Mi Choza De Nipa

By Dr Bill Maier Children need limits to learn right from wrong. But it's important that our limits make sense. Boundaries do more than keep our kids safe — they guide them in the fundamentals of life. When we set clear limits, we're teaching our kids that some things are unacceptable and wrong, and can lead to trouble later in life. We're protecting their future. But not all limits that parents set are about guidance or protection. Some tend to be personal preferences — behaviours that simply suit our style. For instance, people who value cleanliness may go overboard by expecting their kids to be perfectionists. A toy left in the living room can turn into a major battle. Kids need to mind, but they also need space to develop their own personalities. There's nothing wrong with expecting a level of cleanliness, but before going to war over a messy room, make sure you're not drawing battle lines in the wrong place. From TODAY, Voices – Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 Related...

By Dr Bill Maier Babies get their self-image from their parents, and those around them. But as they grow older and more independent, self-esteem comes from another source. As toddlers work to master new things, their self-image comes from accomplishment. You can see it on their faces the first time they take a few steps on their own. They stagger and fall and get back up again. Then suddenly they take several steps forward, and their eyes light up with excitement. If they could talk, they'd be shouting: "I did it!" And you can tell how proud they are. The best thing a parent can do during these moments is to dote over them, and tell them, "Look what you can do! You can walk all by yourself!" It's these small achievements that help kids develop a healthy self-esteem later in life. So let them do things on their own, and then don't forget to praise them when they succeed. From TODAY, Voices – Wednesday, 03-Jun-2009 Related articles by Zemanta 7 W...

By Dr Bill Maier We all enjoy watching a good family programme on television , but that is not the same as letting your kids plop down in front of the tube to watch whatever happens to be on. Teach your kids to be selective in their viewing habits, and to use their time wisely. You might start by limiting the amount of time they're allowed to watch, and then encouraging them to plan ahead. Help them choose which programmes are worth spending their time on. The best shows are those that stimulate other interests, like singing, or animals, or outdoor activities . If your child likes to bake, introduce them to cooking programmes, and then encourage them to write down the recipes for later. If science is their thing, turn them on to the Discovery channel . Television can be a great teaching tool, but only if we use it wisely. From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 02-Jun-2009 Related articles by Zemanta Top 10 Video Podcasts for Education (citrushightechnology.com) Television Review | ...

Image via Wikipedia By Dr James Dobson When it comes to our jobs or our personal lives, many of us have specific goals regarding where we'd like to be in 10 or 20 years. But have we put that same thought into our family 's future? Someone once said: "If you aim at nothing, you're bound to hit it." That's why it's important to set clear goals in every area of life — including your family. Take some time to write out a statement of "family dreams and aspirations". Take inventory of where you've been, where you are, and where you want to be in 10 years. Then decide what you need to do in order to reach that goal. Make sure the entire family is involved in the process. Then commit to making the needed changes and sacrifices along the way. Mobilise your family for greatness, and see just how far it takes you. From TODAY, Voices – Monday, 01-Jun-2009 Related articles by Zemanta Mindful Living (bilerico.com) Our Impact Upon Other People (itakeo...

By Dr James Dobson Imagine the shock one single mum felt when she walked into her daughter's day care facility and found her wearing her soiled underwear on top of her head, a punishment the provider imposed when the child had an "accident". We've all heard horror stories of day-care facilities that abuse or neglect children when parents are not watching. This unnerves every loving parent who must rely on others to care for their children during the day. If you're one of them, you must learn to evaluate the people you entrust your most precious possession to five days a week. You can begin by checking to see what your country's licencing laws are and what criteria a caregiver must meet. Before you leave your little one, you should observe the caregiver interacting with children for a minimum of two hours. Most importantly, drop in unannounced to check what the care is like when you're not around. And keep your ears open to what your child says. There ...

By Dr James Dobson Marguerite and Willard Beecher, writing many years ago, offered two insightful recommendations to parents. They said first, that a parent needs to gain his or her freedom from the child, so that the child can obtain his or her freedom from the parent. Second, they said that a parent should do nothing for a child that the child can profit from doing himself or herself. Now, there's great wisdom in those words. A newborn is, of course, completely helpless. But about 20 years later, he or she should have developed the skills and the self-discipline necessary for independent adult living. In other words, during the short course of childhood, an individual should progress from complete dependency to independency , from irresponsibility to responsibility. It comes by preparing the child day by day for the eventual moment of release. The Beechers said that parents who continue their servitude as the child matures may be handicapping him or her for life. So a primary o...

By Dr James Dobson Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night by a boy or girl who was obviously terrified but couldn't tell you why? That child may have just experienced what's known as a "night terror," which is very different from a nightmare. It's important to understand the difference. If children are awakened in the middle of the night by a nightmare, they can usually describe the story and tell you what was so scary about it. Then they can be comforted and tucked in for the rest of the night. But youngsters in the midst of night terrors usually can't be brought to consciousness , even though they may sit up straight in bed with their eyes open. It appears that night terrors occur in what is known as Stage Four sleep, which is deeper and farther from consciousness than any other human experience. Nightmares , on the other hand, occur in Stage Three sleep, which means they're closer to consciousness. The good news is that there appear ...