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Archive for March, 2011

Five Indicators Your Child Is Being Bullied Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Just as an animal is protective of his young so are parents equally protective of their children. However, parents are not able to supervise their children every minute of the day. There are many things that can happen to your child while he or she is out of your sight. Bullying is one of the things that may occur and your child may be scared to let you this is happening. This usually occurs when your child has been intimidated into silence. Knowing this, we have prepared this article to help you identify the 5 indicators your child is being bullied. This will help you to handle your child’s self-imposed silence and decisively address the problem.

1. Unexplainable fear of going to school
A child who is being bullied may be afraid of going to school because he wants to avoid the trauma that will be experienced at the hand of a bully or several bullies. Your child may express a reluctance to participate in extracurricular activities available at his school. He or she may claim a disinterest in becoming involved and prefers to get home immediately after school.

2. Unexplained cuts and bruises
A child who is being bullied may return home with frequent cuts and bruises which cannot be explained. On the other hand, the explanation provided for the cuts may not seem logical and the story may have several gaps. Frequent cuts and scratches is an indicator that something is wrong and should be investigated with the school’s administration.

image 51 Five Indicators Your Child Is Being Bullied

3. Unkempt appearance and missing school items
A child who arrives home with torn clothing or missing belongings may be suffering the effects of bullying. Bullies tend to physically harass their victims and forcefully take away items which belong to the victim. This is a way to reinforce the victim’s helplessness and cause the child to be in a constant state of fear.

4. Nightmares or sleeping problems
The trauma that a child experiences when he or she is being bullied may manifest itself in irregular sleep patterns and even nightmares. Some children may be so affected that they start to wet their beds during sleep. While the child is sleeping, he may be reliving the bullying experience and become even more disturbed.

5. Developing strange habits
Since the child who is being bullied wants to avoid confrontation, he or she may seem hesitant or afraid to walk to and from school and take longer routes to get from home to school. Additionally, he or she may not want to take the school bus and find every excuse to use another form of transportation.

Bullying is real and its effects can be detrimental to your child’s physical and mental well-being. Therefore, knowing the signs of bullying is critical for every parent. The 5 indicators your child is being
bullied should help to open your eyes to this challenge of childhood. There are other indicators but the 5 indicators your child is being bullied found in this article will help you on your way to further research.

Posted in High School, Primary, Safety | 1 Comment »

5 Challenges of the Secondary School Parent Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Oh the teenage years!! This is a time of trepidation and anxiety for many parents. As children move from primary to secondary school, they begin to experience physical and emotional changes. This can become a time of great turbulence for both the teenager and their parents as they try to maintain a middle ground. Teenagers are trying to understand and deal with this new phase of life while parents are simply trying to understand what is happening with their child. This article was written to communicate the 5 challenges of the secondary school parent as listed below.

1. Helping the child to manage peer pressure
This is probably one of the biggest challenges that most parents will face at this stage of their child’s development. The secondary school student places a lot of emphasis on belonging and wanting to be ‘a part of the crowd’. The pressure and the need to belong can become so strong that the child engages in behavior that the parents find unacceptable. These could include skipping classes, substance abuse, missing curfews and getting involved in illegal activities.

2. Maintaining harmonious relations
Since teenagers will experience a wide spectrum of emotions, parents will have to know how to effectively manage these roller coaster emotions. Some parents may find that their secondary school child may become very argumentative or even withdrawn. These kinds of behaviors may lead to tension between parent and child which could escalate leaving a gulf between the two. However, this can be overcome if a healthy relationship has already been established.image 50 5 Challenges of the Secondary School Parent

3. Maintaining Discipline
The secondary school child will tend to display feelings of independence and the desire to have autonomy over decisions that affect his or her life. Maintaining discipline is a huge challenge as parents attempt to balance restriction with freedom. Some children may view the parents attempt at discipline as unnecessary and unmerited and react in a negative manner. The challenge for parents is to find the mode of discipline that best reinforces positive behavior.

4. Helping the child to develop good time management skills
Your average teenager has school work, chores and social life. As such, they have to seek to balance all three so that the most important things are done first. Undoubtedly, school work is high on the list of priorities followed by completing assigned chores. The challenge that many secondary school parents face is that children tend to spend more time on social and recreational activities as opposed to school work or chores.

5. Choosing the right career path
At this stage, the child is being prepared to move into a career path of choice. However, sometimes conflicts arise with what the child desires and what the parents deem is best. The challenge which exists is the ability of the parents to realistically match their child’s natural abilities with the appropriate career choice. At this juncture, emotions sometimes override reason and logic.

The 5 challenges of the secondary school parent are real and true to life. The truth is many parents have successfully surmounted these challenges and have great testimonials. Learning from the experiences of others can help to empower you as you parent your secondary school child.

Posted in High School | No Comments »

5 Challenges of brand new parents Saturday, March 12th, 2011

The anticipation of a new addition to the family is usually filled with great expectations. Every parent relishes the thought of seeing a new life and knowing they played a part in this miracle. Much preparation is put in place to welcome the new prince or princess to the family. However, the birth of a child brings both joy and challenges. This article was written to help prepare expecting or new parents understand the 5 challenges of brand new parents.

1. Change in daily routine
The newborn baby requires much care and attention. Your life may become an endless cycle of feeding, changing diapers, soothing your crying baby and putting him to sleep. Then there is the additional work of washing baby clothes, keeping bottles sterilized, making baby feed and image 49 5 Challenges of brand new parentspurchasing baby supplies. Before you know it, time swiftly passes by without the achievement of other family goals.

2. New parents emotion
The daily demands of the newborn may leave some mothers feeling a bit overwhelmed. They may feel that they cannot cope with the additional responsibilities and may even begin to resent the baby. Instead of being a bundle of joy, the newborn is now viewed as an unwanted intrusion. Some mothers experience a sense of guilt that they could feel indifferent towards their child.

3. Having little or no support from family or friends
The birth of a child will impact all your relationships including your friendships. Some friends may slowly drift away as your hectic schedule is no longer able to facilitate the friendship. Additionally, family members may not live in the same vicinity and therefore cannot offer the assistance new parents may require. Having a family member with you for the first couple weeks can be a source of great relief.

4. Changes in sleeping patterns
The truth is your newborn will not understand your sleeping needs. He will cry when he wants your attention even if it is just to hold him close. Therefore, brand new parents may find themselves deprived of sleep as they are sometimes awake at night with the little one. Sleep deprivation can leave persons feeling irritable and hard to get along with.

5. Partner Conflicts
The demands of the new addition to the family can negatively impact on the relationship between mother and father. If there is no agreement as to how the workload will be shared, one partner may start feeling that he or she is carrying the weight of taking care of the baby. This can sometimes lead to arguments and tension in the parental relationship.

The creation of a life is one of the biggest miracles in the world. While it is a great honor, it is also a big responsibility. Therefore, parents should be armed with information on how to manage the early days and weeks of a child’s life. The 5 challenges brand new parents face may be overcome with ample preparation. Understanding your needs and that of your newborn will help new parents to maintain that delicate family balance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Babies, Pregnancy | 1 Comment »

5 challenges of the primary school parent Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Parenting at every stage of a child’s development is no easy task as each phase comes with its own challenges. The child grows from infant to toddler and before you know it they are off to school. They move from kindergarten to primary school and then to secondary school. Some children move on to college or university while others opt to take a different path. Whatever the stage of development, each presents its own unique sets of obstacles which must be overcome. This article presents the 5 challenges of the primary school parent. This information will be useful to current and future parents of children at the primary level of education. See the 5 challenges below:

1. Helping your child to develop a good work/play balance
At this stage of the child’s development, he or she will place more emphasis on play rather than school work. Getting your child to settle down in school and consistently doing homework can sometimes become a great challenge. While it is important for your child to play, it is even more important for him or her to understand the value of work. Therefore, working to help your child understand this balance is vital at this stage.

2. Keeping up with homework and assignmentsimage 48 5 challenges of the primary school parent
Most parents tend to be involved in helping their primary school aged children with their assignments. Usually, these tasks require some amount of parental involvement or direction for successful completion. This may pose a severe challenge for some parents who are juggling work and home life especially with multiple children. Some parents tend to be overwhelmed by all their responsibilities and sometimes cannot find adequate time to supervise homework and assignments.

3. Keeping your child safe
Children at the primary school level tend to be very active and engage in many different games and physical recreational activities. As a result, the likelihood of injuries such as cuts and bruises tend to increase. Some parents may even find themselves in a constant round of cleaning and dressing cuts and wounds. Additionally, there is the ever-present danger of dealing with broken arms and legs.

4. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet
Young children tend to enjoy snacks, drinks and sweets. They sometimes do not want to eat fruits and vegetables as well as meals prepared at home. Parents sometimes are so pressed for time that they tend to pack lunch kits with what is easily accessible. Therefore, parents find themselves unable to dedicate enough time to their child develop good eating habits.

5. Finding the right school
Sometimes parents struggle with finding a school that best fits their needs as well as those of their child. Sometimes the school which is closest to home may not be the ideal choice for the parent. Additionally, finding a school that caters to the holistic development of the child may prove to be unaffordable for the family.

Your primary school child is at a fragile stage of development and parents should take great care to lay a solid foundation. This includes helping the child to develop good life skills such as decision-making. Unfortunately, some parents find it extremely taxing to dedicate the time which is required for this endeavor. The 5 challenges of the primary school parent presented in this article are not insurmountable but can be overcome with adequate planning and support.

Posted in Primary | No Comments »

Five Things To Know From Your Child’s Teacher Sunday, March 6th, 2011

‘It takes a community to raise a child’. The truth is your child spends a great deal of his time at school where the teacher is his unofficial guardian. Therefore, it is important for parents and teachers to develop a solid relationship so that parents are aware of what is happening to their child outside of the home. It is true that children may display one behavior at home and a completely opposite behavior at school. At this point, hearing from your child’s teacher becomes vital. This article presents 5 things to know from your child’s teacher.

1. Problems in attendance or tardiness
This is important information for parents. The child may leave for school but may not get to school or get there very late. There is no way to image 47 Five Things To Know From Your Childs Teacherknow this is happening unless the teacher brings it to your attention. Once you are aware, then you can engage the child in a conversation to ascertain the reason(s) for inconsistent attendance or habitual tardiness.

2. Any unusual or uncharacteristic behavior
This could take the form of withdrawal from class mates, lack of interest in activities and poor concentration. These may be symptoms of a deeper problem such as depression. Knowing that your child may be displaying these kinds of behavior may prompt you to seek the help of a counselor if you are not able to handle the situation. You want to be in a position to deal with the matter early instead of waiting until it escalates into a bigger issue.

3. Your child’s performance
As a parent, it is important to monitor your child’s academic progress and growth. If the child is not doing well, it is important to get this feedback from the teacher. You may need to ask the teacher some probing questions in an attempt to ascertain the possible reasons for the child’s underperformance. While the teacher cannot advise you that your child may have a learning disorder, the responses may prompt you to seek professional advice.

4. Conformance to rules
Knowing if your child is getting in trouble at school is helpful information. The child may be suffering from pent up anger or frustration and releases these emotions at school. The anger may be a result of things which are happening at home that is adversely affecting the child. He may feel unable or unwilling to express these feelings at home but does so freely at school. If you become aware of this problem then counseling could be sought for the entire family unit.
5. Health and safety incidences
As a parent, you will to need to know from your child’s teacher if there have been any incidences of frequent headaches, stomach aches or any health-related concerns. Was there any incidence when you child fainted, got a fall or had to see the school nurse? This information is critical as some incidences may be symptoms of deeper problems which you want to address quickly.

Your child’s well-being at home and school is important. Therefore, parents and teachers will need to band together to achieve this goal. One of the ways to keep this relationship alive is through active Parent-Teachers associations. This provides an avenue for parents and teachers to share in the responsibility of raising healthy human beings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in High School, Primary | No Comments »

Five Ways To Keep Your Child Safe Online Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Parenting can be challenging in this technological age. With the introduction of the Internet, people and knowledge have become far more accessible. The world has become much smaller and people are able to communicate with each other across many miles. With this being the case, you will want to take steps to protect your child from getting hurt in cyberspace. This article contains 5 ways to keep your child safe online.

1. Place the computer in a central location in the house
By doing this, you can randomly scrutinize what you child is doing while he is ‘surfing the net’. A child is less likely to visit certain sites when there is constant traffic moving in and out of the room. Periodically, you can glance on the screen or stop to ask your child questions about the site he is visiting. The danger lies in placing computers in their rooms where they can visit any site at will without supervision.

2. Periodically check the browser history
The browser history contains all the sites your child has visited. Therefore, you are able to know if your child has been visiting any undesirable sites by checking the browser. If you realize that information has been deleted from the browser history then this may be an indication that your child has been visiting sites that he does not want you to know about. This is a good time to speak with your child heart to heart.

3. Install Software
There are programs available which can regulate the length of time your child spends on the Internet and when and where they can visit. There are other programs which can block sites and disable pop ups designed to direct people to certain sites. Purchasing software that can remove cookies which have attached themselves to your hard drive is also a good idea.

4. Monitor chat room and social networking activities
It is important for you to know who your child is interacting with when he or she is in a chat room. You can do this by keeping an eye on the line image 46 Five Ways To Keep Your Child Safe Onlineof conversation. If your child wants to use social networking sites, you can use it as an opportunity to help him or her create the social network page. In this way, you will access to your child’s log in information and can monitor their activity.

5. Talk to your child about the dangers of Internet use
While you may try to protect the child at home, it is highly possible that he or she may opt to use computers elsewhere. Therefore, it is vital to speak frankly with your child about responsible Internet use. You will need to reiterate the importance of privacy (not giving out personal details) and adding only friends they know to their social network page. Above all, they should not respond to requests from strangers.

Keeping your child safe is one of the top priorities of parenting. With the advancement of technology, children have become at risk while on the Internet. Therefore, parents will have to become proactive in protecting their children from undesirable material or unwanted advances from strangers online. This article has provided 5 ways to keep your child safe online which should help you to start the process.

Posted in Safety | No Comments »

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