Young Parents Get Ideas

Young parents are never short of ideas. Young parents are innovative and creative with finding great ways to help thier chidren feel important and included at home.

Here are just a few ways parents can get things done at home and "entertain" the little ones too:

1. Ask your child to separate the clean laundry by each person in the family.

2. Task your child to find all the socks, match them up and then count by twos.

3. Assign a "dinner task" to your child. (something they can do to help prepare the meal. Something they can do to help out during the meal (like be in charge if a person needs more napkins) and a job to do after the meal (put all the condaments away).

4. While making dinner, if your child can't help. Tell them you need some encouragement and ask how many jumping jacks they can do in a minute. Then time them.

5. Task your child (ren) to run around the house and find all the loose change.

6. Task your kids to be a reporter and ask all the older adults about how they celebrated their holidays when they were little.

7. Ask your child to go through the holiday cards and count how many stamps/trees/birds/Santas/candles/etc. they can find.

8. Ask you child to plan a way they can help other people. List their ideas and see if you can do them together.

9. Give your kids a green/non-toxic cleaner mixed with water in a squirt bottle and some paper towels and ask them to go around and clean the windows. (My kids LOVE this!!)

10. Use a paper plate and create a clock with movable hands to talk about when you need to do things and when your family needs to be ready to go.

These tips for young parents can help your child feel important (the main motivation for all people) and included. In turn you will have some "help" around the house and minimize power struggles and strife during Christmas and the holiday break from school

Parenting With Love is a Kids' Key To Success

Parenting with love and patience, especially during this season can be really difficult. Although this season's purpose is to be joyous, my friends in the health field know that this time of year brings more stress, anxiety, negative news stories, and worry like no other. Parenting with chaos is more like it!

Parenting with love and patience can be last thing on a parents mind because we are all strapped for time. With holiday shopping, end of the year meeting and projects that need to be completed, the decorating, the cooking and baking, the school plays, recitals, concerts, etc. who has time to really focus on our families and kids? I know that is why everyone is doing so much, why everyone is trying to fit everything in.

Everyone I speak with has the greatest of intentions (we all are trying to parent with love) but the stress and the pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect and have everything perfect can be too much for some - too much for most.

This past Sunday my daughter was involved with a play at our church called the Grouches
Of Christmas. Our paster has a outstanding way of getting a message across! Our Children's Sunday School director does too! If you have read or seen this play it is a must!

It is like the Part II of How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suese. I absolutely loved it!!

I am so greatful to my church, especially Minister Pritchard and our Children's Director Dawn Wirth!

I hope everyone truly slows down, has a peaceul, spirit-filled season, and the all the energy to parenting with love and patience!

Check out this video to See our Church's redition of The Groches Of Christmas!