subject: Child-rearing Made Easier With These Success Strategies [print this page] When you gather the right knowledge and skills for it, parenting is a wonderfully joyous experience. Use this article to get some good common sense advice to help make the role of raising a child easier and more enjoyable.
When stepping into a stepparent role, be patient. It may take a little while before your new stepchild warms up to you. A lot of children feel resentment after a divorce. Not being pushy, and allowing the relationship with your stepchildren to grow over time, is the best way to learn how to be a part of each other's lives.
Document your child's accomplishments on a chart when he is learning something new. For example, on a chart with 20 squares, you can put a sticker on a square each time he does the new task. When your child's chart is full, give a reward. Such a chart can be a powerful motivational tool, because it makes a child's progress visible and focuses his or her mind on the upcoming reward.
Next time you have to deal with airport security and you have your children in tow, have a look to see if there is a family security line available. Most airports have them. You'll be able to take your time without holding up busy business travelers. Remember that everything will be scanned by the x-ray machine, including shoes, car seats and diaper bags.
A spoonful of sugar (or anything sweet, really) helps the medicine go down! Orange juice is a great suggestion, but if that doesn't work, you could just add a little bit of sugar to the medicine. A handy hint for applying eye drops is to place the drop on your child's eyelid while their eyes are closed. When they open their eye the medicine will drop in, and you will not have fighting or struggling.
If you have adopted a child, make sure you let your child know when they ask questions. Adopted children are naturally curious about their birth parents and even why they were adopted. At some point, they will come to you for answers to their questions. Avoid telling lies as this can cause resentment on your child's part and might distance your relationship with them.
When helping your child cope with bullying, the best thing to do is talk to them, share your experiences, and encourage them to be open and honest with you. Find out what policies are in place at school and make sure your children understand who is available to help during the school day.
When a toddler grows to 3 feet or taller, or they have learned to climb out of their crib, then it's probably a good time to switch to a bed for toddlers. Although this can be a scary change, make it fun and exciting for your children by letting them personalize their sleep space.
Using frustration is not the best tool for parents. Controlling anger is one of the keys to raising a child properly. Anger displayed in the presence of children can damage their self-esteem and provides a negative model for dealing with frustration. Particular care should be given for controlling anger in situations where a child's mistake was unintentional.
Don't insult your child or try to make him feel powerless when you have to discipline him. Remember that the purpose of any kind of punishment is primarily to help your child learn better behavior, not to inflict unnecessary harm. Children don't change their behavior in response to being insulted. While rules and boundaries must be set, he will be more likely to respond to positive reinforcement of correct behaviors.
These sorts of routines let you partition your day into specific times, including time for meals, time for homework, and time for bed. This lets the child know when to do what. Routines show to your child that there is stability in their life, and this will help them be better adjusted and balanced, so stick with it.
If you have multiple small children, you may have to decide which one needs your attention the most. Often, the child who cries the loudest will get your attention at any particular moment. You should not feel guilty about having to choose now that you realize why it is necessary.
Children with ADHD, Aspergers or other conditions that contribute to impulsive behavior shouldn't be allowed to have too much unstructured time on their hands. Children who have such issues are more likely to turn to undesirable behavior when they don't have lots of outlets for their surplus energy. You should try letting your child ride a bike for 30 minutes a day or you could both go out to a park for an hour.
As you have read, a little knowledge can go a long way in turning the difficulties of raising a child into surmountable challenges. It is always a good idea to learn from someone else's experience to help you with your own. With that in mind, keep reading for more ideas.
