Pipe Down!
September 30, 2009
Life is funny.
My twenty-year-old daughter, Melanie, has a her new summer job as a nanny for three small children. She’s an aspiring operatic soprano who was whisked off to a rich suburb near Manhattan the day after her finals had ended at the Eastman School of Music. Her mother and I miss her dreadfully. Thank God for our Family Talk Plan!
Last night, she called home and as we discussed my upcoming book signing at Borders, she called out, "You two need to pipe down and go to sleep! I don’t want to hear one more peep out of you!"
I doubled over with laughter. The tears streamed down my cheeks. The tone and emphasis was identical to my own words uttered night after night to Melanie and her twin sister, Allison, when they were little. When she came back on the phone, she joined in my laughter.
"You know, Dad, it’s weird. I’m turning into you and mom. I’m so strict, I’m worried all the time about them! I hear you in my own voice each time I talk to them! And when did I learn all the lyrics to these Raffi songs?"
Young Entrepreneurs
September 29, 2009
Young Entrepreneurs
by: Matt Bacak
Adolescence brings with it many challenges - for both parents and kids. Young people, still new to the world, are embarking on a journey to discover their passions, joys, and authentic self-images. More often than not, however, their journey more closely resembles an elongated stampede of enraged elephants than it does an innocent soul-searching endeavor. But no one said growing up would be easy.
And there are young entrepreneurs out there who see the world in a truly positive light. Sure, they have their ups and downs like most teenagers, but they are motivated, focused, and want to make a difference.
Who are these kids? How were they raised? What do they have in common with one another? At the risk of making some sweeping generalizations, I will paint the picture of the young, confident entrepreneur - with the knowledge that this over-idealized portrait often comes in many colors and hues.
While entrepreneurship was never common in my family, many young entrepreneurs had experiences early on in life that lead them towards an entrepreneurial path. In general, there are two possible ways young people feel compelled towards entrepreneurship: inspiration and avoidance. Both can act as powerful catalysts for taking action.
So You Want To Teach As A Private Music Tutor?
September 28, 2009
So You Want To Teach As A Private Music Tutor?
by: Vicky Wilkinson
An Introduction for Musicians
For many of today’s musicians, working as a private music tutor has many benefits over working within an educational establishment. Firstly, you are a lot freer to choose where, when, and depending on how well you teach, WHO your students are. This will also let you continue whatever employment or other commitments you already have. Building up your student base slowly allows you to commit time to each of them to find out their learning style and prepare for their lessons without feeling overwhelemed suddenly with 30 new students starting next week.
Starting out, the idea of being an “expert” can feel rather daunting especially for those of us who learned by gigging, and may not be the best sight-readers. Others among us have studied music and/or education to higher levels. But no matter where you stand between these two, those first few steps into teaching music as an income is terrifying.
Two main advantages I have seen in my time working as a private music tutor are
Baby Shower Gifts
September 27, 2009
As a host, you need to consider the people that will be on the invitation list. Sometimes, finances are tight and buying gifts are tough. You have a couple of options. First, you could set the tone on the invitations advising that while gifts are appreciated, they are not mandatory. This way, people know they can attend the shower but not feel embarrassed if they come without a gift.
Another option is to purchase a few extra, inexpensive but nice gifts from the funds collected. As the host, if you know someone is one a tight budget, you could tactfully let them know that you had extra gifts purchased so if they need one, they are certainly more than welcome simply to take one to give the couple. This way, that individual could choose a gift to give without feeling bad.
SIBLING GIFTS
For siblings, a new baby in the home can be a stressful and insecure time. After all, they are used to getting all the attention and now, everyone who comes to the door is offering something to the new baby, completely looking past them. To ensure siblings are included, we would highly recommend the following:
Fraternal Twin Parenting Concerns
September 26, 2009
Identity and Your Fraternal Twin
For the most part, throughout this article I refer to a fraternal twin in the singular rather than the plural “twins.” This is to emphasize the individuality of each twin. Too often twins are defined only by their being a part of a whole, rather than by their own individual identity. This can be very damaging emotionally, especially during the time children are struggling to establish their own self worth and place in the world.
Treat your fraternal twin as the autonomous, unique child they are. Genetically, fraternal twins are no more similar than their siblings who were born one at a time, and they certainly have personalities all their own. DNA tests can be performed to determine which type of twins your children are - fraternal, identical, etc. Far too often people look too hard for similarities between fraternal twins that simply aren’t there - and in the meanwhile, they miss the opportunity to get to know each twin individually.
Does Your Child Need A Bedtime Routine? - Yes!
September 26, 2009
Do you struggle to get your child to bed at night? We sure did with our daughter. She would refuse to go to sleep in her bed and wanted to hang out with us until we were ready for bed and of course then she would want to sleep in Mama’s and Daddy’s bed.
That all changed when we finally sat down and established a bedtime routine. It helped our daughter establish healthy sleeping habits and got us back into ours. On top of it, we now have a little time to ourselves at night.
Maybe you have heard on TV or read in a parenting magazine that your child needs a bedtime routine. Or you are just plain tired of having to run to her room 20 times before she finally dozes off. For whatever reason you decided it’s time to start setting up a bedtime routine. Where do you go from here? Obviously you are not going to change your child’s habits from one day to the next. Consistency is going to be key, which is why we started by drawing up a basic little plan.
Take out a pen and a piece of paper and jot down the following:
Would You Know if Your Child Were Being Bullied? 4 Tips to Keep Them From Becoming a Victim
September 25, 2009
The 21st Century Problem in Schools: Bullying, and How to Keep Your Kid From Being a Victim
Children bullying other children has been an issue since there were children, and though it has often been downplayed as “part of growing up,” it has always had potentially serious implications from an emotional perspective.
But these days, due to a host of factors such as our society’s glorification of celebrity and being popular, violence in mass media, and easy access to deadly weapons, the implications can be especially risky. At the extreme, in many of the school shootings over the last decade, the perpetrators were withdrawn students who had a history of being bullied. Though still largely ignored or discounted as a minor issue, bullying is a very serious - and growing - problem.
According to a new study of two schools by UCLA researchers, 47 percent of sixth graders in one school and 46 percent in the other said they’d been bullied at least once during a five-day period.
Drinking and Driving: Will Your Child Become a Statistic?
September 24, 2009
Just two days ago, another 15-year old child was added to the overwhelming statistics of drunk-driving, related deaths. One minute, he’s full of vitality and attending our local high school, the next his unsuspecting parents are identifying him in a local morgue. The harsh reality of this brutal scenerio is sometimes very difficult to comprehend.
“Where did I go wrong?” “Didn’t I talk enough with my child?” “I thought he knew better…” “I assumed he was just at a friend’s house…”
These, and various other queries, are all similar questions parents tend to ask themselves after an incident or accident involving DUI or DWI (Driving Under the Influence, or Driving While Intoxicated).
Is It Colic, Infant Reflux, Or GERD? Learn How To Tell The Difference
September 23, 2009
It can sometimes be difficult for a parent to understand whether the baby has colic or reflux (and even GERD) since some of the symptoms (eg. poor sleep, constant crying) can be similiar. It’s also extremely important to rule out reflux as a cause of this crying, as it’s becoming widely acknowledged that many cases of colic are actually undiagnosed and untreated cases of reflux. In these cases, simply treating the reflux may eliminate the colicky behavior.
The easiest way to determine whether a baby has colic or reflux is to look at the definitions and symptoms of each. Then compare them to your child’s symptoms.
COLIC
Colic can be defined as uncontrollable, extended crying in babies who are otherwise healthy and well-fed. All babies cry, but when they cry for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week, they are said to have colic.
Symptoms of Colic
The main symptom is continuous crying for long periods of time. This crying can occur at any time of day but it usually gets worse at night. It’s not believed that colic is caused by pain although a colicky baby may look uncomfortable or appear to be in pain. They may lift their head, draw their legs up to their abdomen, pass gas and become red-faced. Poor sleep habits is also common.
Guide Your Kids! This 3-D Map Leads to Character
September 22, 2009
A tall, weary-looking mother with glasses, walked into my counseling office with her 10-year-old-daughter. The mother frowned at me and sat down. "Oh-oh!" I thought. "Why are you here?" I inquired.
"Jessica’s been shoplifting. I want you to stop her." Jessica flinched then stared at her mother.
"What happened?" I asked.
Jessica, a soft-spoken child with short curly hair and dark brown eyes, proceeded to tell how she had stolen a pack of gum, a candy bar, and a plastic toy from the local grocery store. She glanced cautiously at her mother.
I asked her mother, "Will you please sit in the waiting room?" When she left, I turned to Jessica, "What were you thinking and feeling before and after the shoplifting?" From the things Jessica told me I found out that she had a hole in her heart. Not a physical hole, but a hole only her mother could fill. Jessica had stolen the articles to fill that hole. She thought snacks and toys would make herself happy. What Jessica really wanted was time with her mother.
Of course, a 10-year-old can’t analyze her situation easily. By spending time with Jessica, I had to discover the hole in her heart. I had to find her core.
