to be good stuff that tastes good. And…

Continue

We're new to the area and I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and another one on the way! I have been trying to find things to do and navigate all over the web for things for her and I to do. I have been thinking about getting her into some kind of daycare/preschool but because her birthday is in December she cant start anywhere yet. She used to go to daycare when we lived in Michigan but now she stays home with me all day... I just want to find something for her to do to make friends and get to… Continue

Ladies please dont leave your purse in the car and give someone a reason to break your window and steal it and use your credit cards!

Connie Smith, 30, is the primary breadwinner for her family, which includes her husband, Jeremy Smith, 32, and their daughters, Danica, 3, and Skyler, 9. It's been that way for about 1 1/2 years, ever since the recession dried up freelance photojournalism assignments for Jeremy Smith.

She is taking care of business at home and on the job.

She is savvy about caring for herself and her family - even if it…

Continue

When she was little, Jennifer Keats Curtis wanted to get an otter as a pet and keep it in the bathtub. She quickly learned that wasn't such a good idea, but it did provide the basis for her new book, "Saving Squeak: The Otter Tale."

"I was the kid who brought home every squirrel and chipmunk and tried to save it," Curtis remembered fondly.

The illustrated, 32-page children's book was due out at the end of last…

Continue

So when is the right time to have or talk about having another child ?

By Parenting Expert John Rosemond

Q: I recently read an article that said adults need to earn the respect of children. That seems like one more "progressive" attempt to undermine parental authority. I believe children should respect adults no matter what. Don't you agree?

A: Trying to trap me with a rhetorical question, eh? I've been around too long to fall for one of the oldest tricks in the…

Continue