Shopping With ChildrenWritten by Sylvia White
Is you weekly shopping trip with kids an absolute chore ! or are you happy to take them along ?Lots of moms don't have any choice in matter, if they don't own a car it can be sheer agony waiting at bus stops then struggling on and off buses with kids and a pushchair. Gone are days when a helping hand was offered, and if bus is full, no gallant young man will jump up and offer his seat to harassed mom. Next step is supermarket, a haven of joy to youngsters. Low shelves full of goodies, long aisle, fantastic for kids to run up and down creating havock, even most obedient child can't resist lure of this playground. How often do you get home and find a few extras in your shopping bags that you hadn't noticed going through checkout, usually things that you might never use, or of course odd bar of chocolate or packet of sweets. If you are on a budget this can be very annoying as many families have to count their pennies. Have you noticed how many supermarkets have these automated bob builder cars and other amusements for kids, its a tug of war most times to drag them away, usually crying because you can't afford money it takes to let them go on.
| | Help My Preteen/Teenager is Driving Me Nuts!!!Written by Kimberly Chastain
Help My Preteen/Teenager is Driving Me Nuts!!! By Kimberly Chastain , MS, LMFT www.kimberlychastain.com/parentingDo you feel like someone has abducted your sweet, innocent child and replaced them with a monster? Are you confused that somehow you have gone from knowing everything as a parent, to knowing absolutely nothing? Welcome to being a parent of a preteen/teenager. It is a brave new world. Being a preteen/teenager is difficult and being a parent of one is difficult as well. In this article, I will address just a few of many “normal” aspects of adolescence and how to survive as a parent. I have been a therapist for over 18 years now and have seen hundreds of adolescents. If I had a dollar for every time a parent said to me, “If I talked way my kids talk to me when I was a child I wouldn’t be able to get off floor.” I would be rich. Yes, talking back is normal. I also quickly add not acceptable. Our society through TV programs and in general does not show respect. Most sitcoms delight in making parents look like idiots, gone are days of strong parents like Cosby family. So, our society does not show respect and our children model that with us. Another normal aspect of preteen/teenagers is to think their parents know very little due to us growing up with dinosaurs or at least without VCRS much less DVD players, anyway. Most adolescents get all their information from their peers, who unfortunately don’t always give good advice. Acting like a “baby” one minute and an “adult” next is extremely common. It is an extremely confusing time for them. Part of them craves security and easiness of childhood and another part “needs” freedom and independence of being adult (they often forget responsibility part). So, as a parent you are never really sure who you are talking to at any given moment. Do I have “baby” who wants my support or am I talking to “adult” who wants to make his or her own decisions? We often pick wrong one.
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