Should The Dad-To-Be Attend The Birth?
January 31, 2008
Not so long ago a dad-to-be would pace up and down outside the labor room and would be admitted only after the birth. Modern practice is to assume the dad-to-be should be at the birth to offer support. But an increasing number of dads, moms and midwives would prefer he stayed outside.
Some of the reasons given are:
Some moms feel the loss of dignity and ‘not feeling attractive’ is sufficient reason to banish their partners to the corridor.
Some dads think the sight of baby being born will put them off sex with their partner in the future. Others can’t bear to see their partner in pain.
Researchers at the University of Toronto suggest that women have a happier childbirth if they are supported by a trained woman rather than a stressed father-to-be. This woman could be your mother, a friend who’s had a baby of her own or a doula (a professional female birth partner); her presence can have a calming effect on the mom-to-be.
Most men, however, do want to be present and, after all, the baby is half theirs. Get it right and the man’s help can prove to be invaluable and many couples find it is an incredibly bonding experience.
The Need for Arts
January 30, 2008
The Need for Arts
by: Jake Rose
The arts have taken blow after blow from schools lately. People just aren’t supporting them. They push them aside and think there’s no use for them in society. But without them society would fall apart. Without relief, without distractions, we would be mindless servants following the ever winding path of greed and corporate business.
The arts come in many different forms. There’s painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, computer graphics, dancing, performing arts, etc. Music and all its components can be included in this when it comes to the limiting the more creative aspects of education. They are not just for entertainment. They promote creativity, originality, patience and discipline. They increase intellect, relieve stress, and provide an outlet for people to be different, to feel welcomed. They are more than just a hobby. They can be a way of life.
Schools don’t want to waste time with this stuff. All that matters to them is the more prominent curriculum and sports. That’s what seems to make the world go around these days. They are nice, a good and important part to education of course, but they shouldn’t be the whole thing. People need a range of understanding in life to truly benefit from its teachings.
Are You Too Busy for Your Kids?
January 30, 2008
In his recent newsletter "Happy Kids", parenting expert Michael Grose (yes he is an expert with three kids of his own) said:
Australian parents currently rate achieving work-family balance as their greatest parenting challenge. Currently, 71% of Australian parents say they have difficulty finding time to do the things they enjoy with their children.
So what are the key relationship-builders to focus on when you are busy and life is full on?
A number of different studies show children and young people want three types of interactions with their parents:
Family rituals such as reading to children in bed, shared mealtimes and celebrations. Some activities may come and go but rituals by definition are cut in stone.
One-on-one interactions are vital for relationship building. Whether it is playing a game with a child or having a coffee with a teenager make sure you regularly spend some time with each of your children on their own. This goes double for middle children or those having difficulties in their lives.
Down-time so that spontaneous and fun interactions can occur. Family holidays and lazy Sundays provide opportunities to connect on an informal basis with children. This is particularly important for fathers who tend to communicate best when having some shared fun with their son or daughter.
6 Signs You?re A High Maintenance Parent
January 29, 2008
The children of Baby Boomers, the Echo Generation, are entering college in increasing numbers. Getting into the best schools is increasingly competitive. Having good grades, a great SAT score and participating in extracurricular activities is no assurance that your student will get into the school of their choice.
Because of that phenomenon, parents are taking a much more active role in their children’s college admission process. But for some parents, participation in their child’s college search has led to a troubling development that college admissions officers are seeing more frequently.
It is the High Maintenance Parent (HMP). And college admissions officers are reporting it more and more. If you answer yes to any of these six questions, you may be a High Maintenance Parent.
1. Does your child barely know what’s on their college application but you can quote every word in their personal essay (because you wrote it)?
Students who don’t take an active role in their college planning and admission process tend not to be successful in college. Students need to take ownership of the process because it’s their future on the line. It’s time to cut the umbilical cord and let little Johnny fail or succeed. In the end it’s a disservice to your child if you do the work for him.
Now, Theyre Bullying My Daughter In Our Home: Welcome To Cyber-Bullying
January 28, 2008
Last night Tom’s daughter, Sue, came out of her room to see her dad and said, "I got another one of those instant messages. It says, ‘tomorrow you had better not show up at school or else’." She has been getting messages like this now for weeks. The result of this is that she no longer likes to turn her computer on.
Sue is now 14 years-old and in the 8th grade. She has been bullied at school for a number of years and they have had a difficult time getting the Principal and teachers to put a stop to it.
Sue has two disadvantages that make her a target. First, she has always had a weight problem, not extremely heavy but just a little over weight. Second, her last name is hard to pronounce. This has led to numerous ways to say and spell her name. They have been very creative and cruel. Tom is aware that she needs to lose about 20 pounds but what can he do about his name, change it?
This should come as no surprise to anyone, but as technology changes we all adjust; unfortunately, so do the bullies. Bullying has gone wireless. These are situations our children face that we never did.
How To Improve Your Study Habits and Remember Better
January 27, 2008
If you’re a student attending classes, you have probably experienced many moments when it was hard to make yourself settle down and study, even when an important exam was coming up.
If you’re like most students, you put off studying until the very last minute. The night before the exam, you’ll stay up all night cramming, getting little or no sleep. In the morning, you’ll drag yourself out of bed, psych yourself up with lots of coffee and some cigarettes, and go into the exam feeling exhausted, drained and jittery all at the same time. You’ll find it hard to focus or think, and you’ll be cursing yourself for not starting to study sooner.
And not surprisingly, unless you’re blessed with natural brilliance, or you happen to know the subject matter extremely well, you’ll probably do terribly on the test.
If this is your typical method of studying, you already know it doesn’t work. Every time you go through this ritual, you tell yourself that you’re going to smarten up the next time you face a big exam. Next time you’ll start to study weeks in advance, you say. But instead, you keep repeating this crazy pattern. Why does this keep happening? And what should you be doing instead if you want to get better marks?
Teaching Your Child Safety
January 26, 2008
Q. What is the best way to teach safety awareness to young children?
A. The best way is to follow your instincts. It is a natural process. You, your parents, your brothers and sisters, any other close members of your family, and your friends provide just the right input.
You are your child’s first and most important teacher. You, your family, and your friends form for your child his or her first and most important social group. Your parent-child relationship is the main model; and you, your relatives, and your friends make up your child’s training ground for all future relationships.
You as a parent work around the clock as you nurture, love, guide, support, teach, and protect your child. Safety looms high in your mind at all times. It underlies all other interactions. As a matter of fact, you, with your family and friends provide a safety net for your child. These relationships that you all build up over time are what protect him or her. It is you and all of these people who are nearest and dearest to you who teach your child who to associate with, what to accept from others, what to say, what not to say, and who is okay for getting to know. In addition, through books you read to and with your children about these basic safety precautions, you reinforce the concepts.
The Personality Traits of a Pisces Baby
January 25, 2008
Your Pisces Baby..
February 19 - March 20
Your baby will have the most winning ways of all babies, and will dazzle you with the sweetest of smiles. She will dislike order and routine and will have an amazing imagination. Some Pisces children live in a world of make believe with imaginary people to talk to, and they believe in magic, fairies and myths - don’t ever tell them that Santa Claus does not exist, it will be traumatic! Young Pisceans can have a very active sixth sense. Your child may enjoy the company of adults more than that of other children. Pisces children rarely lose their temper, instead they will happily continue on their own sweet way.
Pisces children tend to avoid the limelight and do not seek to lead. Parents should not push their child into such positions. Their passive, non-aggressive natures mean that Pisces children can often be the victims of bullying. You will need to watch for this and to teach your child a strategy for dealing with such situations.
Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet
January 25, 2008
The biggest trick some child predators’ are using these days is to pretend to be a kid, in a kid site chat room.
Child predators are talking the lingo, misspelling words, having simple conversations to gain trust with children on the internet.
But do you really know just how fast they can find information about your child or your family?
This is one website every parent must see:
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/index.html
Scroll down to the bottom and you will see a section called
Interactive Tools
Then click on the link
‘What Can Be Revealed in Minutes About Your Child Online’
It is a downloadable tutorial that shows parents and kids just how someone can search for information about you or your child, if they frequent chat rooms, or send out any type of posts on the internet.
It shows you how a stranger on the internet can find out EVERYTHING about your child in about 45 minutes, with even the smallest piece of information to start with.
Here is the direct url for the tutorial:
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/Multimedia/NCMEC%20Video%202.exe
So what will a child abductor do with this information?
Impact of One in the Apology
January 24, 2008
Impact of One in the Apology
by: Jake Rose
One of the greatest pieces of ancient philosophical writing is without question the Apology written by Plato sometime during 4th century B.C.E in Greece. It tells of the trial of Socrates, Plato’s teacher, who was accused of corrupting the youth and spreading false beliefs of the gods and higher thoughts. It is a powerful tale of one man standing up for what he believes in and facing foe and friend alike in a moral dispute of what is life truly worth. With such views and beliefs so firmly upheld and fought for and against, it is clearly a powerful philosophical piece that challenges the limits of man’s desires and wants with the needs of man’s search for self value and upheld views. For all the criticism that Socrates endures for his actions, both at the time and the repercussions of analysis year after year, he still stands for one of the most determined, honest and thoughtful of all philosophers. For this, Socrates is indeed successful in his defense during his trial from the Apology.
