Family | Parent Alliance

Learning Things as a Parent

Being a parent is as much of a learning situation as being a child. There are things that every parent will learn or in some cases unlearn because of their children. Here are a few great examples of things parents don’t always expect to learn.

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How to clean formula off a wall. Babies have a tendency to spit-up and sometimes it will end up on the other side of the room.
Zippers are fantastic. Children go through a TON of cloths and having something that is easy to take on and off makes it much easier on you.
Don’t wash Velcro with anything else. Velcro sticks – unfortunately to everything including that expensive piece of silk lingerie you love. Oh yeah by the way that is now ruined.
Storage is key. Being a parent enables you to pack 90 bags worth of things into a diaper bag and purse.
Always have a stroller. Strollers are not only a great place to put your child in when you get tiered of carrying them everywhere but they also work very well as a catch-all for bags and purses.
Sleeping while standing up. Sleeping becomes something you only get when no one else is looking, the minute they see that you are asleep they instantly need something.

Being a parent never ceases to be an interesting adventure. And there is no telling what you may learn especially when you are not quite certain of what your child may or may not do next.

Filed Under: Childhood, Family Tagged With: Child, Learning, Parent

Adjusting to Life with an Adopted Child

Adopting a child can be a beautiful gift to both the parents and the kid. However, adjusting to the adoption can take some time for all parties involved. Here are a few tips for making the best out of the awkward transition period.

Feelings

Realize that your new child might be scared. Although they are probably grateful to have a permanent home instead of living in foster care, you must remember that you are still a stranger to your new child. Your new child may be afraid of fitting in or wondering if you truly love them.

Make The Child Feel at Home

Find out what your child’s favorite snacks and favorite TV shows are. Put in an effort to surround the child with things that will make them happy. At the same time, don’t spoil the child to the point where he or she may feel like a hotel guest. You want the child to feel at home. Make sure the child is comfortable going into the pantry to grab juice or a snack. Ask the child to help out with simple tasks such as setting the table so that he or she feels involved.

Rules

Make sure your adopted child understand the rules of your home. The rules of the house probably vary from the rules of a foster home or orphanage. Help to set the rules up front by making a chore chart or other poster board. It is especially important to establish rules such as curfew, time allowed on the computer and what time homework has to be completed by if you are mixing a household of natural birthed children and adopted children. You want all children to be treated equally so that the adopted child doesn’t feel like you love your birth child more and your natural child doesn’t feel like you favor the adopted child because they are new to the household.

Filed Under: Childhood, Family Tagged With: Adoption, Foster care, Home Life

Donating a Family Car to Charity

There are a lot of different things that your family can donate to charity when you reach a point when you no longer need that item. There are many different things that your family owns that other families and charities would be pleased to have, so you should not feel like you have to simply throw those items away. One example of something that you can donate when it has fallen into disuse by your family is a car.

There are charities such as Kars 4 Kids that are specifically looking for vehicle donations that they can use in order to benefit children in need. Getting rid of a car in any other manner can actually be a hassle, and trying to sell it or take it to the junk yard is really a waste of time that is not benefiting anyone. This is why, instead, you should consider donating the family car that you are no longer using to acause where you know somebody is going to be helped. Donating your family vehicle to a charity such as Kars 4 Kids is going to guarantee that someone who is less fortunate than your family is going to benefit from your generous donation.

If you are looking for a way to donate something to charity this year, consider a car that your family is no longer using. Check to find out about the tax deduction options of the donation as well, as this is a popular benefit that comes with making donations to non-profit organizations.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation, Tax deduction

Tips for Raising a Handicapped Child

Raising a handicapped child can be difficult for the entire family. Although challenging, with planning and time, you can provide a great life for your handicapped child.

Plan for the Future

If your child has a permanent disability, it is important to obtain adequate life insurance so that he can be taken care of after you are gone. Although this is a difficult situation to think about, there are some disabilities that may be able to leave a child unable to work for life.

Make Your Home More Accessible

If your child has a disability which can be made easier by making some accommodations in the house, it is important to do these things so that your child can be more independent. If you have a child who is short in stature due to a disability, provide stools so that she can reach sinks and help with the dishes and brush her teeth. If your child is wheelchair bound, get her a tool to help her reach objects. Kids like to feel like that can do tasks and contribute.

Test the Waters

Not all children with every disability are created equal. When it comes to schooling, see what makes your child comfortable. Some children may prefer to be home schooled or go to a special school to avoid teasing by other children. Other children may have an easy time fitting in despite their disability and enjoy time in a regular public school. Don’t hold your child back because you are afraid of what he can not do. Let him try things, you can always change the arrangements if your child is unhappy.

Someone to Relate To

Help your child to make friends with another child with the same or a similar disability. As your child grows into his or her teen years, it will be nice to have a friend who he or she can relate to.

Filed Under: Childhood, Family Tagged With: Accessibility, Child, Disability

Work at Home Jobs for Moms

Being a full-time mom and brining in an income can be a challenge. Thanks to the expansion of the Internet more mothers are taking advantage of the opportunity to work at home. Working at home allows a more flexible schedule and gives mom’s more time to spend with their kids.

Freelance Writing

Freelance Writing is one popular career opportunity for moms. Freelance writers can write for content sites on the web where they can pick as many or as few articles as they want out of a queue. Another way to earn income as a freelance writer is to write for private clients. Some writers also build their own websites and blogs and earn income through site visits and selling affiliate products.

Transcription

Transcription is another great job that can be done from home. Many medical billing offices and law offices needs transcriptions done. A business will send freelancers audio clips to listen to and the transcriber will type up the text. Some companies pay by the hour while others pay by the word or page. People who can type a lot of words per minute will be ideal candidates for this type of job.

Online Tutoring

Online tutoring is a good option for women who have teaching experience but no longer wish to work in a classroom. Once someone signs up with an online tutoring company, they will be given clients who they will meet with over a web cam or web chat and given instructions to. Most online tutoring companies will provide the learning materials and subjects that you should cover in your lesson plans.

Filed Under: Family, Resources Tagged With: Freelancer, NFL on television, Telecommuting

Surprise Your Child with Their Fantasy Costume

Surprising your child with the perfect Halloween costume can create a memory that both of you will cherish for a lifetime! Halloween is a very special holiday for most children. For many, it’s on the same level as Christmas morning and their birthday. Boys often prefer action figure or cartoon character disguises while many little girls love Princess Jasmine and Tinkerbell outfits. It can be tricky to decide on the right outfit without spoiling the surprise. Here are a few things to consider when trying to keep your plans a secret.

Don’t Spoil It

The trick to surprising your child with the perfect kids costumes is to spend time with your child. Simply asking would be too obvious. From time to time, ask him to pick out a movie or take him to the toy store. Remember what they chose, and add it to your list of possibilities. If he enjoys a nightly bedtime story, start a discussion about this favorite books or which new ones he’d like to add to his collection. By observing your child’s likes and dislikes, it won’t take long to discover your child’s favorite characters.

The Best Ways to Shop

If you want to keep your choice a complete surprise, it might be hard to visit a traditional costume store without hiring a babysitter. This could throw up a red flag to a curious child if you don’t normally do this. Instead, save both time and money by checking out the kid’s costumes at online costume shops. In fact, you might not even be able to find your child’s choice in a retail establishment.

Although you shouldn’t wait until the last minute, don’t shop too early. Younger children can change their minds about favorite characters quickly! You’ll never forget how your child’s little face lights up when she see the costume of her dreams.

Filed Under: Childhood, Family Tagged With: Costume, Halloween costume, Princess Jasmine

Tips for Working Parents to Care for a Disabled Child

Caring for a child while juggling full time jobs is a challenge for all parents. But when one child is disabled, needing special care at all times, the challenge becomes greater. Yet families that have a disabled member know how to handle challenges because they face them everyday.

That experience is invaluable for the everyday unexpected, especially if one or both parents are away at work. However, for a new family lacking the experience continuously meeting the needs of a disabled child, finding help is paramount. Below are few tips that will help from the start.

Inquire About Social Services/Support Groups

As working parents with a disabled child, support is imperative. Some of that support may be provided by the government, both locally and federally. Social services may offer aid in the form of financial assistance or transportation. Under the Disabilities Act you may qualify for federal programs.

Meeting other families with the same challenges at support groups can also offer additional help in a variety of ways in a very collabrotive environment.

Lean on Family

That’s what family is for, to help in times of need. Relatives are sure to assist in anything from watching the kids to doing chores around the house that working parents can’t find the time to tackle. The best help may come from the other children in the household who can be there at all times and are sure to be very accommodating.

Seek Help From Professionals

Some disabled children may have very special needs that a busy family cannot readily provide. In these instances, working parents should seek the help of professionals who are trained to provide such care. These professionals can be visiting nurses at home during working hours, or a day care facility.

Disabled children have special needs and working parents are capable of meeting them.

Filed Under: Childhood, Family Tagged With: Disability, Family, Parent

A Mother’s Day Tea Party for Moms and Daughters

One of the great things about Mother’s Day is that it’s a time you can spend with your family, just doing the kinds of things that you enjoy. That’s important, and it’s also a day where you can make a lot of memories. You don’t have to do the same old things for Mother’s Day. Instead, why not do something creative and different for a little while? If you have a daughter (or daughters) in your life, why not have a tea party where you all dress up? Of course, this works better when your children are little, but there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t do it even when your daughters are older. It can still be a great bonding experience, and a time to laugh a lot and just have fun.

Being able to dress up is part of the allure of a tea party, and there are kids costumes that can really set the mood for it. Think large hats, colorful boas, and sparkly dresses that many young children associate with rich, elegant people. Playing dress-up is often fun no matter what your age, so mom will want to dress up, as well. Then she and her daughter(s) can have an elegant tea party. Very young children might not be too good at pouring tea, so be careful or just pretend. For older children, you can actually have tea and something to snack on, like finger sandwiches or small cookies.

Depending on what your child likes to eat and what you’ll allow her to have in the way of candy or sugary foods, there are plenty of choices to go along with your tea party theme. Don’t give up on having some great food. It’s a little bit of work to get it ready, but the joy that you’ll have and the memories that you’ll make will be well worth it.

Filed Under: Childhood, Family Tagged With: Family, Holidays, Mother's Day

Stages of Development for a Healthy Child

While each baby is different, there are certain stages of child development that all healthy babies go through. These are the motor, sensory, thinking, language and social milestones that all children must learn and progress through to be productive and social adolescents and adults.

During the first few weeks, newborns can only see about a foot away from them. At the end of the month their vision improves to three feet. At three months they are raising their head while lying on their stomach, stretching and kicking their legs out, bringing their hands to their mouths and grasping toys and fingers. They start to smile socially, begin to babble and follow moving objects.

At six months, they can help hold the bottle while feeding. They explore objects with their mouths and by hitting them. They can sit with only a little support, open their mouth for a spoon, know familiar faces and scream if angered or annoyed.

At 12 months, infants can drink from a cup, grasp small objects and feed themselves small finger food. They mimic sounds and actions, they see respond to music and say their first word.

By 18 months ,they can follow simple directions, identify objects, walk without help and scribble with crayons. They can also solve problems by trial and error.

By two years of age children can drink from a straw, feed themselves with a spoon and open cabinets and drawers. They explore and take things apart as well as use several word simple sentences including verbalizing their feelings and wants.

By the time a child reaches age three they should be three times their original height and four times their original weight. They can feed themselves, open doors and be able to play a simple game of catch. They should be able to pay attention for a few minutes at a time and ask short questions.

A healthy child will show these same signs which means they are going through typical stages of development.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Child, Health, Home Life

Teach Kids Young About Preventing Disease

Studies have shown that it’s much easier for people to learn new things at a young age. Additionally, they’ve found that it’s much easier to turn a skill into second nature when started as a child. It then makes perfect sense to teach kids the importance of certain steps that they can take to prevent disease; steps that they will carry with them into adulthood.

Just like potty training, teaching kids disease prevention acts is a steady processes of reinforcement. But before long it all becomes a habit, an important healthy habit. Here are some simple prevention steps that any child can learn.

Using Tissue

Everybody sneezes, and everybody gets the sniffles. Kids however have a tendency to use their shirts or hands to clear up the problem. Teaching children about the use of tissues is great way to educate them on proper hygiene, but also how to take the right steps to prevent spreading a disease to others. It can help with the laundry, too.

Washing Hands

Kids love to get dirty, and its hard to stop that from happening. However, getting them to at least clean their hands goes a long way. Hands are the biggest source of germs, from all the touching, so they are ground zero in the fight against disease. Children should especially be taught the habit of washing their hands before eating, as well as after blowing their nose, with tissue of course.

Cover Their Mouths

While it isn’t a step to ward off getting infected, covering one’s mouth while coughing or sneezing helps prevent others from the same sick fate. Kids can easily learn to use their hands or even shirt sleeves to contain the spray.

Diet

Probably the one step that is essential to start while young. Eating healthy can be the best step towards disease prevention and should be a life long endeavor. It’s much harder to change a diet later in life.

By teaching kids early about disease prevention, parents have one less thing to worry about keeping an eye on.

Filed Under: Family, Teens Tagged With: Child, Disease, Preventive medicine