Parenting

Galveston

Being a parent is not an easy job. In all honesty, and many parents would agree, it is a trial and error process, and unfortunately, our first child is the guinea pig for all of our experiments. Here are some helpful web sites to help with the parenting process:

  1. Parenting 101
  2. 50 Easy Ways to Be a Fantastic Parent
  3. Top 10 Good Parenting Tips – Best Advice
  4. Positive Parenting Tips – CDC
  5. How To Be A Good Parent: Simple Parenting Tips To Follow At Various Stages
  6. 10 Commandments of Good Parenting
  7. Top 10 Parenting Tips – Psychology Today
  8. More Parenting Tips – Psychology Today
  9. How to help children and teens manage their stress
  10. Information from Your Family Doctor – General Parenting Tips

Childcare

Friends Fall

So it is time to go back to work after you have finished up your maternity leave. Every mother has that feeling of not wanting to leave their child behind during this time, although we love our jobs. We are weighing the risks and benefits of finding a nanny, finding a daycare, working part-time, or quitting our jobs to stay at home. The rising cost of childcare is also of concern when you are on a fixed income and have more than one child. Here are some helpful links on navigating the childcare field and selecting the right option for you:

  1. U.S. Parents Are Sweating And Hustling To Pay For Child Care
  2. Child Care – Wikipedia
  3. Choosing Quality Child Care
  4. 8 Tips for Choosing Child Care
  5. Choosing a Child Care Center
  6. Choosing Child Care: What New Parents Should Know
  7. Day Care 101: How to Choose the Best Day Care Facility for Your Family
  8. How to Choose Quality Child Care
  9. Signs of a good daycare center
  10. What to Consider When Choosing Childcare

Trolley.run.2003Building a child’s self-esteem and confidence

Self-esteem is equivalent to a child’s self-worth or how they feel valued. Most children are open books, and it is easy to tell when a child has moments of high and low self-esteem. It is something that we are not born with and that is developed over time. A positive environment is vital to building a child’s self-esteem and confidence. Praising can both help and hurt self-esteem. Here are some helpful tips on how to build your child’s self-esteem and confidence in a healthy manner.

  1. Simple Ways to Boost Your Child’s Self-Esteem
  2. Simple Ways to Boost Your Child’s Self-Esteem
  3. Your Child’s Self-Esteem
  4. 12 Ways to Raise a Confident Child
  5. BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM IN YOUR KIDS
  6. How to Raise Your Kids With High—and Healthy—Self-Esteem
  7. Video – Building your child’s self-esteem
  8. 7 Simple Steps to Develop Your Child’s Self-Confidence
  9. 10 Tips on How to Build Confidence in Kids

Maintaining a healthy body image

From an early age, having a healthy body image is ingrained in our minds. Descriptors of people that we meet may include terms, such as skinny, fat, chubby, etc. Young children may be afraid to eat certain foods or wear certain clothing in an effort to prevent being called “fat.” Establishing a healthy body image from a young age is important to help build healthy habits later in life. Having a healthy body image is also synonymous with having a higher self-esteem. Many of us care about what others think or say about us. It is important for us to understand that we must be comfortable in our own skin and content with our bodies. We must love every cell of our body and love oneself just as we are. Please follow these links on how to create a healthy body image.

  1. Encouraging a Healthy Body Image
  2. Healthy Body Images
  3. Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Body Image
  4. Tween and teen health – Mayo Clinic
  5. Exactly What Is a Healthy Body Image?
  6. How to Maintain a Healthy Body Image
  7. National Eating Disorders.org – Body Image
  8. USDA – Body Image
  9. Perfect Illusions: A Healthy Body Image
  10. How to Help Your Daughter Have a Healthy Body Image

How to deal with bullying

Bullying and harassment are everywhere: our schools, workplaces, sports events, social media/internet, etc. It is not easy dealing with a bully, and it is not easy helping a child or an adult going through bullying. The act of bullying can lead people down unexplained paths of isolation, self-esteem issues, and possible suicide. With the advent of social media/internet and cell phones, the problem seems to have taken to a more global level, which is out of our reach. Each of us has probably encountered a bully in our lives and have contemplated what we would do in such as situation. Please use these tips to help deal with bullying, either as a parent of a child being bullied or as an adult needing help with the situation.

  1. StopBullying.gov
  2. How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents
  3. Helping Kids Deal With Bullies
  4. WikiHow – How to Deal with Bullies at School
  5. Irish Times – How to Deal with Bullying at School
  6. How to Deal With School Bullies of All Ages
  7. 6 Smarter Ways to Deal With a Bully
  8. How to Handle Being Bullied as an Adult

Adopting

For some of us, infertility issues may lead us down the path of adoption. Or we’ve always wanted to adopt or foster a child, as there are plenty of children without families who need a caring, loving home. Although the journey may be arduous and expensive, the end result with a loving child in your arms is priceless. Here are some helpful tips on navigating the adoption process in the state of Texas.

  1. Texas foster care and adoption guidelines
  2. How to Adopt a Baby in Texas – The Complete Guide
  3. A Family For Every Child
  4. Child Adoption Laws Texas
  5. WikiHow – Adopt in Texas
  6. Foster Adoption – Gladney Center
  7. Child Adoption Laws Texas