Do you think hitting your child is right or a good way to discipline?

"I know in Canada, if you strike your child you can only spank them on the bum with the palm of your hand and only once. When I was younger, my mother struck me every place she could and she pushed me into door frames. My father never hit me.

Since then, I’ve elected never to strike my children with anything but words. I understand firm discipline is sometimes needed, but striking them only distances them from you and instills fear into them.

It can cause them to strike their future children and the vicious cycle continues on and on. So do you think it’s right?"

There’s an old saying that people should "pick on someone their own size". A child who gets smacked by an adult (a giant to them) renders fear and resentment. Walking on egg shells because you’re afraid of getting spanked is not the way a child should be raised.

Respect the child and he/she will grow up respecting authority.

However, I have seen kids get spanked throughout my lifetime. I’m a grandmother Read the rest of this entry »

Family Sets Up Chore Chart For Kids

Before school started, Jennifer Cockrell, of Shreveport, was determined to create a household chore system for her three children. Not only did she want a little more organization in her home, she also wanted to teach her children to have strong work ethic.

“I just want them to be responsible, caring and loving kids,” she said. “When they’re adults and go off in the real world, they’ll know how do their laundry and take care of themselves.”

Teaching children the value of work and to be responsible takes work from the parents. In fact, parents should begin with their own behavior first.

“One of the things that’s important is for the parents to be able to model a good work ethic in the home,” said Sandi Davis, licensed professional counselor in Bossier City. “Being able to show the children and explain to the children Read the rest of this entry »

Mothers Can Determine Their Adolescent Sons’ Behavior… Bonding Mother-Son Relationships

DETROIT – Relationships between mothers and their sons change during childhood and adolescence, however, not all relationships change in the same way.

A Wayne State University-led study has found that how the relationships change may affect boys’ behavior when they become teens.

The research team, led by Christopher Trentacosta, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University, looked at 265 mother-son pairs from low-income families in Pittsburgh, starting when the boys were 5 through adolescence.

The families were taking part in the Pitt Mother and Child Project, an ongoing longitudinal project examining vulnerability and resilience in low-income boys.

For each of the pairs, the study looked at the family’s neighborhood, the mother’s relationship with her romantic partner, the quality of parenting provided by the mother and the child’s temperament. It also assessed Read the rest of this entry »

Teaching Respect and Obedience to Children

According to a Reader’s Digest article the United States is only 10th out of 13 countries who make teaching obedience and respect a priority with their children. In my opinion, that’s at the bottom of the totem pole!

What has happened to parenting? And, is it no wonder so many kids in the United States are out of control?

As children age, after having gotten their own ways by arguing and temper tantrums, and after talking back to their parents from toddler years on up, young adolescents gain the power to control situations at home, school, and social environments.

I found the Digest article quite disturbing, and the statistics alone explain why there is so much Read the rest of this entry »

What do you do when you have poison ivy and the kids are bored?

Arthur Miller once said, "You cannot catch a child’s spirit by running after it. You must stand still, and for love it will soon itself return."

How true this is! Imagine suffering from poison ivy all over your body. The itching becomes so unbearable at first that the only relief you get is to become absolutely motionless, lying still and letting the itch subside. (I actually do this with mosquito bites, too!) Read the rest of this entry »

How far does "I love you" go when it comes to parenting?

Children start and continue to learn by observation. From looking through the bars of the crib, children see and absorb more than we can possibly imagine.

As they grow, they tend to take on the behaviors, habits, and lifestyles of those around them. This is the parent’s or guardian’s opportunity to set the example of what will become the child’s world.

Two of the most important qualities we can give a child is positive esteem and a positive attitude. These two things, alone, will spur the child to pursue their dreams and achieve accomplishments.

But, it starts at home – with us! Read the rest of this entry »

Child Development: Do Terrible Twos Turn Into Troubled Teens?

Parents, do you have a challenging, perhaps precocious child that is difficult to handle?

If so, one part of the puzzle is in understanding that a child’s personality will follow him through his lifetime.

As a parent, recognizing a child’s individuality is of utmost importance. Every child is different, so even having a dozen siblings; we can never expect them to be carbon copies of each other or of ourselves. Read the rest of this entry »

Parenting Tips: How To Motivate Your School Age Child

When I was a child my father expected me to make good grades. EXPECTED is the key word here. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but would often pay me a quarter for every "A" I got on my report card. It was my reward for a job well done.

I grew up and had children of my own. Naturally, I wanted to inspire them to reach their potentials while at the same time, teach them to appreciate . . . and to give. Read the rest of this entry »

Parenting: 6 Ways To Get Your Child To Exercise and Develop Properly

Parenting is not an easy job. My in-laws used to tell us their children didn’t come with instruction books – which is why they made so many mistakes as parents.

I secretly thought to myself, "They made mistakes because they didn’t use their common sense."

Of course, what did I know at that time of my own young life? Read the rest of this entry »

How To Handle Child Thumb Sucking…

I sucked my thumb until I was 6 years old. A terrible habit! I’ll tell you later why I consciously stopped… with no help from my parents.

However, thumb sucking is a concern to many parents.

My parents used to come into my room and tell me to take my thumb out of my mouth. They never told me Read the rest of this entry »