Posts

Quarantine Life Allows Parent To Teach Life Lessons

/in , /by

With more and more school districts closing in America by the day a parents role as a vital mentor in the life of their kids has changed. We talked earlier this month about ways to create fun activities for your kids during their extended summer break, but there is more you can do during this time of uncertainty to embrace that leadership role.

You have likely not had one-on-one access like this with your child in years. This is true no matter the age of your children as the combination of working from home and no school means that you are interacting all day long with each other. As a result, it may be the perfect time to impart some life lessons on your child that they may not otherwise have learned and picked up on until far later in life.

During this outbreak, have fun but also spend time wisely with family to help set your kids on the right path whenever we return to some semblance of normalcy.  Here are a few life lessons that you can show by being the best version of yourself in front of your children during what is a trying time for us all:

Staying Safe Online

Being inside as much as will be required over the next few months is going to see children spending even more time than normal online. This will come both in terms of their education – with schools using online teaching techniques and tools – and their free time. This is the ideal time to talk with your kids about online safety, being careful about who they talk to and how they act, and being sure to give a positive message about the online space if it is used correctly.

Self-sufficiency

The hope is that nothing like this will ever happen again and, that when it has blown over, the world will get back to how it was to some degree. The truth is though, that this has shaken the fabric of society around the world and as a result shops are lower on food than normal and household budgets have shrunk. This is an excellent time to teach the kids how to react in unusual situations. Teach them how to cook with limited ingredients and how to budget out a set amount of food for groceries when some of the obvious options are not available. Get creative in your vital role as a parent and show them how to be self-sufficient in a crisis.

Positivity

It’s hard to be positive in crisis situations, but as a leader of your family you need to be positive both for yourself and for your children. This is a lesson that you can teach and show your children right now, and this guidance will help them understand that being positive in the face of a crisis – be it personal or on a global scale – is vitally important in moving forward and making the most of life.  Controlling you level of kindness, your attitude, and remaining positive in the face of what seems like overwhelming negativity around us is going to have a profound impact on the growth of your child.

Article by Vital Guidance

Keep Your Kids Feeling Loved With These Tips

/in /by

Children are susceptible to feeling a wide-array of emotions, some great and others painful. They have not fully developed their self-esteem, persona, and social skills.  It is vital to them that the adults in their lives provide the guidance to increase their confidence.

“Our goal is to convey unconditional love through focused attention with clear limits and boundaries that will allow them to tolerate the inevitable breaks in our attention,” Dr. Laura Kauffman, Ph.D., a licensed child psychologist points out.  It might sound difficult but there are ways to make it easier.

Sustain eye contact

You may feel that dividing your attention between your child and some work doesn’t affect your listening but in actuality, it can make your child believe he comes second.  Whenever your child wants to share something with you, put down what you are working on and pay him your full attention. If you can’t put a pause on what you are doing, say so. Tell your child you’ll have to conclude your task before giving him your full attention.

Make a point of asking caring questions

Move beyond cliché questions like “how were classes” and go for the real deal with pointed questions that prove that you invested in the going ons of your kid’s life.  Ask them about a character in their favorite TV show or ask him about a hobby he just picked up. This allows you to gain insight into your kid’s growing personality and creates a bond between you both.

Show affection

Many parents don’t realize how important it is to be affectionate physically. Research by Kathleen M. Krol and Tobias Grossmann show that breastfeeding promotes bonding between mother and child. This occurs because of the contact between both of them, proving the necessity for physical contact in building attachment. Healthy attachment allows the child to develop a properly functioning sense of self. Child trends, a non-profit research organization correlates warmth and affection between a parent and a child with fewer psychological and behavioural problems.

Enjoy family meals

Studies point at the benefits of having family meals regularly. Sharing dinner together is a wonderful opportunity to spend uninterrupted time together. Everyone has got to eat in the day, so this is an activity you can train yourself and your children to see as being for enjoying each other’s company. Make sure mealtimes are device-free to maximize the interaction

Treat them with respect

It is so easy to ignore the fact that though they’re still growing, children are people, too. According to Tamara Hill, MS, a therapist specializing in child and adolescent behavioural and mood disorders: Showing them respect doesn’t only mean refraining from swearing at them or being rude. Though both are necessary to a healthy relationship, respect goes beyond that. It includes listening to them and appreciating their inputs so they can feel that they “make sense”. This allows them to learn reasoning and decision making.

Article by Vital Guidance