Family: Got substance...with your child?

Got substance...with your child?

Written by Lesley Spencer

How would your child answer repparttar

question, “Who knows you better -- us or your friends?" We hope our children answer us, but would they? What about those deep conversations with your son or daughter that truly allow you into their world? Do you know repparttar 142178

last time they cried or why they cried? Do they come to you with celebrations or things they are excited about? Or do they go to their friends? Where would they go in a crisis? Do they consider you a safe place to come if they needed help or guidance in their life? What about just to share a unique joy or something fun that happened during their day? Who would be repparttar 142179

first person they would tell? If your kids would not come to you, perhaps now is repparttar 142180

time to make that an appealing and natural option for them. What are some ways you can enter into your child's life and really become part of their world? Here are a few suggestions. The idea is to spend time with our children strengthening our relationship and opening repparttar 142181

lines of communication with them. • Parent / Child Date Night - This could be dinner out or simply asking your child what he or she would most want to do with you on your special night out. If possible, treat each child to his or her own date night with mom or dad. • Boy’s / Girl’s Weekend Away – This could be an inexpensive camping trip or a hotel getaway for just repparttar 142182

boys or just repparttar 142183

girls. • Family Game Night – A great way to get repparttar 142184

family laughing and having fun. Interacting as a family strengthens your bond and opens repparttar 142185

lines of communication. • Dinner Time – Make it a point to eat dinner together every night if possible. Start a tradition of discussing repparttar 142186

best thing that happened that day or what you are most thankful for that day – anything to get a positive conversation going with your family.

Does your child need a bedtime routine? - Yes!

Written by Susanne Myers

Do you struggle to get your child to bed at night? We sure did with our daughter. She would refuse to go to sleep in her bed and wanted to hang out with us until we were ready for bed and of course then she would want to sleep in Mama’s and Daddy’s bed.

That all changed when we finally sat down and established a bedtime routine. It helped our daughter establish healthy sleeping habits and got us back into ours. On top of it, we now have a little time to ourselves at night.

Maybe you have heard on TV or read in a parenting magazine that your child needs a bedtime routine. Or you are just plain tired of having to run to her room 20 times before she finally dozes off. For whatever reason you decided it’s time to start setting up a bedtime routine. Where do you go from here? Obviously you are not going to change your child’s habits from one day to repparttar next. Consistency is going to be key, which is why we started by drawing up a basic little plan.

Take out a pen and a piece of paper and jot down repparttar 142150 following:

How much sleep does your child need What time does he/ she need to get up in repparttar 142151 morning What are his/her favorite calm activities (reading a book, taking a bath, cuddling with you, talking about your day, going for a stroll through repparttar 142152 yard, putting on pj’s) From this list, come up with an action plan. Figure out when you need to put your child to bed to make sure she gets enough sleep. This will be your final goal. What time does she go to bed now? Plan on moving her bedtime back about 30 minutes every few days to give her some time to adjust in between.

Pick a few of her favorite calm activities and spend about 30 to 40 minutes on those while also getting her in her pj’s, teeth brushed and off to bed.

Expect some initial resistance to repparttar 142153 new routine. Kids can be pretty creative when it comes to excuses why they can’t possibly go to sleep just yet. My little sister once insisted that her doll just had to blow her nose. Try to anticipate those excuses and last minute requests and make them part of repparttar 142154 bedtime routine. If you know your child is going to ask for a sip of water, keep a glass on her night table. Make other requests part of your bedtime routine. If she usually asks to say goodnight to repparttar 142155 family pet, have her do that before you put her in her PJ’s and tuck her in.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>