Parenting Questions and Answers

It was some time now that I could remember when my eldest son first went to school. It was a disaster alright. But not with him, it was with his younger sister who was 2 years old at that time. She would ask me from time to time, "Where’s Jag?" and I kept reminding her, "Honey, we dropped him off to school awhile ago remember?" And then she would burst into tears and ask me when Jag will be back.

The conditioning I did was I tried to shift their schedules and prepared them to be separated from each other. For instance, I tried to shift their nap time so that they would not have the same time of the day. I did this a month before classes would start so that the younger one would get used to be separated even for just a couple of hours. Another thing I did was I distracted her with some fun activity such as playing tea party or drawing and coloring her favorite Barney activity book. I also made a chart that would depict the schedule for the entire week. Eventhough I am totally not artistic, I had to make it a little bit attractive so that they would have fun looking at it.

There are ways that may work for your children so do not be afraid to try it out. After all, it is for the best.

Part of a parent’s job is to make sure that their children can understand words properly and make things easy for them as much as possible especially when it comes to conversations.

One thing I could remember that really helped me out with my speech was the gift that I had from my mother during my birthday. It was a recorded tape of fantasy stories and it was packaged with a book with several pictures.

I used to listen to it all the time. Unknowingly, I have mastered the correct diction, and the proper use of different voice tones.

Most likely, the learning process evolves faster if the kid enjoys whatever it is that he is hearing or seeing. On my case, I had fun with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before and it really helped me. In no time, I was actually performing a recital in front of my relatives during our Christmas reunion.

One parent can never get away from the fact that their kid will one day experience a world of grammatical errors. Truth is, almost everyone had this kind of problem. I know I had one but the best thing that my mom did to help me out was she started correcting me in a manner that most parents do not.

I once had this problem with past tense. Right after having dinner, I would often say, “I eated much already! Can’t eat fruits anymore.” My mom would then answer, “Yes me too! I ate much already.” Correcting me this way make things much better. Some would even repeat their child’s mistakes which I find really unhelpful.

Try correcting them young. Do not let them get accustumed to this kind of sentences.

When I was a kid, I shared room with my elder brother. He was 6 and I was 4 years old at that time. It was the first time that we slept together after we moved to a new place. The new house was not that big so we had to share rooms.

Most of the time, we kept each other awake in the middle of the night. When he wakes up he acts up a lot like playing with his ball or makes fun of me. My mom did one thing that kept us both asleep. She plays some nice mellow music before going to bed and kept the curtains really dark. She even plastered some foil on the windows to make it extra dim.

I always thought it was a pretty odd way of getting us together but then it worked. We even bonded better afterwards.

Picture this one out. Your kid just got home, and you know that he loves drawing and coloring so you prepared a box of crayons and lots of papers. You went to the kitchen to cook some meal for him and when you get back, there’s a masterpiece - at your wall.

Kids at the age of between 3 or 4 usually have this kind of problem. Usually, they become comfortable with walls because they want their hands at eye level. Most of the time, they get over this activity after graduating kindergarten. But there is something that you can do. Once he starts drawing things on the wall, let him help you clean it up. This way, he will come to know that it is wrong. Always remind him that walls are off limits. YOu can buy him a rack so that he can place his papers on it to have it within his eye-level.

There will come a time that you will get invited for a nice dinner out in the city and your friends want you to bring your baby along. A restaurant is a public place so not everyone will appreciate loud cries and whining while dining. There are ways to somehow stop or just minimize this problem.

First, try looking for other kids and stay close to their tables as much as possible. Parents of kids are more sympathetic than those who do not have children yet. They will most likely understand your situation if your baby cries hard. Make it a point also that you try to bring a lot of toys and milk bottles to somehow stop him from crying. Go to the bathroom if your child acts up. This way, not everyone in the restaurant can hear him cry. Limit his roaming since not all customers would like this even if your child is totally cute.

Going out can be fun, you just have to know how to deal with it.

There are kids who are having problems with the way they make friends with other kids of their age or even with their new classmates. You can always help your kid in this kind of situation.

First and foremost, you must consider yourself as your kids very first best friend. Try telling little secrets and make him feel proud about himself. It will always be a good thing for you to try to invite some of his classmates so that he could socialize with you around your home. Be on the look out as well as to who your child is hanging out with. Make it a point that you give your child some space as well for him to enjoy his time with people but always be there for him. This will make him feel free and comfortable with other people.

You may not notice it but most of the time, kids get bored with the usual things that they eat. Sometimes, they grow tired of the usual "kid food" meal pattern that you often serve. From time to time, have your child eat the food that you like to eat as well. Just for a change. If they are hungry, they may give it a try too. Try putting a stock of healthy treats in your refrigerator as well. Food like beans, tuna, or peas will do. This will keep them from eating a lot of junk if they are hungry. Try slipping in a few vegetables as well in every meal. One of the best breakfasts should include a couple of fruits too.

Remember, your child must eat healthy to live healthy. The food that they eat plays a major role in their health. Have them eat nutritious food all the time and you will be saving a lot of money with hospital bills and medicines.

Every time your child has problems or if he is having a bad time, a good thing to do is to have a perfect place to get a time out. He has to learn how to control his emotions and not just let it out and make things more miserable. Explain to him what a tie out is for. He has to learn how to calm down on his own whenever he gets frustrated or so excited. If he gets upset, teach him to sit quietly for a few minutes until such time that he decides on the right thing to do. Tell him that it is a feel-better break. Help him out by putting a corner in the house that is suitable for a time out. Put pillows, stuffed toys, books and other things that he love. This will help him think things more clearly.

For a toddler, most doctors say that their hands are their communication tools. It does not always mean that when they hit you, there is something wrong with them. It may mean that they want your attention but they are just expressing it in a bad way.

If you want to tame this attitude of your child then do not spank them when they hit you. This will only confuse them since you are enforcing the rules using your hands but you are teaching them that hitting is not good. Also, keep track of the triggering mechanisms. Scribble down notes regarding the things that make your child hit and make it a point that you find alternatives to this behavior. Spend a lot of time touching, hugging, massaging or even cuddling your kid. This will help tame their aggressive behavior.