Encouraging your child in school activities opens the door for a bright and successful future. When your child plays a school sport they learn teamwork, they get exercise, they socailize,make friends, and develop school spirit. A lot of children today are overweight or obese. The key to staying healthy and maintaining a good healthy weight is exercise. Playing a school sport is a form of getting regular exercise not to mention it will look good on your school record if you can balance the demand of a sport along with your academics. Many colleges today look for students who are well rounded.

Encouraging your child in school activities like band, choir, year book, and other school social clubs is also important. If you live in the city then encouraging your child in school activities may be more essentiall and a overall safety issues to keep your child out of trouble, off the streets in their neighborhood, or even away from issues at home. The students of today have more and more challenges that they have to face on a daily basis in order to go to school and receive an education. There are temptations to join street gangs or to get involved in selling or using drugs. School sports and activites can keep children busy and occupied and keep them away from these temptations. A child may excel in a sport or activites and these may be their escape from the city or neighborhood violence.

If you live in a rural part of the country or a small town sports and activities may be all that is available on a social level. Looking fowrard to a weekly meeting, game, or practice will keep you from getting bored or getting in trouble. It also keeps people in small or rural towns connected with one another and gives them all a reason to get together and interact. Children need to get away from hiding behind computers and high tech devices. This is not going to help them socially in the furture when they need to become a productive member of society and have to interact with people. So join and activity or sport it may be the best thing you do.

The key to a well rounded student and hopefully a well rounded adult is to get involved in school activites. These activites can open the door and help you expose your unknown talents as welll as develop social and other skills. These activities may help you get into a college of your choice or allow you to learn a hobby you will love for the rest of your life.

Homeschooling is becoming an increasingly popular option with many American families. Not only do you have a controlling power on what is being taught to your child but you could even personalize homeschool curriculum according to your child’s specific learning needs and stay away from the pressures of public school education. Teaching your children at home can be accomplished several ways. There are three options: 1) Purchase a program from one of the homeschool curriculum providers, or buy used homeschool curriculum 2) Read to your child from great books, and explore the world together paying attention to what interests your child or 3) Design your own homeschool curriculum for free using the internet and the library. Teach your kids to get more organized. Award the kids for doing a good job.

However, are you aware of the major mental and social damage you can cause if you don’t make the right choices? Children need friends, usually, they meet their friends in school so take a child out of school and where will they meet potential play partners? Many children who are homeschooled are often the brunt of jokes about their parents being strange or are taunted because they may have a disorder that prevents them from attending school. Your child might be made fun of or picked on because he isn’t considered normal. You ought to take these problems seriously and solve them if your child attends college just like any other child.

Friendships with other children of a similar age must be found if they are homeschooled as they cannot be allowed to develop in isolation as this is unhealthy. Here are some tips, which would assist you to give your child the correct direction, if you want him to have a normal and decent social life. The best place to start is your own environment and neighborhood? How many children of the same age as your child live around your home? Do you know their parents? If not, try to get going now. Look for parents who live close by and mention to them that you are out to set up a play date for your child. Since you are the initiator, it is your responsibility to set the ball rolling, so fix up a party and call a clown to liven things up. Call all the kids in the neighborhood along with their parents and set up a ball game, fishing, bowling or similar activities which kids love and even be prepared to baby sit if necessary.

Sports are important: Next to school, sports teams provide the best environment for your child to form deep bonds with other kids. The practice sessions make their friendship grow and grow stronger as you also get a chance to interact with other parents. If your child has physical problems or would embarrass himself on a playing field, get them involved in activities like Boy/Girl Scouts or any other local organization for children.

Some parents make the mistake of believing that homeschooling their children means they can keep them safe from the outside world but this too is an unhealthy attitude. While it is good to protect your kid from the so-called evils of modern society, remember the child also needs exposure to things which other kids are exposed to. Already your kid is getting branded as a ‘funny’ kid and having problems to cope with it, can you imagine where it would land him in the social circle if he was clueless about TV shows, the latest bands or even the current kid fashion trends? If they don’t learn about life outside their home and make other friends they will have a difficult time integrating into the world you so much want them to succeed in.

The idea of your teen dating can strike fear into the hearts of the parents in question. You’ve been around the block and know that things can go wrong in the dating scene. After all, you were once a teenager!

Some memories from your own teen dating experience still hang on your shoulders. Maybe you go out with someone that proved to be a jerk, maybe your date did not show up at all, but remember those times, too, when everything went perfect and you turned home like walking on a cloud.

Teen dating cannot be avoided, so make the best out of it for your teenage kid and for you, as well. After all, it is your job, too, to make them feel included in their group.

The atmosphere you and your spouse promote at home has much influence on your child. Teen dating will also been influenced by the principles and values one learns from their family. Children often learn from imitation, and parents are the closest examples how grown ups can act in certain situations. The social skills that children learn at home will also prove useful (or not so useful) during teen dating. If they see parents respecting one another, with care and understanding, they will also be able to behave like that later in life.

Approach teen dating with confidence. Giving supportive guidance without being intrusive and keeping them safe are your primary goals. Here are a few ideas to get your teen started in the dating scene.

Being aware of the things that could go wrong on teen dating is not enough. Make some suggestions, that will prevent things from going downhill in the worst way possible, For starters, suggest the kid that it would be better to go on a double date, or to meet with others, in a group, and to have fun together. There must be something that your son or daughter likes, like skating or bowling. This kind of activities are fun and they will get to know others of their own age.

Teens are very sensitive about the subject of teen dating. Be careful to let them know you’ll be there for them without fostering an atmosphere of intrusiveness on your part. Respect their privacy. There will be times when they won’t want to talk about every little thing. If you respect their privacy, they’ll eventually come to you for your advice and opinions.

When the opportunity arises, have a frank talk with your child about some of the down sides of teen dating, and help them establish limits. If they find themselves in a situation where alcohol or drugs are present, let them know these components lead to being taken advantage of or being arrested. Let them know these situations will come up and that they can feel free to call you any time for a ride home if they feel uncomfortable. Be sure to emphasize that they’ll not be punished.

Teen dating should not be scary, neither for teens, nor parents. With a little care and understanding, you will see your teenage kid turning home happy after their first date.

Does it dismay you that after years of bold claims for “New and Improved” cleaning products that we are now finding that the ingredients used in our favorite cleaners is bad for our long-term health? The pendulum is changing direction, and it is no longer about the latest additive, but the impact on health that matters. Green is not just about saving oil, but about saving your life.

After years of hard-sell advertising, breaking away from your favorite cleaning product may be difficult. First of all, what can replace this old friend? Ignorance is part of the reason that change is difficult. Naturally Green Clean provides an easy and powerful way to completely change your shopping habits while keeping your home both clean and safe. It is possible to dig through hundreds of magazine articles and thousands of Internet website, but Candace Richmond has already done this and provide readers with the twelve crucial ingredients to clean nearly anything.

Naturally Green Clean is not a book about buying CFL bulbs, inflating your tires, or starting a composting program. Candace Richmond has a passion for cleaning and health, so you will find that this is a true course of study in Green cleaning. It is easy to dump the old, chemically-laced products when you realize how easily they can be replaced. Readers will also get a surprise in how effective these cleaners work.

Naturally Green Clean is not just a book, but a training course. In fact, this learning experience is confirmed by a 25 question exam that is submitted to the Green Clean Institute to receive profession recognition as a Green HomeMaker. The best feature of all is the practice information that enables anyone to create their own cleaning products from natural ingredients.

There are other reasons to Go Green in your home. Natural cleaning products are generally less expensive and easy to make in your home. Most people do not realize how much they are spending on household cleaners, and you will discover that your money goes a lot farther when you need only a few simple ingredients to safely clean your home.

Take note also that there are far too many needless child poisonings in our homes, and they are often because we have these products within reach of young ones. Natural cleaning products do not have these hazards, and most can be literally consumed without harm. Bleach, for example, can cause lung problems, harm to eyes, and if mixed with ammonia will produce deadly fumes.

This book is just too good to overlook. Naturally Green Clean is written to the average homemaker who wants a healthier family, a Green Home, and less harm to the family budget. Other readers report surprising results using these simple to use products. Get it, read it, and live it. There are no losers in a truly Green Home.

I was very fortunate in that my parents and my brothers and sisters and I had a great family upbringing. There wasn’t much money but we had lots of fun. We spent lots of fun time together. We camped, hunted, fished, played board games, had cooking and reading weekends and worked together in the vegetable garden. One thing that impressed me was the way my parents related to each other with warmth and affection.

I want to model on my parents and be a great dad for my kids. My friends don’t have kids yet- I have 2 and a new baby expected soon. I really want to be the best dad I can be! I know that I need to spend time with them, communicate and help them to be responsible. Day to day working and living doesn’t seem to allow time for me to lavish attention on my wife and kids too.

Our new baby will be joining us soon and I want to make sure that I provide appropriate support for my wife. Despite the fact that we already have two children and I have been helpful, I think I can be a much better dad, father and husband. What I needed is some helpful tips to be a better dad.

Every day I see happy kids and happy dads. In the stores we are bombarded with magazines that display photos of celebrity dads and their kids. How do they do the best job they can? They listen, watch others, read and do things that show their family they love and cherish them.

It doesn’t take much to keep your wife happy. Do unexpected things like bringing home some roses, having a romantic night out or bringing dinner home. Think of ways you can help your family and your partner without being asked, for example, get home early and supervise the children’s homework. You have to think of ways you can be effective as a father.

Children love to spend time with their father. Make a special date with them to take them to the park and just have fun together. Get up early Sunday morning while their mother is sleeping and take them out for a long walk. You and the children make breakfast for mum in bed.

If you are going to try to improve yourself and be a great dad, this has to be a permanent arrangement. You can’t turn on super dad behavior for a week and then forget all about it. You must maintain your new role. Kids get very upset and disappointed when they suddenly find a new and exciting father turns back into the old one.

The way to avoid this unhappy situation is to work out what you can manage and maintain your commitment. Set up 3 columns on a notepad- label one Plus, the second Minus and the third Interesting ( ,-, I). This is a strategy from Edward De Bono. As you read and talk with others, note down anything that you think will work in the Plus column, things that definitely won’t work for you in the Minus column, and those things that may or may not be for you in the Interesting column. Next step is to add some ideas of your own - just jot down everything that comes into your head.

Work through your planned list carefully and don’t try to do everything at once. When you do try a new strategy, find out if the family appreciates what you have done. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you notice how much more positive they are about you. More importantly, you’ll know that you’re doing your job well and that you’re working hard to be a better dad.

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one in the world with this problem. But I’m sure there are many others who experience the same thing as I do. Dynamics change between families and I guess having four kids makes it tough for me. But I would like to share some of my experiences with other parents in the hope that I might help a few.

I have an ongoing difficulty with my 10 year old daughter, Rebekah. It doesn’t matter what time she wakes up in the morning, she seems to end up pottering around and then being late to school on a regular basis.

The most important thing to do when you have a child like this is to find out if they are being bullied at school. Once you rule that out then you can concentrate on fixing the problem.

Start off with something positive. Perhaps a sticker chart might be a good idea? Another suggestion could be a special treat at afternoon tea time. Whatever you choose you need to make sure that the reward is immediate to begin with. As your child gets established into a routine the rewards can get further apart.

Always exhaust all possibilties before turning to look at the negative. Positive reinforcement always works much better if you can manage it. Well it would be nice if I could practice what I preach but alas, this morning I had to go for a negative consequence. On account of Becky throwing a tantrum this morning I felt that I had to act to help her change her behavior.

Becky has left for school now, about ten minutes late, and I am left to decide what consequence will help her to learn a lesson. Remember that a consequence should be given in order to help a child learn that it is simply not worth it. I am thinking of removing a few things from her room to go up into my top cupboard: some rather grown up earrings that Beck should not be wearing if she is still throwing tantrums plus a few grown up items of clothing more suitable for an older, more mature child.

It is important to make the crime match the punishment as closely as possible. I don’t know if I have got it exactly right today. But I figure that if a child of mine is still throwing a tantrum at age ten, perhaps she should not be wearing grown up clothes.

I shall have a chat to Beck after school today and explain my reasons behind my actions. The good thing is that I will give her a chance to earn her clothes and jewellery back very quickly. If she can show me three days getting off to school on time again I will quickly produce her favorite earrings again. I want to show her that the quality of her life is directly related to the decisions that she makes.

Homeschooling used to consist of four or five children sitting around a table scribbling away in a pile of workbooks, while a stern parent stood over them and lectured. With the help of innovative teachers like Charlotte Mason, homeschooling has come a long way. Today, there are many different methods of homeschooling. The Charlotte Mason method has become quite popular with homeschooling parents today. If you’re thinking about homeschooling, you should definitely consider the different practices out there and see which will suit your children and family best. In this article, I will introduce you to Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling.

Charlotte Mason was a passionate and innovative homeschooling mother who founded the homeschooling movement in the early 1900’s (1842-1923). She invested her life in the pursuit of improving the quality of children’s education. Her enthusiasm and commitment to homeschooling led her to lay the foundations for an effective, complete and adaptable homeschooling program that provided children with a comprehensive education while keeping it interesting. The Charlotte Mason method focuses on core subjects and places an emphasis on literature, classical music, and fine arts. Many homeschooling parents today are using her approach to teach their kids.

Charlotte Mason coined the term “living books” when she described the types of text books teachers should use. One of the most important requirements for a “living book” is that it must be written by someone who is passionate about the subject. The book should also be written in a narrative or conversational style which is sure to capture the attention children much more powerfully than the dry factual texts often found in public schools today. Books that feel “alive” and engaging will inspire a similar feeling towards the subject. Mason also coined the term “twaddle,” to describe books that condescend to children by dumbing down information or using unsophisticated language. Mason criticizes “twaddle” for killing a child’s enthusiasm and insulting their intelligence.

An important part of Mason’s program includes reading literature and narrating. Children must become proficient at narrating in their own words what they have read. The narration can be oral, written or even expressed in drawings. Narrating after reading helps to ensure comprehension. Younger children can narrate orally or through drawings but by ten years old, the child should be able to narrate a story by writing. Narration ensures that the child has synthesized the reading, organized the information in their mind and determined how best to communicate this information.

Charlotte Mason believes that children should spend a large amount of time outdoors to help them develop a relationship with nature and a love for the environement. After observing nature, children should write in nature diaries everything they perceive about nature. Nature dairies can also be used to draw pictures of or write poetry about nature. One of the objectives of this nature study is to lead the way for meaningful instruction of scientific subjects. Homeschooling parents who want to implement some of the Charlotte Mason philosophy, should get their children started on nature dairies and ensure that their children get plenty of opportunities to spend time outdoors and develop a love and appreciation for nature.

Mason held strongly to her belief that the development of good character and behavior was essential to the complete development of a child’s personality. Children must learn how to govern and discipline themselves. Mason encouraged parents and teachers to instill good habit such as respect, punctuality, cleanliness and patience in their children. Children should spend four to six weeks working on a new trait or skill until it becomes a habit. These are the cornerstones of the Charlotte Mason method. Homeschooling parents can find many ways to incorporate these practices into their homeschooling routines.

One of the most important things in our family is our value system. As a family we often talk about what is important to us and why. One of these values is that I promote honesty above all else and the consequences are never as severe for children who own up to something.

Unfortunately one of my sons yesterday decided to be dishonest with me and I was not impressed. He tried to tell me that his school teacher was responsible for him missing the bus to sports.

On phoning his teacher I found out the whole story. Yes, he was kept in at lunch time for a few minutes but he still had time to catch the bus to sports. He had walked up to the bus with a mate and then decided that he would rather go to basketball instead of soccer. So he had taken off without even telling a teacher where he was going.

I felt disappointed that after all my good teaching and promoting of honesty as a core family value, Sam would tell a blatant lie in order to get out of trouble. why had he tried to point the finger at someone else and not done the right thing?

Now here’s the thing: we can’t control our kids. All we can control is our reactions to what goes on. So this afternoon I shall have a chat with Sam about how he should have simply told me the truth and it would have been much better for him. He needs to think about what he can do differently next time to change the outcome.

I must help Sam realize that he needs to be more responsible for his actions. He needs to learn not to blame other people when in fact it wasn’t anyone else’s fault at all. If I can help him realize that then I have done a good thing.

The end result is that Sam will be getting a consequence. I want to show him that he made the wrong choice. I might ban him from the computer for a day or two, just long enough for him to be annoyed and perhaps think about why he was banned. I want him to feel motivated to change his actions the next time and learn from this incident.

As parents we need to decide what core family values we will base our family upon. Talk to your kids about this. Your kids will embrace family values if they help to choose them. And you can be sure that your kids will thank you later on in life.

Do not enter into power struggles with your children. Nobody wins in a power struggle. It’s just not worth it. Most power struggles happen as our children come into their teenage years however younger children can be very good at this too.

Recently I had a battle with 13 year old son. It was Friday and we had just arrived home from an evening out. Kieren’s friends wanted him to come outside and play in the dark in the park. it was 8.30pm when they called at our house. I just knew I was going to be in for a tough time. Kieren said to me,

All the same he thought he would try his luck so he said to me, “Mum, please can I go outside with my friends to the park?” I said “no”, and Kieren asked me again. I repeated my answer quite firmly by saying, “no you will not go outside again tonight”. We had just arrived home from Youth Group so I was hardly depriving my kids of entertainment.

I heard Kieren becoming increasingly more annoyed and verbal in an attempt to get me to change my mind, or at least let me know his displeasure. I even heard him slam the bedroom door twice, something he had never done before. He was not happy.

But here’s the thing, I didn’t try to make Kieren happy about my decision. He needed some time to cool off that night. He actually went to bed in a huff with me, something that was quite out of character for him.

As parents we should realize that kids often try to exert power over others, whether peers or parents. When this happens we should try to offer choices rather than making too many demands. This can ease the pain associated with conflict and ultimately prevent power struggles from occuring.

It is quite normal to test our authorities. Most of us will do it sometime in our lives. When our kids do it they want to know that we will be strong for them and not waver in our boundaries. When this happens our kids feel more secure.

Parents, it is just not your job to be liked. Sure it is nice when your kids like you but reality is that they won’t always like you. Get used to it. That’s life. If your kids liked you all the time you are doing something wrong. Kieren definitely did not like me that night. But the next morning he came to me with an apology. Better late than never, I suppose…

I was pleased that the apology came forth but it was too late to avoid the consequence. Kieren’s door was taken off its hinges for a week. he was not impressed but learned a valuable lesson about not slamming doors. And he hasn’t slammed a door since!

Do you ever wonder what you have done wrong when your child does something wrong? Well, this morning I couldn’t get my daughter motivated to get ready for school. She just stayed in her bedroom and pottered around and I was getting quite concerned about the time.

At just before 8am I went into her room and started to get firm with her by saying, “we are leaving for school in fifteen minutes from now”. Then I walked away and left her to get herself organized as she knows how to do.

Finally at about 8.15am she emerged, and all of a sudden was rushing around furiously trying to be ready on time. But I stuck to my guns. I said to her, “It’s a pity you won’t have time to have breakfast now”, and went to the car. Becky followed, shoes and socks in her hand as they hadn’t been put on yet.

I drove Becky to school and she was pretty quiet in the car. Becky knew that she had done the wrong thing by trying to test the boundaries. And if she tries that again she will get the same result. I will not waver in my boundaries for her sake.

What Becky had been doing was trying to exert some control over me by making me wait for her. I have no idea why this happened. But now Becky knows that if she tries that again the result will be the same - missing out on breakfast. This is a valuable lesson for any child to learn.

I know this seems harsh but I had to go to work this morning and I could not have Becky holding me up. She also has a responsibility to the school to arrive on time. And when she is late I leave it up to the school to give her a consequence.

Here’s the thing: as adults we need to resist the urge to keep on saving our children in every situation. Kids need to learn through their mistakes. If I had made Becky her breakfast she would learn dependence upon mum to rescue her. However I chose to help her learn a valuable lesson. As a parent I so wanted to help her out but knew that would not teach her anything.

Becky had to go hungry until morning tea break to realize that the world doesn’t revolve around her. And I do hope that she chooses to learn a valuable lesson here. It would be hard for me to let that happen again in our house however kids need an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

I understand that as parents we like to rescue your kids but we are doing them a disservice if we continually rescue them from themselves. Let your child experience the consequences of their actions today and they will be a better person for it tomorrow.