Expect Only the Best from Your Child

Expect the best from your child. If you expect the best behavior and performance you’re your child, it’s often what you will get. Children pick up on our beliefs about them, form a self-concept that matches that belief, and perform accordingly. If we expect them to be lazy, they’ll be lazy, which will confirm our expectations for them, and the cycle toward failure is started. If, on the other hand, we expect our kids to be successful, productive, creative, and responsible and honestly believe it to be true, then our children can’t help but rise to the occasion and confirm our best opinions of them with their positive actions. So expect nothing but the best from your children and watch them fulfill your expectations.

Does Sexual Abuse Usually Occur Just Once?

Your daughter tells you that Uncle Charley has touched her bottom and she doesn’t like to sit on his lap anymore! Should you believe your child? Yes.

Your initial reaction is to confront Uncle Charley, who tells you that your child is making it up and even if it did happen, he will never do it again.

He promises he will never ever touch another child inappropriately and you want to believe him. Should you believe him? Probably not.

Playing With Food Words - Teaching Mindfulness To Preschoolers

The most powerful way to instill a love for language and an awareness of health in young children is to help them use specific words as cues for mindfulness. Mindfulness is simply paying attention, noticing new things, drawing distinctions, and shifting perspectives. It is the very essence of fun, and all children have a natural tendency to be mindful. That’s how we learn from the time we are infants!

As children reach the age of three or so, they become fascinated by words and the sounds they can make. As a parent, you can significantly boost your child’s linguistic intelligence by pointing out certain words whenever they pop up in conversation or even on TV or radio.

Help your Child Kick the Thumb Sucking Habit

Thumb sucking is a concern many parents have. Toddlers suck their thumbs because it’s comforting and calming. It’s probably something they did before they were born and revert back to it when they are nervous, agitated, scared or ill. They may also use it to lull themselves back to sleep in the middle of the night.

Control your Anger, Don’t let it Control You

Anger can be a paralyzing and debilitating condition. But it can be a terrifying and degrading experience for your child if you’re taking your anger out on them. Physical and verbal abuse of a child can have lasting and lethal implications, so it’s crucial that as a parent, you do whatever necessary to get your anger in check.

Encourage Your Child To Feel Important

It’s imperative for a child’s healthy development to feel important and worthy. Healthy self-esteem is a child’s armor against the challenges of the world. Kids who feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures. They tend to smile more readily and enjoy life. These kids are realistic and generally optimistic. It’s also been shown that children who feel important are well-rounded, respectful, and excel in academics, extracurricular activities and hobbies and develop healthy relationships with their peers.

Harsh Discipline: Does it do More Harm than Good?

Recent studies suggest that low-income parents tend to endorse much harsher discipline, partially because they hold stronger beliefs about the value of spanking and experience higher levels of stress.

However, parents who work in high-stress jobs or are stay-at-home parents who are feeling frustrated or isolated are also at risk. It’s imperative that parents recognize their tendency to punish a child too severely and take the needed steps to make sure the punishment is appropriate for their child’s age, temperament and maturity level.

The Thing With Quality Time

“If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don’t, they never were.”– Anonymous

“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it’s what you are expected to give — which is everything.”– Anonymous

“The best proof of love is trust.”– Dr. Joyce Brothers

“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.”– H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“Greater is he who acts from love than he who acts from fear.”– Simeon Ben Eleazar

“The love we give away is the only love we keep.”– Elbert Hubbard

Teach Children to Respect by Treating them with Respect

In order to teach or child to treat others with respect and dignity, they must also be treated that way. And childhood is a time for children to learn about the world, including how to get along with others. Parents play an essential role in teaching children how to form healthy relationships and grow into socially adept individuals. This social competence allows children to be cooperative and generous, express their feelings, and empathize with others.