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Kids who understand gratitude have better grades and are less likely to get depressed. This was the conclusion of a recent story in the Wall Street Journal that struck a chord with both my husband and me.
Praise has become something of a loaded subject with regard to kids, one tangled up in debates over self-esteem, academic pressure, and how to raise people who know how to work for what they want. There’s a Goldilocks effect at play: You don’t want to go overboard, but neither do you want to be too unenthused. And a study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science showed how important it is for parents to get it just right.
The interior ministry of Saudi Arabia has released a list of 50 such names, including ones that are affiliated with notions of royalty. Saudi Arabia certainly isn't the only country to ban "given" names, and plenty of other countries around the world limit the names parents can give to their children for any number of reasons.
Fourth generation craftsman Masaaki Hiroi, 80, loves making traditional spinning tops and other wooden toys. This is his story, in his own words.
It doesn't help. Here's what to say instead.
Today’s kids are more worried than any kids in recent history. According to some long-term surveys of mental health literature, the average kid today is more anxious than people who were hospitalized for anxiety in the 1950s.
We both heard the anguished cry coming from the direction of our bathroom. Before I could make a move my husband Tre’ said, “I’m on it,” and strode purposefully to our damsel in distress. Our damsel, Vivianne, had bonked her head on a drawer and was badly in need of some comfort, but as Tre’ attempted to soothe her tears away she screamed in anger, pulled immediately out of his grip and said, “I want momma!”
Storm-Manea Ellyatt is calling bull on the facade of parenthood displayed on social media. Instead of posting a highlight reel of her life, she’s getting real about the daily struggles she faces as a mother — and she invites everyone to join her.
“All those cute bonds ads, miniature Nike shoes, adorable baby shower gifts, baby spam on Instagram, squad dates with your mum posse and those god damn laceylaners lied to me,” she wrote on Thursday, listing her failed expectations about parenting based on how it’s conveyed by ads, TV and online.
“Not once did I see an ad with a mum locked in her cupboard crying in her leaked stained pjs from 3 days ago, covered in sweat and vomit, praying to every god imaginable for the strength and patience to go back to the s**tshow that is now their life,” she wrote. “The once calm, poised, patient goddess, who could sling cocktials, swear with sailors and dance uninhibited until tomorrow afternoon, can bearly hold a conversation, hold her eyes open or the tears back from this new found ‘bliss.’”
Easy to get wrong. Fortunately, not that hard to get right
Make sure to know what to look out for when it comes to spotting a good nanny from a bad nanny. They're the ones taking care of your child after all!
When the time came for my daughter to string sentences together, she never stopped. She talked and talked, and when she ran out of stuff to say, well, she just made noises. These days, my daughter always has a thought to share or observations to vocalize. From the time she’s up to the time she’s fast asleep, there are few quiet moments in between without thoughts, ideas, out-loud play, questions, or commentary. Having a talkative kid has its pros and cons, as anyone with a chatterbox will know.
Parents with preschoolers are often on the search for activities that can help prepare their children for the basic or fundamental skills they need for school, usually termed as “the three R’s,” namely reading, writing and `rithmetic (arithmetic).
What some parents don’t know though is that laying the foundation for their skills need not entail enrolling their kids in school as early as 1 or 2 years old. There are actually a lot of activities that young kids can do in the comfort of their own homes – whether under the supervision of Mommy (or Daddy).
Every parent has lost their temper with his or her child. In fact, researchers say there are signs parental yelling is on the rise. Sue Shellenbarger has the latest research on how to avoid blowing up, and mother of two Leigh Fransen shares her story.
Parenting a toddler while I was pregnant was not as simple as I thought it would be.
I imagined in that last trimester as my stomach housed a whole human, that I'd be able to sit on the couch and rest while instructing my two-year-old how to engineer towers with blocks.
Laugh on.
This minimal dollhouse is a great way for kids to learn about sustainability and how to recycle everyday materials into a fun and creative toy. As you make this project with your kids, it’s the perfect opportunity to discuss how self-sufficient homes operate relying on the sun, wind, earth, and water.
This is the most delicious cauliflower recipe you’ll eat and on top of that it’s such an easy addition to include a roasted cauliflower in your family’s dinner plan or for a dinner party with friends.
No cleanup needed!
Frustrating, isn’t it? But take heart, because there are simple ways to get your children to listen to you. I’ve worked with thousands of children and teens, so I’ll share with you the 20 best tips I know. - See more at: https://www.familiesforlife.sg/discover-an-article/Pages/20-Simple-Ways-To-Get-Your-Children-To-Listen-To-You.aspx#sthash.yF9zXCZ1.dpuf
A few years ago, when our child was still waking up at night (he was two at the time), I went into our Doctor’s office with this complaint… “My 2 year old is still waking up at night .” Her advice changed our nights!
Researchers suggest helicopter parenting may keep kids from making — and learning from — mistakes. Helicopter parents are those who intercept their kids' mistakes before they even have a chance to make them. That protectiveness may help keep kids from getting hurt or from getting bad grades, but a new study found this parenting style may cause serious harm to a child's psyche..
We all know how difficult it is to be consistent with parenting. The area of discipline is even fraught with a lot of hand-wringing, usually out of guilt on our part. We've lost count at how often we've given the kids a pass from an infraction that would have meant automatic suspension of iPad privileges if it happened on a day when we're not distracted (read: bone tired).
Dr. Phil explains why he believes it’s so important for children to have relationships with extended family, such as grandparents.
I love magnetic letters and I recently bought myself some lowercase magnets and decided to create some printables to use as mats to place over cookie sheets and turn them into wonderful magnetic free choice activities. Lowercase letter magnets are so versatile and no matter what level your child is at I have a printable or two that will work perfectly. But before I link the free printables I want to share with you some of the benefits of using these manipulatives in your class or homeschool program
Strength Training for Kids- Whats, whys, whens and… weights?
Parents, please take note: it's available on Android through their Telegram channel.
Kids are genius imitators. And you may need to watch closely what they are learning from Internet.
This little machine is loaded with lessons about engineering and mobility. The gearbox teaches kids how gear ratios affect speed. And when it walks, the robot's feet can slip unless you add a dab of glue to them. That's a great introduction to problem solving: increasing friction to create traction and enable faster movement.
Here are tips by Randy Dean, the author of bestselling book at Amazon, for making sure the robots work for you and not the other way around:
It isn't uncommon for a baby to be born with a few wisps of hair, but that requires little maintenance. So, what do you do when your newborn enters the world with a full head of hair? Why, you embrace it, of course - like these proud parents did!
My kids have this really annoying habit of popping out of their rooms 15 times after they’re tucked in. They also have this uncanny ability to know exactly when I need some personal space, because that’s when they choose to be extra cuddly and clingy. They bicker with each other, and change their minds about what they want for lunch after I’ve made the previously requested meal. In other words, they are kids and they do a lot of those things kids do that drive parents absolutely bonkers.
Who here is a parent to a toddler who has not given a smartphone to her child to keep him occupied? If that question were asked in a room full of parents, we'd be surprised if a lot of hands went up.
"Having a family bed just became such a natural part of who we were as a family. Laying together, telling stories, giving out kisses, having little arms wrapped so tightly around our necks. It always felt perfect." until..
In the course of his research, leadership expert and author of best-selling psychology books Dr. Tim Elmore has discovered several major mistakes which parents often make when raising their children, which can reduce their self-confidence from an early age and limit their chances of becoming successful in their careers and personal lives.
To help you avoid making the committing the same errors, we’ve reproduced them below. Take a look.
Diversity is the fundamental presumption that allows us to become who we want to be in this world.
For our children who deserve to live in a world where they can safely live a life as who they are, teaching them about diversity could be a good start.
“Teaching the next generation coding is something that should be elevated to a strategical national importance,” said Wang Jiulin, the Xi’an-based creator of Kidscode.cn, a website that shares free information and courses. “Even today, the majority of programmers in China can only perform very basic-level tasks and there’s huge demand for top notch coders.”
What are signs of pink eye in children? What are the remedies? Pink eyes are often commonly ignored, but improper treatment can lead to recurring pink eye cases that become increasingly resistant to treatment. NEWBORNS ARE PARTICULARLY AT RISKS for pink eye and ensuing complications that lead to serious health damage.
A Silicon Valley nerd offers an insight into when to introduce phone to your kids, what are the benefits, which apps to install/avoid, and what rules you need to put in agreement.
Today was career day at my son’s school. He’s seven. Like every other seven-year-old, he lives for Minecraft and wants to be a video game developer. And so today he donned his favorite Minecraft shirt and proudly went to school as his favorite video game developer, Markus Persson. But his teacher thought differently. She told him that he had to sit out the day’s activities because, apparently, being a games developer is not a real job.
Daughter: What's love daddy?
Dad: You are.
As if LEGOs weren’t enough of an awesome childhood toy, one teacher has found another awesome educational/developmental use for this super-toy – as a math education aid! Alycia Zimmerman, a 3rd-grade teacher in New York, uses them to explain fractions, squares and other mathematical concepts.
Many parents can relate to tears and hurt feelings during childhood but for those with a sensitive child, they are likely presented with these strong feelings much more often. Parents of sensitive children observe their little ones worrying more deeply about what others around them think and being more emotionally reactive. However, these kiddos also tend to make amazing friends because they are so intuitive and are able to easily empathize with others.
risha Prabhu, a 15-year-old who gave a TEDxTeen talk about cyberbullying, created an app called ReThink that’s designed to get your kid to do the one thing you might have a spotty track record with: think before they do something stupid. Specifically, before they send a text or post a message to social media that might make another kid feel like crap.
No matter the age of your little Picasso, these creative compositions are simple yet elegant, making for a stunning wall of kid art. And each activity boosts your child's budding fine motor skills and imagination with basic materials you can pick up at your local craft store.
A few weeks ago, my 5-year-old stubbed his toe for the billionth time, then began to cry inconsolably. While he bawled for a full half-hour—not exaggerating—I alternated between reassuring him, second-guessing whether I was over-reassuring him, and wondering whether he actually broke his toe.
Society puts a lot of pressure on growing boys — we know this. They're labeled as "tough guys" and "macho" even before they've learned to tie their shoes. They're praised for aggression and told to shake it off when the tears flow.
As it turns out, our boys, with the weight of the testosterone-driven world on their shoulders, start out at a deficit. In his most recent article, Dr. Allan Schore, a clinical psychologist at UCLA explains how baby boys come into the world less capable to deal with stressors.
The education method that a school implements can make a big difference on a child's development and progress. But how do we choose from a plethora of programmes? Montessori Education has been one of the most popular programmes for early development, and there are legit benefits.
1. Focus On Cooperative Activities
2. Individualized Teaching
3. Unique Way Of Instilling Discipline
4. Creativity Is Encouraged
5. Provides Hands-On Learning
Well, Prince Goerge is already having Montessori!
Greater support in special needs education, moving Singapore from tolerance to greater acceptance and the active inclusion of children with special needs and their families by society – these are some of the hopes of parents of children with special needs, a survey has found.