For many people the word discipline evokes unpleasant images of authoritarian and punitive behaviour on the part of a parent. However the goal of effective discipline is neither blind obedience nor punishment, rather it is a way of keeping your children safe, building character and teaching self-discipline. As a parent you have a responsibility to foster the healthy development of your children so that they grow to be caring human beings who understand and respect both their own needs and those of others. That is best achieved through non-violent, age appropriate discipline techniques that reinforce positive behaviour and demonstrate the negative consequences of adverse behaviour.

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Rather than policing your children for signs of misbehaviour, focus on catching them doing something right and acknowledge it immediately. If they pick up their toys without you telling them to, are gentle with the family pet, or are well behaved on a family outing in pushchairs to a local restaurant, if they stay in their toddler bedwithout a fuss praise their behavior; let them know you have noticed it and appreciate it. People of all ages love sincere complements, and that is particularly true for small children; for them it is the ultimate reward. Every time you reward positive behaviour, you increase the likelihood that it will happen again. Frequent positive reinforcement is by far the best way to curb misbehaviour.

As children grow and begin to assert their independence, it is natural for them to test the limits. They need you to be firm, consistent and reasonable no matter how frustrating their behaviour may sometimes be. Well defined limits and guidelines coupled with natural and logical consequences for inappropriate behaviour, provide children with a “safety net; a buffer to protect them from the outside world.” If parents disagree on limits or consequences, they need to sit down, work through it and come to some compromise. Disagreeing in front of a child, or failing to support each other, is not only confusing for the child but it can teach them all the wrong lessons. In that situation, a child may learn that they can get their own way by manipulating others, as they play one parent off against the other.

When you allow children to experience natural consequences, providing it doesn’t put them in any danger, you are giving them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. If a child is tearing around the house and trips and falls, they learn to be more careful and watch where they are going. Of course, it may take a few falls before they do. If you have asked your child not to leave their bicycle out in the yard and ultimately the bike is stolen, don’t rush out and buy them a new one. Having their bike stolen is a natural consequence of not looking after their bike in a responsible manner.

At times you may have to intervene and create a consequence, one that is logically connected to the misbehaviour. If, for example, a child throws a ball through the neighbour’s window, a logical consequence is that he/she should have to pay to replace the glass. Logical consequences can also be made and agreed on in advance. Regular family meetings provide a great opportunity for the parents and kids to discuss the family rules and determine reasonable consequences. When everyone understands what to expect you can avoid falling into the trap of continually warning, threatening or moralizing.

When disciplining your children, it’s important always be careful to separate the child from the behaviour. You have to make it clear to the child that it is the behaviour that is unacceptable, not them. Discipline should never undermine the child’s self-esteem.

Hello my name is Nisha Sharma, I represent a site called BabyPlanet.biz I love to write about parenting, children and give advice to mums.

If you’ve decided to finally allow your child a pet in the house, but are looking to start with something a bit easier to take care of, you may have reached a decision to allow a pet fish in the house.  But fish aren’t as easy as they seem to take care of, and you can’t just drop a fish in a bowl of water and hope it survives.

Keeping a home-based fish in good health requires a keen eye, as well as some simple knowledge about fish caretaking.  In this article, we’ll focus mostly on the fish’s environment, and how to pick out a tank that best suits your needs as well of the needs of your child and his or her fish.

Tank Size

Because kids are small and tend to be clumsy, many parents insist that a first pet fish must be small, and also purchase a very small fish tank to match.  Though some fish may survive in a small tank, the unfortunate truth is that most won’t thrive in one, and it can be particularly cruel to keep many fish in tanks as small as they’re often found in homes.

If you’re looking to provide your child with a good first experience with an animal, you may want to promote positive home environments for fish, which usually involves a good-sized tank.  As you add fish to a tank, you need to make sure that the resulting space is roomy enough for everyone to live comfortably, side-by-side.

Tank Decorations

This is an area where you can really let your kid’s creativity shine.  Though as a parent you may need to step in and ensure that your child is properly feeding the fish and keeping the tank clean, one area where a kid can take charge is in tank decoration.  You can have your child pick out items to include on the inside of a tank, such as a fish castle or a miniature shipwreck.  The outside of the tank can also be decorated with stickers and other cool add-ons to match just about any interior room design.

Tank Stand

As mentioned earlier, kids can be a bit rough with objects, even if they don’t intend to be.  To prevent tank spillage or breakage, you’ll want to make sure the fish tank you select sits on a sturdy fish tank stand.  Something with wobbly legs or that sits on an uneven surface just won’t do.  But if you have a large, horizontal dresser or perhaps even an empty desk, one of those surfaces should more than suit your particular needs.

photo credit: Slack pics

When I was young, I remember being very fond of playing with Lego blocks. I guess I was an imaginative kid. I had this whole bucket of loose Lego blocks (some were previously parts of sets). I made space ships, fortresses, cars, and all sorts of things.

Then I would keep these sets atop the piano for safekeeping, only to find out the next day that these have been packed away, much to my consternation.

All my lego blocks would be back in the bucket, ready for building new things.

Just today, I got to be on the other end of the packing away. I was clearing my study (which also serves as the kids’ play room), when my daughter tearfully complained about my packing away the monster she modeled out of mega blocks. I told her she can just create another monster, and helped her re-do the creature out of the blocks. She was mad at me for a while, but was satisfied when she was able to do a bigger, better monster.

There’s a lesson to be learned here, I thought. And this quote from Batman Begins comes to mind: Why do we fall? … So we can learn to pick ourselves up.

Lego models weren’t meant to last forever. But Lego pieces probably are. Whatever you build on these blocks will probably crumble and fall as fast as you can say “Lego.” But one thing’s for sure–you learn basics of building. You learn to use your imagination to create something from scratch. And when your creation comes to naught, you learn to pick yourself up and rebuild from the pieces.

Life’s like that, anyway, isn’t it?

Like I always like to tell myself–you learn something from your kids every day.

Baby milk formulas are an essential need and depending on the recommendation of your family pediatrician, it would be best to be careful as well such as asking how long or what effects could possibly be watched out if and when the infant is not keen on the baby formula.

Normally as parents, we would trust our pediatrician. But sad to say, these days you also have to be aware of the current crop of milk formulas that are in the market. We have a mixture of local and foreign brands and while we look highly of imported milk formulas, this Chinese formula scandal is something that should serve as a warning for building better awareness on the milk our babies feed on.

Nearly 160 babies are suffering from acute kidney failure and more than 1,300 are still in hospital, Chen said. Free medical care is being offered to all of the sick babies and officials are setting up an information hotline.

Officials believe that suppliers to China’s dairy companies have added melamine, a banned substance used in the manufacture of plastic products, to watered-down milk so it would appear to have a higher protein content.

Of the dairy companies tested so far, investigators have found that 20 per cent have sold products tainted with the chemical.

Tests have confirmed that all of the sick babies consumed milk powder produced by Sanlu Group Co., Chen said.

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One thing about baby formulas is that they are essential for a child’s overall need as far as food and nutrient is concerned. But perhaps an additional responsibility is to check out the history and of course the ingredients that come with it. We are after healthy babies that grow normally and wisely. Staying away from added things to keep our babies in top shape would be a good recourse.

We all know that children lack the proper understanding on the things around them but surely, they know when a parent or sister will be angry at them. Giving bad looks and perhaps shouting at them would be easy ways to understand this but the fact remains, should we as parents shout at younger children?

Shouting is a form of showing power and also striking fear in the hearts of others. But for babies who are still in their developing stages, should shouting be included among the forces of instilling discipline?

It is true that if you fail to discipline your child while they are young may result into making them grow-up like brats. But disciplining them can be done in several ways. Some use the traditional disciplinarian practices like:

1. Being sent to a corner until he is told to move from there
2. Kneeling
3. Squatting
4. Belt or hangers showing

We all remember these things from our parents but that is the key point. We remember them and as babies before, who knows what happened or if we were punished in such a way!

Remember, that even if babies cannot understand it for now, it remains that it will have a baring on their overall development into maturity. Consider that thought before even pitching your voice. It can be a critical point against you.

Once your child reaches his teens, chances are he or she will spend more time with his or her friends. Among the things to watch out include:

1. Late Night Outs
2. Frequently Absent from Home
3. Mannerisms
4. Extensive Time Spent on the Phone or Texting

The youth of today are indeed a different breed and while we as parents would be tagged as enjoying the same privilege, we still have to watch out for them and make sure that they grow up as rational as we have been. We have had our share of mischief but at the way that society is projected today, the youth may find itself having run-ins with the law and that is something you would want to avoid.

For one, it is a dent in the image you want your kids want to have especially when they grow up. To some, it may also tarnish their image as respected people in society. But there are things today you cannot avoid and the best you can do is turn to provisions to avoid these things from escalating to unmanageable levels.

Even if it means handling them with an iron hand, do it. Kids today are totally aware of how to take care of their future. Hard as it may be for them to understand, we just have to play our part as their parents.

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It is only normal to hear that most kids would ask for a pet at some point in time of their age. It normally comes from culture or from seeing other kids who have their own dogs or cats. But while that is a need that can really be passed up, perhaps this new discovery as far as health and potential snoring problems in kids can convince parents to refrain from buying kids these traditional pets.

Snoring is something you don’t expect to hear from kids. But these days, advanced studies and technology has helped us identify and sum up causes of heart diseases or respiratory problems. Kids may not sleep with these animals but normally the exposure that they get can be entirely dangerous. Worst, it can lead to complications and put your child in danger if you are not careful.

“These factors may enhance inflammatory processes and thereby alter upper airway anatomy early in life, causing an increased susceptibility for adult snoring,” the study conjectured.

The harsh, occasionally nerve-wracking sounds associated with snoring are caused the vibrating of the soft palate.

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If there is one thing that kids hate seeing it is mom and dad fighting often. Due to misunderstandings, a normal family cannot see parents quarreling a lot due to work, time and finances. While that is a familiar site, one thing you have to worry about is the impact it will have on the siblings.

We have seen the sharp rise of juvenile delinquents and psychologically affected kids these days and most of them come from broken homes. Some are products of failed marriages which often lead to divorce. Once this happens, kids are forced to grow up with only one of their parents in sight although they can go with the other at times like weekends.

It is too much to ask for some parents to try and get along for the sake of the children. There are occasions that it has work. But along the line, there is bound to be a pop in the line which leads to arguments and totally giving up on the family relationship. The next thing you know, they are filing for divorce which will have bearing on what a simple child wants.

This is perhaps something kids have to deal with. Even though they don’t want to, some have adopted the understanding that this would be the best alternative rather than seeing their parents fighting often. There is no guarantee that being a single parent will likewise be good for the child. But one thing every parent must do is to make sure that misunderstandings with the partner should not be the case with their kids. They are not to blame for any of it and in fact should be the reason for you to mature and work hard to ensure them a better outlook in life.

The best thing a parent can give to their kids is quality education. That is a given. But while that is defined, the next problem would be how to get them into quality schools to which educational levels are bound to vary depending on the amount they have to pay.

Money is not the gauge for getting good education. But with escalating costs these days, tuition fees are not spared from holding annual increases. Minimal as they may seem to most people these days, each penny added to the old enrollment fees are a pinch in the arm. With that said, what does a parent do to be able to sustain the level of education that these people are supposed to inherit?

If you think that is enough, wait until you need to get them to college. It takes a fortune to get your teenager to top schools such as Harvard. Parents at times have to figure to do something about it and chances are, a lot of big sacrifices will be made such as getting secondary to third jobs to balance the weighing scale of everyday living and investments for your kids’ education.

This seems to be a problem for most parents these days and while the task seems improbable to conquer, these are included in life’s goals. It is not purely for personal satisfaction but rather leaving something worthy that money cannot buy. Degrees, diplomas and education are perhaps it. And the real fulfillment sets in when you see them marching down the aisle with their diploma in tow.

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The maturity level of a parent plays an important role in determining how well couples can bring up a child. We have been hearing of a lot of teenaged parents in the world today and you will notice that there are some things that they have to get used to despite being guided by full-pledged parents as their own mom and dad.

Teenage parents are usually torn when it comes to what they want and living up to the responsibility of being a good parent. You may call it as a period of adjustment for the since traditionally, they should be enjoying the prime of their teenage life. In fact, some teenagers do not really understand what they are up against when they become parents either by accident or choice. Of the two, it seems teenage parents occur due to the former and immature decisions.

These days, rarely would you see teenage parents last long. We see those evidently parting ways since as they say; they are not yet ready to face parenthood. They realize this only a couple of years later, rash decisions which they only admit once they fail to live up to the billing of good parents.

In the end, only one of the parents will remain standing. It is normally the mother who will always get the sole rights assuming to the offspring and as trends show to us. Unless of course you are psychologically unstable (like Britney Spears perhaps?), most of the time, women will get full rights to a child even if you go through the courts. A father normally can have rights after the child turns 7 years old to which he can already make decisions and choices on his or her own.

Teenage parenting does seem complicated. But the thought alone in the early going should be carefully evaluated. Parenting is a serious responsibility. It is not as easy as most people would think.

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