If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Identifying and articulating your child’s feelings could be a daunting problem at times because teenagers are known to be secretive in nature.

Teenagers, especially the boys pretend to their parents about their feelings in order not to be seen as weaklings.

Boys tend to be open to their friends much more than their parents when it comes to matters of personal feelings as they feel much more comfortable even when they are laughed at.

Emotional expression that borders on irritation,embarrassment,disappointment, anger, sex and inadequacy are usually bottled up by teenagers so that their parents are not aware of such feelings.

You must be observant as a parent. You must be aware about the way your teenage child is feeling at every moment if you don’t want to experience unpalatable consequences of such bottled-up emotions.

Here are some of the ways by which you can identify and articulate your child’s feelings at all times:

* Ask The Child About His Feeling: Don’t hesitate to ask your teenage child questions about his or her feelings at all times. The good thing is that most human beings, your child inclusive, hardly succeed in keeping up with pretenses for too long.

* Ensure Your Child Talks To You: You should try to make sure your child talks to you no matter what  it will take you to get that done. Most teenagers don’t find that funny though. But as a parent you must create a conducive the atmosphere for that to happen successfully because that is the only way by which you can break the emotional ice.

* Create The Opportunity: Why do you thin your teenage child is not feeling easy to talk to you about his or her emotional feelings? Why would a child you’ve brought to this world keeping his or her feelings away from you?

This is a question you need to ask yourself most times.

Well, your child does so because he or she has not been given the impression that you’re his or her friend from the onset. You’ve not created the conducive environment for that kind of close relationship between you and the child.

Now is the time to learn to create such close relationship so that your child could begin to see you as a friend who he or she could rely on when it comes to matters relating to his or her emotional feelings.

* Create The Necessary Space: Most teenagers l know feel caged by their parents and they desire to have their on space where that will feel very comfortable all alone.You have to create enough space for your child so as to make your home a comfortable environment for him or her to stay. This is the only reason why your teenage child is not sitting at home and always go outside to look for comfort among his or her friends.

* Provide A Shoulder To Lean On: You should now begin to provide a friendly comfort for your child to stay with you whenever he or she is feeling troubled by whatever he or she has encountered in his or her sojourn on earth.

There is no better ways to do this than the provision of a comfortable shoulder to lean on in times of trouble.The realisation of the fact that there is a parent around to share his or her problems with without any dust being
raised will make their child express him or herself better for you to provide the right solution without apportioning blames.

Enjoy your parenting efforts.

Sikaz

Video games are here to stay as children love to play them and there is or nothing you can do about it as a parent.

Some parentds don’t like their children playing video games and they will go to any extent to ensure that thechildren are truly not playing video games either on theirmobile phones or with the other devices.But the question is very simple:is there a harm in playing video games?

Well, to some parents, ther sure are harms hence they will never let their poor little children near video games for any reason whatsoever.

Here are seven reasons l feel parents should let their children play video games:

1.Everybody plays the games: Vatually everyone that l know takes delight in playing video games and this includes your children’s friends.The truth is that if you don’t allow your own children to play video games at home,they will eventually get to play the game at their friends’ places where you’ll not be able to monitor them.So, why don’t you just give them the required permission and buy the games for them and monitor their activities as they play right there in your sitting room?

2. Video Game makes your children Smarter: I’m not simply saying this for the fun of it;the fact isthat when a child engages in video games he will getsmarter with every other thiungs he is to do as the game usually provide children many challenges that will make them improve different skills like reading logical reasoning and mathematical calculations skill.

3. Video Game Develops Creativity: The games will provide the avenue for your children to develop their creative energy just as they will stimulate basic computer skills in them throguh a fun process not as in a formal classroom situation.

4.Video Games keep kids out of trouble: Do you desire that your children are kept out of trouble?Then the perfect solution to that is to get them to play video games that automatically keep them out of trouble since it will occupy their time.

5.Children Will Learn Patience: Playing video games ensures that a child will learn to be patient since he will sometime have to wait for his opponent to make their moves which will give him the chance to score his point to win the game.

6.Video games is an avenue for children to be together: Playing video games usually provides the avenue for  your children to come together either to play against one another or to form a team.

7.Video games teach children decision-making: Since video games require action and respond about what one is seeing on the screen,it then requires fast decision making.An intelligent child will use the opportunity to learn decision-making if he doesn’t want to be beaten by opponents all the time.

Video games are very good indeed and every parent should try to get their children one or two games at home,if not for anything just for the benefit that are listed above.

Enjoy your parenting efforts.

Sikaz

A baby walker is used when a child has not developed a
steady ability to walk on his own,but he is already old enough
to sit securely.

It is a good tool in training a baby to walk.However, there is a
need to take the necessary precautions while using the baby
walker in order to prevent your baby from having an aviodable
injury.

The following preventive measures should be taken when
your baby is on a baby walker:

1. The baby walker should be used only on a smooth flat floor
without carpets,door threshold or any form of obstructing
object that may cause the baby walker to tip over while the
baby is using it.

2. There should always be somebody around to oversee how
the baby is using the baby walker in order to prevent an
unforeseeable injury as quickly as it is about to occur.

3. Before putting your baby on his baby walker, try to close
your gate and stair guards securely.

4. Make sure your baby’s walker has at least six wheels and
a wheel which is wider and longer than the normal height of
the seat.

Enjoy your parenting efforts.

Sikaz

It is your responsibility to build tolerance in your child,if you want to be seeing as a responsible parent.

Tolerance is a character any child could develop albeit not as easily as many of us think because , by nature every human being usually get pissed off by the things that look irritating around them.

The truth is that parents have a lot to do with how their children develop the habit of tolerance in them.

A tolerant parent who shows tolerance every time every day and in every place in the presence of their children is indirectly teaching the children how to be tolerant in every circumstance they find themselves.

The following some of the known ways by which every determined parent could build tolerance in their children.

•Talk about tolerance with your child:It’s important for you as a parent to talk to your child about tolerance.Define the word;explain the meaninf of the word using many practical life experiences,preferably the one the child is familiar with.Never, at any time, feel that the child should naturally develop the habit of tolerance automaically on his own which being taught how to do so.

•Identify and Challenge intolerant behaviour:Be vigilant.This is the right attitude you must learn if  you want to succeed as a parent.The purpose of  this is for you to be  able to identify and challenge every intolerant behaviuor your child may try to show at any time.You should nip it in the bud before it escalate to such a level that you don’t like.

•Be a role model for your child: There is nothing
comparable to teaching your child by example.You have to live the type of behaviour you would like to see in your child.Your tolerance must show for everyone,including your child in particular, to see and learn from.

•Support your child: Like l said earlier,to cultivate the habit of tolerance, you have to do a lot of work as it will nevr come easy.Therefore,while your child is learning the rope in his effort at becoming tolerant,make sure you support him so he can realise his goal.Your support will naturally give him the impetus to carry on with the habit of tolerance even when he’s been laughed at by his freinds or other people around him.

Enjoy your parenting eforts.
Sikaz

Are you a busy dad?

Is your life anything like this:

Commuting to or from work, business travel,scheduled and
unscheduled meetings and attending to files even as you close
the door behind you in your master bedroom?

Most busy dads hardly have time for their children,they work
so hard that they tend to end up unwittingly denying their children
a valuable time which should have been positively used together as
a family.

Well, you don’t need to worry for too long because here you will be
learning how to make maximum impact as a busy dad in the life of
your children.

It is possible to raise the kids you want in the time you have.You
needn’t feel anyway guilty with yourself.

Simply follow these steps and see how much impact you would be
making in the life of your kids as a very busy dad:

* Be involved in your kids’ schooling – Try attend
the child’s”Back-to-School Night” and other activities once in a
while,or even every time since such things don’t happen every day.

* Give your child a few minutes to play together,no matter how   short,everyday before leaving home for work.Your kid will definitely appreciate the few minutes.

* Build relationships with your child’s teachers.Teacher appreciate it and communicate more with parents they have met physically.The consequence is that your child won’t get away with anything because he will surely be reported.

* Plan a trip with your child.There are always some work-free days

that would involve both you and your child.So, while not plan a short trip together?You will be glad you did as your child will forever thank you for it.

* Develop the habit of listening to your child anytime he talks to you. I don’t mean that you should just pretend that you are paying attention while you are not.Deliberately pay serious attention and let your child be convince that you are.

These are just a few of the things you can do to make maximum impact as a busy dad in the life of your children.You need to be fully engaged in the development of your children regardless of how busy you think you are.

Take action right now and see how your parenting life will improve

for the better.

Enjoy your parenting efforts.

Sikaz

As Featured On EzineArticles