North Texas Kids

Teaching Kids About Money

How to Teach Kid the Value of Money

by Gregg Murset, CFP

Love them or hate them, New Years Resolutions do make you think about the future. According to a 2012 survey by University of Scranton, an estimated 190 million Americans create a yearly list of things to do or improve upon. If by chance one of your items is to create a financial plan, live on a budget or get debt under control, then January is the perfect month for you to since it’s National Financial Wellness month in the U.S. MyJobChart.com CEO Gregg Murset recommends making resolutions that are achievable for you but can also serve as teachable moments for your children.

To help move your children in the right direction in 2014, Murset suggests:

No More Hand Outs

Decide you are not going to just shell out money to your kids anymore. When they come to looking for money, let them know that they will have to work for it. Tying work and reward together in meaningful ways will help them understand responsibility and accountability.

2014 Baby Name Trends

2014 Baby Name Predictions: 5 Trends Say Goodbye to Aiden and Jayden

2013 was definitely a banner year for outrageous baby names. 2014 is shaping up to be the year that pushes the boundaries of what was previously considered “normal” though. Gone are the vogue of baby names ending in –den, such as Brayden, Jayden, Aiden, and alike, as well as the ‘x’ madness of Axl and Xander. As parents strive to distinguish their children from peers, social baby naming website, Belly Ballot is predicting some shocking baby name trends for 2014. The site collects real-time data on what names parents are selecting from around the globe. Based on naming data from over 3,500 parents, along with 25,000 votes from their friends and family, the site has released the following baby name predictions for the 2014 New Year:

Unconventional Spellings

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Extreme Arenacross Nationals Jan 24th-25th

Extreme Arenacross Nationals at Mesquite Arena January 24-25

O’Reilly Auto Parts presents the Extreme Arenacross Nationals at Mesquite Arena January 24-25, 2014. See high flying arenacross racing from pee wee’s to the fastest pros from around the country in an all out air assault on the huge indoor track. Featured classes will be the 250F Pro, 450F Pro, and ATV Pro. All Pro riders will be racing for their share of the big cash purse. Arenacross Nationals start at 7:30 pm. Gates open at 6 pm nightly. Friday night is kid’s night. The first 200 kids get free toy motorcycles.

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Tips for Raising Happy, Healthy Teenagers

How to Raise Happy, Healthy Teenagers

by Abigail Clark

Successfully raising kids and transforming them into well-rounded, responsible, and productive members of society is no simple task. It takes years of careful guidance and patient teaching to raise kids who can care for themselves, standing on their own two feet. Most importantly, your goal is to raise them to be healthy and happy, above everything else. Here’s a look at some insightful tips on doing just that.

Remember the Big Picture

As easy as it is to get caught up in the test scores, dating debacles, moral conundrums, and attitude adjustments, remember what you’re working for. The overarching goal is for your kids to be happy, healthy, and productive members of society, and ultimately fend for themselves someday.

What Brain Research Can Show About How Your Child’s Brain Develops

The New GPS for Parents: Finding Guidance in Brain Research

by JoAnn Deak, Ph.D.

It has become a common statement emanating from the mouths of parents: I wish my teen came with an owner’s manual! For years we have relied on the wisdom of past generations, our own upbringing and a host of books, articles and now, blogs filled with ‘expert’s’ advice.

Research then entered the picture; giving parents more data based advice. One of the earliest and best examples was the study released from Harvard about fifteen years ago, dubbed ‘raising the water level.’ In that study, children whose parents allowed them more freedom of movement and exploration during the toddler years showed a significant difference in intellectual development. This was accomplished by moving harmful objects up out of the reach of children so that they were not constantly stopped from exploring and touching and movement. The older they got and the farther they could reach or move, the higher things were raised above their grasp. In other words, ‘raising the water level’ raised the richness of their experiences, and thus enhanced their growing brains.

A New Year; A New YOU

Tips for Achieving More Balance in the New Year

With the holidays almost behind us, many of us are already starting to think about how to start the New Year off on the right foot. Since we can all use one less thing to stress about, we’re sharing a few tips that are sure to help make 2014 your best year yet – thanks to Leslie Hendry yoga and meditation expert and author of the kids app “Tejas & Lollipops: The Great Clean-Up.”

Leslie’s Top Tips For Creating a New Year, New You:

1) Start With a Clean Slate – Take an inventory of items in your home you no longer use or need and donate, recycle or pass on to a friend or family member. Creating more space in your home will make room to physically and emotionally invite new energy into your life!

2) Get Organized – One easy way to get rid of time wasters like searching for keys, sunglasses, etc. is to create a ‘home’ for items you use regularly. By keeping these items in one consistent place, you alleviate stress and create a more efficient, calm living environment.

How to Parent a Child with Anxiety Issues

Parenting Kids with Anxiety Issues

by Amy Egan

This past year I had a few coaching sessions with a couple of two elementary aged kids. Collin, a fifth grader and Cara, a second grader. Our first two visits we spent mostly working on new, more effective parenting skills when handling Collin. He was a pretty good-natured boy but his parents had typical tweenaged frustrations with him. He was a little disrespectful, a little argumentative and tended to pull them into power struggles. They were becoming beaten down by these things – but more than that, concerned about his anxiety level. Collin was a very anxious boy.

We mostly developed plans for handling his disrespect and the power struggles. After reading suggested materials and a couple of coaching sessions, they began to do the following on a consistent basis.