|
|
|
Are you making time for your marriage?
It's easy to lose track of the important things when you are raising a family. It's hard enough to pay enough attention to your marriage when you have children; if you add working from home to the mix, it can become nearly impossible. Yet a strong...
FAMILY TIME
Word Count: 633 Contact: info@togetherparenting.com Copyright Nine Twenty Press URL: Family Time When you pick up any magazine, it’s easy to find an abundance of articles to help you organize your life. Most offer tips for cleaning out the...
How to make Coupons = Cash, not Clutter!
Today most everyone clips or saves a coupon from time to time. Who can resist? When you know you can save more than the next guy just by having a piece of paper or coupon code, it’s a great feeling. However the drawback of coupons is that they can...
Ten Tips to Help You Save Your Sanity During the Holidays
1. Set limits for yourself. If you feel overwhelmed with shopping, cooking and visiting relatives don't add more to your plate. Take 10-15 minute breaks to take e a walk, meditate, read, pray or just sit still. Don't let anyone guilt you into doing...
Will the Angels Abandon Us?
If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine, will our guardian angels turn their backs on us? If we are struggling with our overall belief in God or we're questioning the validity of the holy books, will the angels abandon us? ...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Be a Good Role Model
Be a Good Role Model.
“Do as I say, not as I do” is a common joke among parents, but during the separation period, your children need a strong leader. You know you must lead by example. You can’t tell your kids to do one thing and then do another, as they would be quick to point out if you do not follow your own rules. It is important to you that the television doesn’t become an electronic babysitter, taking the place of books or conversations. Instead of watching your T.V. in the evening, you read books and encouraged your kids to do the same.
As a single parent, I am sure you have spent time thinking about how you could be a good role model. Perhaps you haven’t wanted your children eating junk food, so you have stopped buying it, even though Oreo’s and ice cream are your favorite comfort foods. You find yourself watching your alcohol intake because preaching about the evils of drugs and alcohol would be worthless if you drank too much. Also, if you have budding adolescents, you know your kids would rationalize sexually active behavior if men or women spent the night at your home.
Not only do you want to be a good role model, but you want to inspire your children to be better people. It is more than wanting to avoid negative behavior, but desiring to reinforce the good in each child. Praise them and give them the support and attention they crave. When they recognize positive qualities in themselves, they will be able to see the same in others.
Teach your children respect for authority. Never allow them to blame their teachers for bad grades. Don’t badmouth police officers on traffic patrol, and immediately move to the side of the road when you hear a siren, allowing fire fighters and ambulances to pass.
Become your children’s hero. Be consistent, be fair, and be loving. No matter how hard life is, show your kids the importance of perseverance. Teach them to get up and dust themselves off when life throws them down, and believe tomorrow will be a better day. If you show them the daily beauty in life, they will
continue to appreciate and see it for the rest of their lives.
Where Do You Need Help? Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you are good at discipline and lax at family meals. Maybe your children have limited television but play hours of video games. It’s hard to be consistent in all areas every single day. Instead of getting frustrated or giving up, begin and end each day with a commitment to be a better parent. Routines take time to develop, and kids will push the envelope to see what your boundaries are. If you try to establish routines, but you can’t make them stick, you can get help by joining a parenting support group. Churches, YMCA’s and neighborhoods are great resources. It helps to understand other mothers struggle with the same issues. Single parenting isn’t so different, but the responsibility is more intense.
The time and effort you put in today will be the best investment you can make as a single parent. The children may need more of your time today, but they will need significantly less as they grow older. Soon the house will be quiet and they will be gone. The carpet will stay vacuumed and no crumbs will be in the living room. You will long for the days the house was filled with noise and laughter.
Think consciously about being a good role model. The benefits will last your children’s lifetime.
Dr. Debbie
50 Great Tips, Tricks, & Techniques to Connect With Your Teen
Debra Hapenny Ciavola, Ph.D.
Marriage & Family Therapist
www.greatparentingtips.com
DrDebbie@greatparentingtips.com
972-304-5409
About the Author
Debra Hapenny Ciavola is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with children, adolescents, and adults. The author of 50 Great Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Connect with Your Teen, she can be reached at DrDebbie@greatparentingtips.com. Debra holds a Ph.D. Marriage & Family Therapy, MS Clinical Counseling, BS Child Development, and is a Clinical member of American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy.
|
|
|
|
|
| Pregnancy | Baby | Child | Mom | Advice Tips & Resources for ... |
| Parenting magazine has everything you need to raise a happy, healthy family. Get expert advice on child development, the best in baby names, our pregnancy ... |
| www.parenting.com |
|
| Pregnancy & Parenting: For Today's Mom - iVillage |
| From trying to conceive through your child's teen years, iVillage Pregnancy & Parenting offers up-to-date and informative articles, features, expert advice ... |
| parenting.ivillage.com |
|
| Parenting.org – Help and guidance for parents! |
| Answers questions about parenting and has resources for better parenting. |
| www.parenting.org |
|
| Parents |
| Expert advice about pregnancy, your kids, your life, and family time from the editors of Parents magazine. |
| www.parents.com |
|
| BBC - Parenting |
| Practical solutions to help with the challenges of everyday parenting - including expert advice as well as tips from other mums and dads. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
|
| Parenting, Pregnancy,Conception, Babynames - Parenthood.com |
| Information regarding parenthood and parenting. Find the meanings of Baby names and useful articles on parenting. |
| www.parenthood.com |
|
| Parenting advice, child development and family reference at ... |
| FamilyEducation.com provides parents with educational printables, games, activities, parenting ideas, tips, family advice, and information on learning ... |
| www.familyeducation.com |
|
| MedlinePlus: Parenting |
| From the National Institutes of Health; Adventures in Parenting (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) ... |
| www.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| The National Parenting Center |
| Support site for parenting. Dedicated to providing parents with comprehensive and responsible guidance from the world's most renowned child-rearing ... |
| www.tnpc.com |
|
| About - Parenting & Family |
| Parenting advice from moms and dads who know what's up. Whether your babies are still actual infants, or about to enter college, our Guides will give you ... |
| about.com |
|
| Positive Parenting - Main Menu |
| Debbie Critzer Positive Parenting is dedicated to providing resources and info rmation ... Welcome to Positive Parenting online! For our long-time readers, ... |
| www.positiveparenting.com |
|
| Parenting Tips and Information on Baby Care and Pregnancy. |
| This parenting and baby care resource center offers essential pregnancy, baby care and development information, tips, and articles. |
| www.parenttime.com |
|
| Parenting, Children's Health and Education, Family Crafts and ... |
| Parenting, Children, and Families - ParentCenter is the most trusted online resource for parents of young kids. ParentCenter offers free weekly newsletters, ... |
| parentcenter.babycenter.com |
|
| Parenting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The term "child training" implies a specific type of parenting that focuses on ... Parenting measures can also be observational, such as the Parent-Child ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Today's Parent |
| At Todaysparent.com you'll find a parenting community to call your own, with a library of information on all the ages and stages of your growing family, ... |
| www.todaysparent.com |
|
| Indian Parenting - The Definitive Guide |
| Comprehensive website for Indian parents with topics ranging from pregnancy to raising children, including articles on infertility, health and medicine, ... |
| www.indiaparenting.com |
|
| Exceptional Parent Magazine - Eparent.com - parenting those with ... |
| Magazine for parents of children or young adults with disabilities. Includes reports, forum, products links, books. |
| www.eparent.com |
|
| Parenting: information, advice and support from toddler to teenage |
| Parenting advice, information and support to help you with your family, from toddler to teens. |
| www.ivillage.co.uk |
|
| Parenting-QA.com - Parenting Questions and Answers For Parents in ... |
| All parents have questions about their children’s behavior, growth, and development. The challenges of parenting seem never-ending and constantly evolving. |
| www.parenting-qa.com |
|
| Parenting Teens - Troubled Teen Help Information. |
| Information for parents of teens, including troubled teens, parenting tips, teen education, and more. |
| www.parentingteens.com |
|
|