Every Life Stage: Resources for Raising Your Child Well Colleen Stewart — Guest Authoron May 13, 2022 Image via Unsplash Being a parent is challenging. It’s a full-time job that you must juggle with all the other commitments in your life, and there is no secret formula for becoming the perfect parent. And if you have a child with special needs, you may encounter even more obstacles. Here’s the good news: As long as you have a boundless love for your child and are willing to consistently go the extra mile and consistently adjust your strategies, then you can be everything your child needs. Check out these resources from Online Parenting Programs for raising a kid well through each age and stage! Develop Routines Providing a sense of security for your child is critical, especially if they have special needs. And making healthy routines is...
The Stay-at-Home Parents’ Guide to Going Back to School Colleen Stewart — Guest Authoron April 27, 2022 Image via Pexels Choosing to stay at home with the kids is an absolutely wonderful way to bond with your little ones, save on the cost of child care, and get a first-hand look at all the beautiful little moments that define their early years. However, putting your career on hold during this time can be a difficult choice to make. After all, most stay-at-home parents plan to re-enter the workforce once their children are older, and that transition back can be a tumultuous one. Going back to school ahead of returning to the workforce is an incredible way to mitigate the challenges a career gap can cause. Earning a degree gives you more power and leverage in interviews, which can make up for the lost time. All of this requires an elevated level of...
6 Essential Mental Health Skills To Teach Your Kids Patrick Bailey — Guest Authoron April 18, 2022 Mental health used to be a taboo subject but is making big strides toward the forefront of awareness. As athletes and celebrities are opening up about mental health struggles and taking time off to deal with them, more and more people are gaining an understanding of what makes our brains tick. Adults may experience less stigma when it comes to the subject, but access is often difficult for children, teens, and adults. Education on how to help your kids with good mental health is part of parenting. Why Mental Health Skills Are Important For Kids From the time they are born, babies get regular physical check-ups. Pediatricians recommend these starting as a newborn, age 3-5 days, one, two, and four months, six and nine months, one...
Nurturing Your Child’s Artistic Instincts To Create Something Beautiful Sara Zipf — Guest Authoron April 6, 2022 Image via Pexels Of the many challenges facing parents today, helping your child to build and maintain positive mental health is surely one of the most difficult. Recent data shows that 15% of young people aged 12-17 report suffering from at least one major depressive episode during the last year. That’s not to mention the children and young people who may not classify themselves as depressed, but still experience feelings of anxiety, low self esteem or worry about their future. While courses such as Online Parenting Skills, Parent-Child and Thrive Online can help to equip parents to build their child’s self esteem and communication skills, it’s also smart to look at talents or instincts your children already possess, and nurture them to...
Smart And Conflict-Free Ways To Budget With Your Co-Parent Sara Zipf — Guest Authoron March 30, 2022 Image via Unsplash When a marriage comes to an end and there are children involved, learning how to effectively raise them with a co-parent can be tough, particularly from the financial perspective. In fact, navigating the shared expenses of raising a child may require co-parents to save up at least $233,610 on average to raise a child until the age of 17, according to recent statistics by the United States Department of Agriculture. With that in mind, here are four smart and conflict-free ways to create a co-parenting budget and save money for your children's future. Develop a System The key to a successful co-parenting system that works for the long haul is to develop a system for dividing expenses and stick to it. The divorce decree can serve as...
Why Being Your Child’s Biggest Sports Supporter Doesn’t Have to Cost an Arm and a Leg Colleen Stewart — Guest Authoron March 9, 2022 Image via Pexels Many parents would agree that for children with bounds of energy, sport is the ideal solution to keep them busy and out of mischief. So, when your child shows a keen interest in basketball, for example, you'll want to show as much support for them as you can. However, investing in sport can add up from a cost perspective. Presented below by OnlineParentingPrograms.com, here's how you can be your child's biggest sports supporter without it costing you an arm and a leg. First-Hand experience If your child is totally undecided as to what sport they want to do, sometimes first-hand experience can provide them with the insight they need to make their selection. For instance, you can book affordable tickets for the LA dodgers or the...
Fleeing Domestic Violence: How To Stay Safe And Protect Your Rights Sara Zipf — Guest Authoron February 18, 2022 No one has the right to abuse another person, and no one deserves to be abused. Sadly, intimate relationships can sometimes lead to domestic violence, and the simplest solution is to leave once abuse occurs. In the US, statistics show that women in abusive relationships are about 500 times more at risk for domestic violence when they leave. And according to Wendy Mahoney, who is the executive director for the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, domestic violence is all about power and control. When the abused individual leaves, the abuser has lost his power and control, and in many cases, ultimately, homicide is the ultimate absolute control. It's important to note that not all domestic abuse cases are the...
3 Low-Stress Ways to Prevent Boredom on Rainy Days Colleen Stewart — Guest Authoron February 7, 2022 Image via Pixabay It’s raining cats and dogs outside. This means your kids are stuck indoors and they’re going to get bored. You getting stressed won’t be far behind. But this doesn’t have to be the case! When you have these helpful ideas presented below by Online Parenting Programs, you will prevent rainy day boredom and still get stuff done. Encourage Them to Get Creative Okay, so you’re probably picturing a monumental mess right now. But as long as you set up a dedicated space for your kids, you can keep creative messes minimal. Choose a room or corner in your home where your kids will be out of your hair, especially if you are working from home or working on other tasks that require focus. You can then create individual...
How to Safeguard Your Kids Against Nature-Deficit Disorder Colleen Stewart — Guest Authoron January 14, 2022 Image via Pexels With advances in technology, it makes sense that phones, tablets, and video games have taken over when it comes to children’s pastimes. However, not too long ago, children spent most of their free time outside instead. As a parent, you may wonder how to encourage your children to play outside so they can benefit from everything the natural world has to teach them. These resources can help you get started, brought to you by Online Parenting Programs. Get Children Interested in Playing Outside Getting children outside isn’t as simple as opening the back door — you need to get them interested in nature! But first, to keep them safe, search Angi for “best fence company near me”. Then, check out the ideas and resources below to...
Intergenerational Trauma Ashley C. Shine — Guest Authoron January 3, 2022 It seems that many people are talking about trauma these days. They talk about trauma in childhood. They talk about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many people have talked about trauma and stress during the pandemic. Some people even talk about stress for pets and providing massages for dogs and cats! Most of the time, we think about trauma as something that effects individual people. But did you know there is something called “Intergenerational Trauma?” It is emotional and psychological hurt that can be passed on from generation to generation. It is not passed on like Grandma’s vase or your great-grandfather’s antique bicycle. It is more complicated than that, but it is helpful to explore Intergenerational Trauma. When...