by Diana Guintu, M.Ed.
“In my house the laundry always piles up” she sighed. She was tired and overwhelmed. There wasn’t enough time in the day to finish all that she “had” to do.” This juggling act between motherhood and womanhood had reached a breaking point. She was losing it!
Guest Post from The Children’s Project
According to Dr. Newmark, the fifth critical emotional need of children is the need to feel Secure. Security means creating a positive environment where people care about one another and show it; where people express themselves and others listen; where differences are accepted and conflicts are resolved constructively; where enough structure and rules exist for children to feel safe and protected, and where children have opportunities to actively participate in their own evolution and that of the family.
Guest post by Kids ‘R’ Kids of Dallas/Fort Worth
With more mothers going back to work within the first year of their infant’s life, it has become incredibly important for parents to make the right choices about childcare for their baby. Choosing the proper childcare is a difficult decision as there are often many options to consider: Would you prefer care in your home, childcare in someone else’s home, or care in a childcare or early education center? And then there’s the question of the costs involved, as well as the psychological issues of leaving ones’ baby with someone else?
Here are 3 important factors to consider when choosing a quality childcare. The considerations mentioned are based on the primary developmental needs of your little one. Use of kidspiration and more innovative learning is what parents expect out of nurseries these days.
March 18 – 22, 2013, marks National Youth Violence Prevention Week in the United States. The week-long observance is dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public on effective ways to prevent youth violence.
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), whose mission it is to help people keep themselves safe from crime, places an immensely high priority on preventing youth violence. To further its mission and contribute to National Youth Violence Prevention Week, NCPC will highlight its resources on youth crime prevention throughout the week.
Print a List of Questions To Ask Camp Directors
See North Texas Kids Guide to Summer Camps & Kids Activities
by Marla Coleman
I have witnessed, first-hand, the incredible journeys of children who come to recognize their own power in steering their own destinies.
Camp is a stepping-stone to self-reliance! It is one community in which children can learn to navigate on their own without well-intentioned parental course-plotting to avert choppy waters. As a parent, I confess to the compelling desire to negotiate smooth sailing for my own children. Yet, over the years, as a camp director, I have witnessed, first-hand, the incredible journeys of children who come to recognize their own power in steering their own destinies. Opportunities for decision-making and problem-solving at camp, which foster a culture of success, allow children to discover their strengths and their abilities to make good choices and to influence positive outcomes for themselves.
After all, coaching kids to feel capable is what camp directors do. Not quite so obvious but just as central is their proficiency to coach parents to support their children with just the right combination of back-up and encouragement. Kids learn quickly to rely upon themselves and the adults they trust at camp instead of their parents, who could be one hundred miles away or more!
Kids Need to Feel Valued: Value Your Children for Who They Are – Not Who You Need Them to Be
By Marta Fuchs, MLS, MFT
“I got everything I wanted except what I needed.”
It was a breakthrough moment. A therapy client suddenly discovered what he always knew and now could finally identify. By being able to name it, he became a witness to his experience, and could finally begin to feel compassion for himself. No wonder there were tears, in his eyes and mine.
Countless other successful people I’ve counseled have had that same sorrowful feeling that something basic was missing. They got everything they wanted from their parents except what they needed the most: to be seen and valued.
That is the essence of parenting – to see and value your children for who they are, rather than as an extension of yourself or as the means to fulfill your own needs.
