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Growing Up

Top Three Expenses Of Parenthood

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It’s expensive to raise a kid! With more young adults returning home after college, parents may end up taking care of their kids for twenty five years or more. Of course, it’s worth it. Isn’t it nice to see your kid happy after you buy them a new Xbox, or even to see their face glow as you watch them graduate college? You are the one who puts them in a position for success.

Still, with all that said, between food, hospital bills, and utilities, taking care of a child is probably the most expensive thing you will ever do. Where is all your money going? Here are the top three expenses of raising a child in America today. [Read more…] about Top Three Expenses Of Parenthood

Originally posted on October 22, 2015 @ 8:14 am

Five Places To Go For Your Child’s Next Birthday Party

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Instead of planning a birthday party at home for your child’s next one, think of something to do away from home that can create some new memories for them. Sometimes it can be fun to go out on a new adventure and experience new things, especially for children. Plus, it will be fun for you as well, seeing all those smiling faces.

amusement park

Some of these ideas will work best for younger children, while some would be enjoyed by older kids. You can come up with your own ideas and themes to go along with them, but each of these ideas is definitely worth considering. [Read more…] about Five Places To Go For Your Child’s Next Birthday Party

Originally posted on March 1, 2016 @ 12:09 pm

Is Your Child’s Financial Future Secure?

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As a parent it is normal to want the best for your kids. You work hard and try to give them the finest that life has to offer. When it comes to ensuring the security of their financial future, it is easy for a parent to be left wondering what approach to take. You already contribute to your child’s Roth IRA, building small pockets of wealth for their future when possible. You have even started looking into creating extra passive income with rental properties or flipping distressed properties.

saving for your child's financial future

Investing and padding the nest egg for your child’s future is certainly a nice gesture. It is unfortunate that none of these actions will ensure that their financial state will continue to remain solid long after you are gone. On the contrary, doing all this work for your child may have the opposite effect. Children who have everything handed to them in life tend to not understand how to do things for themselves. This is why it is important to educate your kids in the intricacies of how to earn and save money. Such insights will ultimately prepare them with the skills they need, ensuring that they will have a solid financial future. [Read more…] about Is Your Child’s Financial Future Secure?

Originally posted on December 11, 2014 @ 6:11 am

3 Ways to Improve Children’s Sleep Hygiene

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Just because your kids are too old for a baby monitor in their room doesn’t mean you should stop monitoring their sleep habits. Sending them to bed at a “reasonable hour” does nothing to ensure they’re getting quality sleep (kind of like forcing yourself to go to bed at a certain time doesn’t mean you’re not awake in the dark for hours). Understanding proper sleep hygiene is the first step in helping your child enjoy a healthier life.

Check in on them throughout the night for tell tale signs of sleep issues such as early onset sleep apnea. In severe cases, a CPAP machine may be in order or there may be minor surgeries to help with nasal blockages. Of course, more likely you’ll just need to help them make some adjustments to better their sleep. [Read more…] about 3 Ways to Improve Children’s Sleep Hygiene

Originally posted on November 30, 2014 @ 5:43 am

Learning the Value of Possessions

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Especially around the holidays, marketing efforts are typically focused on getting the attention of youngsters. From a very young age, children naturally desire to shove current belongings to the side in hopes of getting the latest and greatest innovative gadgets and toys available. However, once children become old enough to recognize right from wrong, parents must instill a sense of value. This attribute involves appreciating what one has and taking care to see that possessions last. There are many different ways of introducing this time-honored virtue.

Consistency

Similar to establishing any habit or converting short-term into long-term memory, children retain information and develop behaviors by repetition. Teaching value is no exception. Unless continually reminded, kids often let lessons slip by the wayside. Be consistent and in time, behaviors gradually evolve and become habit.

using gadgets at home

Lead by Example

Children often emulate the attitudes and behaviors of parents from a young age. If parents do not exhibit traits that include value of possessions, children are also not likely to display the characteristic, regardless of how many times they endure a lecture. [Read more…] about Learning the Value of Possessions

Originally posted on December 8, 2014 @ 7:35 am

Switching Your Children to an Organic Diet

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Every responsible parent wants their children to grow up to be strong and healthy. Unfortunately, many of the food choices offered to children these days leaves much to be desired. Food manufacturing plants load their food products with all kinds of harmful chemicals and other nutritionally deficient ingredients. For this reason, many parents find themselves having to do a lot of research into food manufacturers to figure out which companies produce the best food products, like chicken, to serve their children at mealtime. [Read more…] about Switching Your Children to an Organic Diet

Originally posted on February 6, 2015 @ 12:11 pm

When is the Right Time to Allow Children on Social Media?

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Social media is so popular these days that even the youngsters have made it their favorite hangout. It is a very powerful tool and one that can impact a child positively or negatively.

With the many issues involving social networking sites in particular cyberbullying, however, parents are concerned over their influence on their young children. Some allow their kids to create accounts on the popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram while the others think it’s better not to introduce social media until their child is much older and able to handle themselves well online.

social-media-families

The minimum age requirement for a child to join Facebook is 13. Many parents agree this is an ideal age during which a child is supposedly already responsible enough to behave properly online. But this is not always the case as some sensitive kids can easily get offended when they read negative comments from friends although they may not really be directed to them. Also, there are much younger kids who have created accounts on various social networking sites without their parents’ consent. [Read more…] about When is the Right Time to Allow Children on Social Media?

Originally posted on May 30, 2014 @ 8:43 am

5 Tips to Help Children Adjust to Sleeping in Their Own Rooms

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It is not uncommon for very young children to sleep with their parents. For some time, this will work both ways. Parents will have the advantage of keeping an eye on their young kids while the children get the comfort of knowing that their parents are just one bed away from them in one room. However, kids who are growing up will be needing more privacy and be accepting more responsibility in taking care of themselves.

sleeping boy

Before we go into the nuances of helping our children adjust to sleeping in their own rooms, we parents need to determine the probable causes why they don’t want to or why they refuse to. The usual reasons are based on two factors: fear and insecurity. Knowing what they are afraid of or insecure about could help us act accordingly to effectively address their concerns. When this is done, the convincing part will be a lot easier to handle. [Read more…] about 5 Tips to Help Children Adjust to Sleeping in Their Own Rooms

Originally posted on August 19, 2013 @ 1:16 pm