Family Time is the key to a Happy Family

The purpose of this compilation of parenting tips is to offer one place where you can find some of the best parenting tips that More4kids.info has to offer. While the tips have not been written by a medical expert or a child psychologists they have been written by a parents.

The key is to keep in mind that all children are unique and that there isn't only one parenting method or even one parenting method that will work for the same three kids in one household. We know based on experience that isn't true. The key is in knowing who your child is and the best way that they learn.

101 Parenting Tips

1) Think Before You Speak

2) Be a Positive Role Model

3) Listen, Catch and Redirect

4) Be Spontaneous and Affectionate

5) Provide Feedback that is Accurate and Positive

6) Foster a Safe and Loving Home Environment

7) Focus on Cooperation Over Competition

Pay attention to your child and what interests them

9) Stress the Behavior, not the child

10) Don't compare them with siblings or others. Each child is unique

11) Tell them very often how much you love them

12) Spend time with them doing what it is they want to do.

13) Listen to their point of view and help them achieve their goals.

14) Support their school work. Don't do it for them.

15) Get involved in their school

16) Encourage them to make friends, welcome their friends into your home

17) Help your child explore any hobbies or talents they have

18) Realize that tomorrow it will be Different.  Ask yourself: Will it really matter tomorrow?

19) Master the Art of Compromise

20) Tell them you love them (don't assume they don't need to hear the words)

21) Lead by Example

22) Patience: Tell Them Everything Has Its Own Time

23) Patience: Explain to Them Why They Need to Wait

24) Set Goals with Them

25) Give Concrete Responses

26) Give Concrete Consequences

27) You Have to Follow Through with your actions and your words

28) Reward Them for Being Patient

29) Reward Them for a Job Well Done when they don't think you are looking!!

30) Find Fun Activities that Require Patience

31) Teaching Diversity: Watch Movies that Introduce New Places

32) Teaching Diversity: Have Kids Write to Pen Pals

33) Teaching Diversity: Make a game out of learning about different cultures

34) Capitalize on "Teaching Moments" in Life

35) Forget the Clock

36) Encourage Cooperative Work

37) Foster Family Participation

38) Set Family Goals

39) Encourage them to be and express Themselves

40) Don't Embarrass Them

41) Teach them the Importance of a Smile – by example is best :)

42) Encourage Emotions

43) Point out and Praise good behavior

44) Learn to Listen to your child as much as you expect them to listen to you

45) Helping Hands – Teach your child the importance of helping others

46) The Walk Away – Learn to pick your battles

47) Understand Who Your Child Is and Talk to Them

48) Be An Apparent Parent

49) Monitor Online Activity

50) Teach Your Child to Stand Up For Themselves

51) Get Involved with Your Child

52) Tell Your Child What You Expect

53) Know Their Friends

54) Talk About Drug & Alcohol Use with Your Kids

55) Appreciate Who They Are

56) Don't Undermine Your Child's Ability

57) Don't Underestimate Your Child's Abilities

58) Encourage new experiences and be less fearful of new situations.

59) Set routines, be consistent

60) Explain, Educate, Talk, Listen, Encourage, Praise, Support and Cheer On

61) Teach to Return an Insult with a Compliment

62) Allow Your Children to Express Their Feelings at Home.

63) Forster an open atmosphere at home and not be judgmental.

64) Let them Know They Should Never Tolerate Being Made to Feel Uncomfortable by others

65) Don't Give Answers Provide Direction

66) Encourage Them to Try it On Their Own

67) Make Opportunities to Challenge Them

68) Be Proud of Them and Their Accomplishments

69) Teach kids by example to Respect Others

70) Teach the Art of Saying "I'm Sorry."

71) Take a Deep Breath before Responding

72) Encourage Truthfulness

73) Teach Your Child How to Apologize

74) Encourage Empathy

75) Demonstrate Patience

76) Talk to Them about Money and teach savings

77) Teach them That They Can't Have It All

78) Master Table Manners

79) Teach kids How to Share Those Prized Possessions

80) Have Your Children Write  Thank You Notes

81) Kill the Tube, spend time together

82) Tell Them You Trust Them

83) Establish a Set of Family Rules

84) Talk to Your Children about the Rules

85) Set Concrete Consequences for Breaking a Rule

86) Enforce Rules CALMLY

87) Include Your Child in the Rule Making

88) Know When to Bend the Rules

89) Remember They Are Not You

90) Complement them on Their Individuality

91) Ask Your Self if it will Matter in Five Years

92) Teach Self Respect

93) Respect Your Child

94) Talk to them not At Them

95) Listen to them Actively

96) Give Them the Right to Present Their Case, but Don't Just Give In

97) Follow the Best of the Examples You Had Growing Up

98) Teach Your Child How to Greet Someone

99) Encourage Them To Try

100) Get Healthy together (family hikes, bikerides, etc)

101) You Had Your Childhood, Let Them Have Theirs

Wow, there you have it. What are your best parenting tips? Go down to the bottom of this page and add yours!

The Best Gift, The Best Investment You Can Give Your Kids --> Your Time

In the beginning, girls are usually the ones that talk early, become involved socially, and do well in school. However, as they grow older, sometimes parenting a girl becomes a bit more challenging. Many parents feel that early on girls are easier to raise, but there are challenges coming as they hit those preteen and teen years. With many expectations on them, various signals from society, and a lot of social pressure, things often become more difficult for girls as they get a bit older. It's important that you raise your daughter to be confident and successful in a world that still often makes it more difficult for women to achieve success. To effectively parent your daughter, here are some excellent parenting tips that can help you along the way.

Parenting Tip #1 – Encourage Your Daughter to Have a Healthy Body Image

Probably one of the most important parenting tips for raising girls to keep in mind is to encourage your daughter to have a healthy body image. As girls grow older, often body image becomes a problem, especially with the way that models are altered to look almost perfect today. This can cause a lot of pressure on girls as they grow up, leading to problems like bulimia and even anorexia. Teaching them to have a good body image while they are young and reinforcing it as they grow older can help. Compliment your daughter, praising her appearance. If she asks if she is beautiful, enthusiastically tell her, "Yes!" It's also a good idea to let your teenage daughter realize that the models in magazines are digitally altered and that no woman can really reach this perfection without an airbrush. Let your daughter know that perfection is not a real definition of beautiful.

Parenting Tip #2 – Provide Your Daughter with a Good Example and Good Role Models

Another great tip is to provide your daughter with a good example yourself, as well as other good role models. Moms, daughters are going to look to you and they will learn from your attitudes and actions. Embrace your body and show pride in being a woman. Don't criticize yourself or you will pass that attitude to your daughter. Dads need to show respect to women as well as equality. Of course, while being a good example as a parent is important, girls also need other women role models in their lives. Help them find great role models in strong women that are successful, whether friends, family members, or even famous women well known for being strong women.

Parenting Tip #3 – Spend Quality Time Together

Spending quality time with your daughter is important as well. She needs some time just with her parents. Work to bond with your daughter young, which can help to keep communication open as she grows older. Let her know that she can discuss anything with you. Really get to know your daughter and find out those things that make her unique. As you spend time together, you'll build a relationship that lasts, which is definitely important.

Parenting Tip #4 – Don't Pressure Your Daughter to Fit In

It's important that you avoid pressuring your daughter to fit in when it comes to social realms. As they go through adolescence, girls often feel different. Allow them to feel comfortable with themselves, even if they are different. Don't make them feel like they have to fit into societies ideals. You can do this by helping to redirect their energy to activities that are positive, such as drama, sports, music, or even religious activities.

Parenting Tip #5 – Help Them Develop Self Worth

You need to help your daughters develop self worth as you are raising them as well. Let her know how special and unique she is. When she gets good grades, applaud her. Compliment her successes in sports. Try to focus on successes instead of picking at the failures. Remember that every child is different, and the accomplishments she has may not be what you envisioned for her when she was young. No matter what her goals are or what her strong points may be, help her realize how important she is to you. Teaching your daughters self worth now will help them avoid destructive relationships in the future.

Parenting Tip #6 – Encourage Her to Be Independent

Sometimes parents tend to coddle their girls or even spoil them. It's often even tougher to let little girls grow up. However, an important thing you need to do, especially with your daughters, is encourage them to be independent. Make sure that you prepare her so she can handle the things that life will inevitably throw at her. Encourage her while she's young to stand on her own two feet, which will help her become a strong and independent young woman that will make you proud.

Parenting Tip #7 – Avoid Traditional Stereotypes

Last, it's so important that you avoid traditional stereotypes as you raise your daughter. Society often has stereotypes for women, such as they won't like math, or they'll be bad at doing fractions. Do not every allow these stereotypes to hold your daughter back. Allow her to be involved in many activities, even those that may not be traditional activities for girls. If she wants to get involved in sports, allow her too. If she thinks she may want to be involved in a career that is not a traditional one for women, support her. Don't allow traditional stereotypes to hold your daughter back, so don't even let them creep into your family in any way.

Raising girls is not always easy. It has many challenging moments, just as raising boys can be challenging too. Realize that your daughter is an individual and raise her that way. Keep these parenting tips in mind as well to make sure you raise your daughter to be a strong, healthy, and graceful woman who has a bright future ahead of her.

Many people have different ideas concerning which gender is easier to parent – boys or girls. In the end, both have their challenges and their stages that can be difficult to deal with. While some people may have the idea that boys are easier to raise in many ways than girls, there are specific challenges you'll deal with when you are raising a boy. It definitely is not an easy task – in reality, it's not an easy task to raise any child. Boys often respond to things differently than girls do, and your parenting techniques may need to be different with a boy than it would be with a girl. Remember that your long term goal is to help your son become a mature and responsible adults. If you happen to have boys of your own, here are some helpful parenting tips that you can use as you raise them to become young men of character.

Tip #1 – Ensure There is a Good Role Model in His Life

Probably one of the most important tips for raising a boy is to ensure that there is a good role model, a male role model, in his life. This role model should preferably be his father, although there are situations where the father may not be in the picture. Even if your son has his father in the picture, it's always great to have other male role models that he can look up to as well. A good male role model can help boys to learn about male characteristics that are desirable and boys also learn a lot by the way their role model treats others, such as women, too.

Tip #2 – Set Behavioral Boundaries

It's important that you also set some behavioral boundaries with your boys. Boys really need to have some boundaries so they know what behavior is acceptable. Often boys are rowdier than most girls, so they require a bit more guidance. They need to know what they are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do. It's also important that you keep these boundaries enforced if you are going to raise a son that is courteous and disciplined.

Tip #3 – Work On Communication

Another important tip for parents raising boys is to work on communication. Boys are not quite as into talking and bonding with you as girls are. Developing good communication can be a bit tougher for you. You want to make sure that your son feels like he can comfortably talk to you. Start out spending time with your son while he is young so you really get to know him. Working on communication with your son while he is young will help you open the doors for communication later in life when he has a problem and wants to come to you about it.

Tip #4 – Make Sure He Has Chores Too

In many cases, we tend to forget about giving sons chores. Society often teaches that household chores are for the girls. It's important that you teach him that this is not the case. He needs to have some chores around the house that he is responsible for as well. This will help him to learn about being conscientious and about equality in a relationship as well. After all, not every guy gets married right away either, so learning to do household chores may be very educational and helpful to him in the future.

Tip #5 – Encourage Him to Show Emotions

Boys are often taught by society not to show their emotions. Often they try to hold in their emotions, which is bad for them. While you don't want to go the opposite way and make him overly emotional, you should encourage boys to show some emotion. Teach your son that it is okay to shed tears and show other emotions when things happen in his life. Don't let society shape the way he thinks about emotions. A boy that is taught to show more emotion will grow up to be more sensitive and can related better with people.

Tip #6 – Find Constructive Ways to Burn Off Energy

You also need to find constructive ways for boys to burn off their energy. Usually boys have more energy than most girls do and he needs to have a way to burn that energy off. Great options include allowing them to go outside an play, riding a bike, or even getting involved in sports at school or in the community. Also keep in mind that boys are often louder than girls are, which is normal. However, you can work with your son to keep the noise level down in the house if you want to keep your sanity as a parent.

Tip #7 – Be Patient

Last, remember that you need to be patient with boys as they begin to grow up. This is especially important as they hit puberty. Often their body matures faster than their mind. It's easy to begin to expect him to behave like an adult when he really is still a boy. Make sure that your expectations are appropriate to his age and be patient as he matures. He'll make mistakes, but try to find ways to guide him without losing your patience.

Yes, dealing with boys can be a whole different ball game than dealing with little girls. However, it can be very rewarding. Keep these tips in mind and you'll find that raising boys will become easier for you.

Sometimes it amazes me the demands that are placed on children these days. While as parents we can all say that we had it “harder” then our kids do now because we had to be creative and play with our imagination where as now there are video games and computers. Let’s face it, the pressure that is put on our children today to grow up fast is really out of control.

We have them in multiple sports, we push them to join different clubs, their peers put pressure on them to look more grown up and dress more grown up and the media encourages this. Take a look at the toys we want our little girls to play with, Bratz and Barbie… or have a look at the style of clothes that are available, do those toys look innocent to you?

Life passes us by quick enough as it is. Let your child be a child, regardless of how old they are. To help make sure your child isn’t robbed of their youth, here are several tips you can follow, one for each day of the week to think about.

Mondays Parenting Tip: Set limits but be realistic!

It seems to me that there are three types of parents. Those that have no limitations on their kids, those that have way too many limitations on their kids and then the happy medium bunch who have realistic limitations. With that being said, before you jump up and say that is the way I parent let me explain. The “no limit” parents are those that think they are doing a favor to their children by letting them be free spirits and they do no t impose restrictions such as bed time, manners, politeness and so on. Then there are parents who do not let their children do anything. No running, jumping, screaming, yelling, playing loudly… the children are to be seen and not heard and when they are seen they are to be neat tidy and orderly. That my friend is closer to being an adult then it is to being a child.
Set limitations, children need limitations to learn what is acceptable and what isn’t. They also need to be free enough to explore and grow as individuals. So if your three year old wants to run naked through the house with a cap on and pretend he or she is a superhero, let them. The phase won’t last… and it would be shame for you to miss it.

Tuesdays Parenting Tip: Take an Active Part in Your Child’s Life

This tip actually came from my kids, as we sat around and talked about this piece. When you play with them you are encouraging them to play. You are also showing them that it is important to take time out of your busy day, regardless of the demands that are there to play.

Wednesdays Parenting Tip: Listen When They Speak

If you really want your child to be a child then listen to them when they talk. You may be asking how this helps your child stay a child. I am going to tell you. It shows them that there is value to what they have to say. That you value them and what they are saying, even if they are 3, 10, 13, 16, or 18. You want your children to talk to you because you don’t want them seeking out other ways to express themselves that will rob them of their childhood. Trust me, if you don’t listen to them when they are trying to talk to you they will find a way for you to take notice or have someone else take notice of them… and that is a path you don’t want them to take.

Thursdays Parenting Tip:  Be Positive When You Talk to Your Kids

Our world has enough negativity in it already that our children do not need to get it from us. So if there is a toy or a gift that they want because all of their friends have it, explain to them in a positive fashion why they don’t need it. When they do something wrong, try to talk to them intelligently about why it was wrong. If you don’t want them to do it again they need to understand why it was wrong.

Fridays Parenting Tip: Give Your Kids a Chance to Show Their Interests

So you like to golf, or shop, or go tanning and you think that your children like those things also. Have you ever asked your children what they enjoy? Or better yet, have you listen to them when they were talking to hear what really interests them. For example, we found out that our son really was interested in fishing because he would get up early and watch the fishing shows before we would get up and then at breakfast he would tell us all about it. He never once told us that he wanted to learn to fish, or that he liked fishing. But he talked about, and he would get excited about it and he was fascinated by it. We paid attention, and he got a pole and his dad ordered him lures and he taught himself to fish at the pond based on what he watched on television.

Saturdays Parenting Tip: Parent Your Children, Don’t Delegate to Your Children

This is a biggie! My parents were guilty of this and so were my husband’s parents. And we have done everything possible to not do this to our kids. You are the parent, they are the child… do not put your responsibilities on them. It is not the responsibility of your child to clean the whole house, to worry about paying the bills, to take care of others in the house. Yes, they can help, yes they should be responsible for their rooms and their things… but it ends there. I remember not being allowed to eat dinner until I feed my younger sister and brother. I was 6 years old.

Sundays Parenting Tip: You Had Your Childhood, Let Them Have Theirs

Do not live vicariously through your children. Let them have their childhood. It doesn’t matter what you would‘ve done at their age, or what you did at their age. Your time has passed, let them enjoy theirs and sit back and enjoy it with them.

No part of this article may be copied or reproduced in any form without the express permission of More4Kids Inc © 2009

Improving Communication with Your Kids

There are times when you sense that something is bothering one of your children, but it can be difficult to get kids to open up. This becomes frustrating and can make you feel helpless as a parent. In some cases, you may even push your child in the wrong way, making them clam up even more. Communicating with your kids is an important parenting skill – it helps you find out how you can help them and also enables your child to learn how to talk through problems, an important life skill. If you want to find out how to get your kids to open up to you, here are some excellent tips for improving communication with your kids.

Tips for Communicating with Younger Children

When it comes to communicating with younger children, it's all about learning to get on their level. Kids age 10 and under communicate in different ways and as a parent, you need to learn how to get them to open up. Here are a few tips that can help when you are trying to communicate with younger kids.

Tip #1 – Draw Them Out By Talking About Their Favorite Things - Most kids think about things like their favorite toys, foods, games, or movies. You can draw younger kids out by talking about their favorite things, which will get them talking.

Tip #2 – Build a Connection – Find a way to build a connection. Sometimes something as simple as playing a little game, like asking them to guess which hand you have a treat in, can establish a connection between the two of you.

Tip #3 – Get on Their Level – You need to physically get on the level of your children. Instead of talking from above them, sit down with them so you are on their level. This makes you seem less intimidating.

Tip #4 – Tell Them Stories – Kids love stories, and telling your kids some stories can open up the doors of communication. You can use stories to teach them a particular lesson or to build a connection. Often the story is a great segue into more conversation between the two of you.

Tip #5 – Totally Focus on the Child - Make sure you focus totally on your child. Simply stopping for five minutes doesn't take much of your time and it will make your child feel important.

Tip #6 – Use Questions - Questions can often be used with younger children to help them reason things through or to lead into more conversation. Avoid using "yes" or "no" questions, but ask questions that require more of a response to get them talking.

Tips for Communicating with Tweens and Teens

Of course, tweens and teens can be more difficult to deal with when it comes to getting them to open up to you. Sometimes they tend to hold back, thinking this is the grown up way to deal with things, since they want you to view them as being "grown up." You definitely need to approach communication with caution with older children or you will end up pushing them away even further. Try these tips for better communication with your tweens and teens.

Tip #1 – Learn to Listen First - The first and most important thing you can do to get tweens and teens to open up is to learn to listen first. It's easy to start talking without ever take the time to listen. Many kids of this age group don't want to talk because they don't think you want to know how they feel. Even if it is something that you don't like, simply take time to listen.

Tip #2 – Respect Differences - As a parent, you need to realize that there are areas where your child is different and you need to respect those differences. Unless it is something dangerous, respect your child's choices as much as you can. Your kids are not supposed to grow up to be "mini-me's."

Tip #3 – Avoid Negative Terms - When trying to get your tweens and teens to open up to you, avoid using negative terms when you are talking. Avoiding negatives can build a connection with them and will keep them talking. Using negative phrases will simply ruin communication between the two of you.

Tip #4 – Talk About Their Interests – To get them talking, talk about their interests. Ask about the new band they like, their favorite television shows, or other interests they may have.

Tip #5 – Avoid Judging All the Time – You also need to avoid judging them all the time. It is easy to judge their hairdo or the way that they dress. If it isn't something that is really serious, avoid judging, even if you have to bit your tongue. They won't talk to you if they fear being judged and criticized all the time.

No matter the age of your kids, communication is very important. Try using some of these tips with your children. While there isn't a secret that works on every child, you will find that a combination of these tips can help your kids to start opening up to you. Once they begin to open up, treasure that communication and begin to build on it. Hopefully you will be able to build a bond and good communication that will last a lifetime.

Being a parent isn't easy. You want your child to be happy and successful through life. Of course, this means we worry about our kids, the friends they have, their grades in school, and even their safety. Although it is natural to be protective of our children, sometimes we can go a bit overboard. In fact, there is a point where we are going to have to start trusting our children to make positive choices. You can help to empower our children while they are still kids to be secure, safe, and sensible so they will grow up to make the right choices and enjoy success. Enabling kids and really to disable them in the long run. The key is to stop enabling your children and to learn how to empower them so they will develop into individuals that are competent and confident. Here is a look at some helpful information and tips that will help you avoid enabling your child and some great ways that you can empower your child.

Enabling – What is It?

First, you need to understanding what enabling is. Enabling happens to be a process that occurs when parents that are well meaning allow or even encourage behavior that is destructive and irresponsible from their children. This is done by shielding kids from the consequences that are a result of their actions. However, this is something that is done unintentionally by parents. Basically enabling occurs when we help to rescue kids from their own problems instead of letting them deal with the consequences. It can also include taking over their tasks, bailing them out when they get into trouble, or allowing them to get away with things instead of making them be accountable for the actions that they take.

Maybe you need examples. One example is giving your child more money when they spend all their allowance so they can have money to go out with friends. Another example is doing homework for your child so they don't deal with bad grades. Yet another example is giving into your child's every desire and whim because you can't stand seeing them upset. While you probably feel like you are doing the right thing to help your child, you are actually enabling your child instead of empowering them to be successful and responsible children, and later, adults.

Stop Enabling Your Child with These Tips

Maybe the enabling side sounds familiar to you. Perhaps you have realized that you are enabling your child with your actions. In fact, you may be so used to stepping in and taking care of things for your child that you don't even realize what is going on anymore. It's time that you stop enabling your child, and here are a few tips to help.

Tip #1 – Stop Fixing the Problems

In order to stop enabling your child, you need to stop fixing the problems for your children all the time. By fixing their problems, you don't allow them to admit they even have a problem. If you constantly do their homework, they don't realize that they are having a problem in school. Until you stop fixing this problem for them, they'll never realize where they are having problems and get the help they need to truly succeed academically. You cannot do everything for your child or fix all their problems. They must learn to deal with their problems.

Tip #2 – Let Things Get Worse

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to let things get worse. If you're constantly cleaning up the mess and bailing them out, you're simply enabling them and they never will learn to stand on their own. While it is tough, sometimes you have to allow things to get tough for them so you can stop enabling and start empowering your child.

Tip #3 – Avoid Feeling Guilty

When you are trying to empower your child instead of enabling them, it is tempting to feel guilty. It's tough to give your child a bit of tough love. However, even though it is tough to hold back and let them deal with their own problems, in the future it will be worth it. Stop those feelings of guilt in their tracks and realize that you are doing the best thing for your child.

Tips for Empowering Your Child

Now that you understand how to stop enabling your child, you may be wondering how you can work to empower your child. Here are several tips that will help you empower your children to be their very best.

Tip #1 – Avoid Nitpicking

If you want to empower your children, you need to avoid nitpicking. While there are times to correct your children, you need to avoid doing this too much. If it becomes nitpicking, you can make your child feel like they aren't able to do anything right, which will tear down their self esteem.

Tip #2 – Allow Kids to Begin Making Some Decisions

Another important tip for empowering your kids is to allow them to begin making some decisions. Let them choose their clothing, activities they get involved in, or what they eat. It's tough sometimes because parents like to be in control. However, allowing them to make decisions will help them learn about decisions and the consequences of making those decisions.

Tip #3 – Avoid Negative Words, Like "NO"

Try to avoid using negative words, like the word "No." Negative words can take away the confidence of your child. Although this doesn't mean you need to grant them every request, rephrasing things can make a big difference. For example, if your child wanted cake for dinner, you could tell them, "Yes, it sounds great to have cake for dinner, but the problem is that your body needs a healthy meal with vitamins." This is a positive way to state this without using the word "no."

Tip #4 – Pay Attention to Your Child

While it may seem simple, paying attention to your child is something that can make a big difference. Take a moment to think about it. Are you really paying attention to your child when they come to talk to you? Do you stop what you are doing and really listen or do you continue doing other things and only half listen to them? If you're not paying attention, you are sending a negative message to your child. When you really stop and pay attention to them, you send the message that you care about what is being said, they are important, and you empower your child.

Empowering your child doesn't have to be difficult, but it will take some work. Start implementing these tips into your life and learn to stop enabling kids – instead learn to empower them so they achieve excellence as they grow into adults.

With school starting many kids get a little apprehensive about being alone at school. They worry that no one will like them or want to be a working partner with them in class. There are a number of things that you can do to help squash the fears of your youngsters as school starts.

Tip One: It's the First Day of School for Everyone

Everyone has jitters on the first day and during the first week or so of school. Let your child know that everyone in the class is going to have the same fears as your child. Everyone is worried they won't have friends or that they will be the last one picked as a partner.

Tip Two: Encourage them to be Themselves

While everyone wants to fit in, it is important that your child knows the best way to make friends is to be themselves. Let them know that it is okay to pick up a new "like" such as if their new friend likes the Jonas Brothers, it is natural for them to have an interest in the Jonas Brothers, but they don't want to go out and buy everything that their new friend has.

Tip Three: Encourage them to Speak Up

It is never okay for one child to make another child feel like they are less important than someone else. That is true for adults as well; we are all equally incredible in our own ways. If your child is being bullied by someone at school tell your child how important it is that they let their teacher know. They also need to let you know. We had an incident with our son being bullied on the bus. He would complain to the bus driver and the bus driver would just tell him to sit down. We called the principal of the school and transportation to complain. The other child tried to say it was the other way around. THANKFULLY, the bus had video on it and we requested that the video be pulled so it could be viewed and it showed what was happening.

It is sad and scary how frequent bullying happens. If your child is acting like they don't want to go to school or get on the bus, or they come home with bruises or missing items, talk to them and find out what is going on.

Tip Four: Don't Embarrass Them

As much as it kills you (as it does me) don't kiss them goodbye in front everyone if they don't lean towards you first. Our son is such a momma's boy… unless there are others around. Actually it was last school year that he even stopped saying "I love you," if anyone was in ear shot. It broke my heart, but at the same time it was a growth moment. He still hugs and kisses me at home and tells me he loves me, so the world is still okay.

Tip Five:  Teach them the Importance of a Smile

Chances are pretty good that on the first day of school there are other shy kids that are afraid to be the first to talk to anyone. So tell your child if there is another child that they want to talk to they should smile at them and say hello. It is amazing the impact of a simple smile and the small phrase, "Hi."

Tip Six: Talk to their Friends Parents

If your child has a best bud, take a moment and talk to the parents of that best bud. Find out what class their child is going into, what bus they are riding, if they plan on having their child buy lunch or pack. These things can help make it so that your child is able to spend some time with someone familiar the first few days of school.

Tip Seven: Ask About Their Day

Be excited about their school day. Ask how their day was and then listen to what they tell you. I should note that you need to actively listen. Show them that you are interested in what happened at school so they know that you are really excited about what excited them.

Good behavior from children doesn't just happen. It takes time and work on your part as a parent. It's not always easy to shape a child's behavior, but it can be done with patience and love. When you take the time to work on the behavior of your child, although they may not appreciate it now, in the future it will help them become productive adults that are happy and successful. Here are a few parenting tips for better behavior that can encourage and help your child to change and improve their personality for the better. With a little positive coaching, anything is possible!

Tip #1 – Learn to Ignore Harmless but Undesirable Behavior

One important tip that can help you to encourage better behavior from your child is to learn to ignore harmless but undesirable behavior. Sometimes it can be hard to find a balance in parenting. It is important that you fight the important battles while allowing some behaviors to simply be ignored. If the behavior is not hurting property, an animal, or humans, then it may be a behavior that you should simply ignore. Instead of getting into arguments over the small things, sometimes not even acknowledging the behavior is a good way to deal with it. Negative reactions in some cases can actually reinforce the bad behavior of the child, so in some cases, the best thing you can do is show them that the particular behavior will be ignored. This will teach them to abandon this behavior, since it won't get them any attention.

Tip #2 – Teach Your Child About Cause and Effect

Teaching your child about cause and effect is one of the best things you can do to help them learn the right way to behave. When children experience the effect of their behavior, they will be more likely to learn the lesson. To become successful as an adult, kids must learn that wise choices are important. Experience can help to teach your child many lessons that you could never teach by talking to them. Although you need to make sure children to not make choices that are dangerous, in many cases, allowing your child to make their own choice will be an important lesson. Allow your child to deal with the consequences of the choice they make, which will provide fast learning for them.

Tip #3 – Praise Your Child

When you want better behavior from your child, praising them is one of the best things you can do to help shape them. Praising them for some good when they don't think you are looking can be even more powerful and effective! In most cases, kids really want to have your approval. Make sure that you are praising the positive behavior though instead of praising the child. For example, if your child does a good job on their room, consider saying "You did a wonderful job on your room," instead of just saying something like "good girl." Of course, you don't want to take praise overboard, but genuine praise can definitely be helpful. Too much praise can give your child the idea that good behavior is an option. It is better to expect good behavior from your child and use praise to reinforce that good behavior from time to time.

Tip #4 – Avoid Using Negative Comments

It is important that you avoid using negative comments with your child when you want better behavior from them. Nagging all the time with negative comments will take a toll on the self worth of your child. In fact, in many cases, these negative comments can end up making their behavior even worse instead of better. Repeating your commands or repeating negative comments again and again can make a child nervous and leads to behavior that is negative. It also shows that you do not trust your child. Stop using negative comments and instead us forms of positive communication, which will provide you with better results.

Tip #5 – Use a System of Rewards to Motivate Your Child

In many cases, using a system of rewards to motivate your child can prove effective when you are working to encourage better behavior. Of course, you need to be cautious here. You don't want your child to expect a reward all the time when they behave the way they should. Your goal should be to get your child to want to behave well, not just because they are being rewarded. One good system that works is creating a chart. The chart can include different aspects of good behavior, and it will also be a visual that can show your child how they are progressing towards their reward. If you decide to use charts, keep them simple, place them where they can be seen, and keep the time until they collect the reward relatively short. Simple rewards that are frequent provide children with the most motivation.

Tip #6 – Keep Reminding Your Child What they Should Be Doing

Although it is hard to comprehend as a parent, children really do forget to do things. It may sound like a lame excuse, but many children need to be reminded about their behavior and the things that they should be doing. Use subtle prompts to keep your children on track. A reminder should not seem like you are nagging at the child, but they should be small and simple cues that will help give their memory a little job. Basically, you are giving your child a clue and they can use it to get the right message and do what they are supposed to be doing without you have to even give a command.

Tip #7 – Withhold Certain Privileges

Last, there are some points when you can withhold certain privileges to help better your child's behavior. There are many things that kids want that are not rights, but they are privileges within the home. For example, if your child has a cell phone, this is not their right. It is a privilege. If they fail to do their homework, you may need to let them know that they can lose the privilege of their phone if they are not being responsible to do their homework. This will help you teach the child an important lesson – more privileges leads to more responsibility.

Shaping your child's behavior is important. You want to ensure your child has good behavior and that they grow up to be successful as an adult. With these tips you can effectively work with your child to encourage better behavior. You may be surprised at how well these tips work, and they'll take some of the stress off you as a parent too.

Goal Setting for Kids

More than likely you remember back when you were a child. You were probably asked over and over again, "What will you be when you grow up?" We've all gone through that at some point, and more than likely you wanted to be just like your parents at that age. It may be time you start asking your kids this same question. Why? Well, it's important that they begin thinking about the future, what they want to be, and how to accomplish the goals that they may have. Here is a look at why it's important to start teaching your kids to set goals now and a few tips that you can use as you work to teach them to set and reach those goals.

Benefits of Teaching Kids to Set Goals

You may be wondering why it's so important to start teaching goal setting to your kids right now. There are actually many benefits of teaching kids to set goals while they are young. One of the main benefits of teaching your children to set goals is to help them secure a great future. As a parent, you have the job to help children prepare for being adults. This means we need to teach them fundamental skills for success – one of which is goal setting.

Goal setting is going to benefit your child in the short term. As you teach them how to set and reach their own goals, they'll be able to implement those lessons into their life right now. They can use goal setting to do well in school, to accomplish things in sports, or even to learn to play an instrument. Of course, there are benefits in the long term as well. Children that learn to set goals while they are young will grow up knowing how to set and reach their goals, leading them to success.

Kids that learn about goal setting will be better able to manage their personal finances, which will help them eliminate a lot of stress and unhappiness from their life. They'll learn how to set excellent health goals as well so they are fit and healthy. Goal setting will help them learn about motivation, achievement, and organization. All of these critical life skills are rooted in learning how to set goals, which is why this is such an important thing to teach our kids.

Tips for Helping Your Child Set and Reach Their Goals

So, how can you help your child learn about goal setting and how to set and reach their own goals in life? Here are a few tips and suggestions that will help you as you pass on this important skill to your child.

Tip #1 – Talk to Your Child About Their Interests

The first thing you should do is talk to your child about their interests. In order to come up with goals for your child to set, you need to know what they really enjoy. Allow your child to talk to you about their interests and make sure you listen. Many parents make the mistake of setting goals for their children – the goals that they have in mind. You must consider your child's interests as you work to teach them about goal setting. When you know what your child is interested in, it becomes much easier to come up with goals.

Tip #2 – Help Them Set Short Term Goals First

After you know their interests, help your child to set a short term goal first. If kids do not first learn how to set and reach short term goals, reaching long term goals will seem too discouraging to them. Something as simple as completing their homework on time can be a great first time short term goal. Consider their maturity level as you come up with the right length of time for this short term goal. Having a shorter term for the goal can help motivate kids to keep setting goals, since they will reach success faster.

Tip #3 – Help Them Come Up with Some Long Term Goals Too

Once your child learns to set and reach short term goals, help them to come up with some long term goals as well. Some great long term goals include making good grades for a quarter in school, making a sports team, or even getting into a particular college. Since long term goals are a bit more difficult to reach, consider breaking these long term goals into shorter term goals so that they stay focused on the end result.

Tip #4 – Develop a Plan of Action for Meeting Goals

Whenever you help your child set a goal, you need to teach them to develop a plan of action for meeting that goal. Help them outline a plan for reaching the goal. It can be a plan that goes hour by hour or day by day until they reach their goal. This way they realize there is really a way that their goal can be reached.

Tip #5 – Teach Your Child to Overcome Obstacles

Sometimes obstacles occur as we are trying to accomplish our goals. Kids definitely need to learn about obstacles and how to overcome them. This is one of the most important things you can teach them as you work on goal setting. For every achievement, there are obstacles that have to be overcome. Use motivation techniques to help your child get through obstacles and teach them that the obstacles are only temporary.

Tip #6 – Check in From Time to Time

It's a good idea to check in with your child from time to time to see how your child is doing on accomplishing their goals. Ask a few questions that will help your child to see how they are accomplishing steps that will lead to reaching the goal. You may even want to discuss a few ways that their strategy can be improved upon next time they set a goal.

Remember, as you work to teach your children about goal setting, you need to set an example. You can do this by making some promises to your kids and then make sure you fulfill them, which will illustrate your lessons on setting goals. When you set the example, it is easier for your kids to learn how to set and reach goals by following in your footsteps.

Parenting is a tough job, but it gets enough tougher if you are parenting twins or multiples. It is becoming more common for women to deliver twins these days, with one out of every 60 births being twins. Raising twins or other multiples bring with it special challenges and special joys. Twins have a unique place in birth order, and the often display various characteristics, depending on their place in the family. To help you with this challenge, here is a look at some of the common characteristics of twins and some great parenting tips to help you along the way.

Characteristics of Twins

Sometimes it is a bit difficult to label the characteristics that twins will show. Since there is only a few minutes between the birth of twins or other multiples, often the twin that is born first does not portray traits of a first born child. After all, birth can vary depending on the delivery and babies switch positions throughout pregnancy. Usually the personalities of twins tend to develop based upon their place within a family. For example, if twins are the oldest in the family, usually the will have a few firstborn traits. If they are the youngest, they can show youngest born traits, and if they are in the middle, they often exhibit traits of the middle child. There are some cases where one twin may take on the role of the dominant older child while the other twin is a follower. However, studies show that throughout the lives of twins, traits can switch and dominance may be exchanged. Since the characteristics of twins can change and they are so hard to define, this can make it even more difficult for parents to know how to properly raise their twins to adulthood.

Effective Twins Parenting Tips

There are many differences between raising single children and raising twins. While raising twins and multiples poses a huge challenge, you can raise successful children. Here are a few effective twins parenting tips that can help you through the unique situations that face the parents of twins.

Tip #1 Realize That Twins Need to Be Parented Differently

The first tip you need to remember when parenting twins or multiples is to realize that multiples need to be parented differently. The experience is different for the entire family. You'll find that there are two children you must split yourself between and twins often have a strong bond with each other and not as strong of a bond with their parents. As a parent of twins, you'll find yourself tired on a regular basis, and there may be times when you even are inconsistent. Realize that parenting multiples is an entirely different experience than parenting a single child. This will free you up from the preconceived expectations you have for yourself as a parent.

Tip #2 Treat Your Twins as Individuals

Probably one of the most important tips you should keep in mind is to treat your twins as individuals. It is so important that your twins are able to develop personalities of their own. This means that you need to treat them each as an individual. Instead of referring to them as "twins", make sure you refer to them as individuals. Also, encourage your family members and others that interact with your children to treat them individually as well. Call your twins by their name. Allow them to dress differently. Get them their own presents for their birthday. Just allow them to be themselves instead of forcing them to be looked at as simply "the twins".

Tip #3 Have One-On-One Time with Each Child

To effectively parent your twins, you also need to make sure that you have one-on-one time with each child on a regular basis. It is more difficult for twins to have interactions with a parent one-on-one. Create times when each child can have alone time with each of the parents. This helps to teach them independence from their twin, it encourages them to build other relationships, and will even help them to develop language skills and better social skills. Sometimes the bond between parents and their twins is not as strong as it is with single born children. Taking time out for each child can change this and help to improve your bond with both children.

Tip #4 Don't Compare Your Twins

Don't compare your twins! It is very easy to start comparing your twins, setting expectations that can be difficult for the other twin to live up to. This can start while they are infants. It is easy to talk about which one cries more, the one that sleeps more, or the one that walks first. Don't let yourself begin these comparisons. Allow your twins to be individuals and don't compare them to each other. This way you avoid making one twin feel that they are not worth as much as their sibling.

Tip #5 Don't Neglect Your Other Children

If you have other children as well, it is very important that you don't neglect your other children. For children that are siblings of twins, sometimes it is tough for them to be noticed with all the activity and work that goes into raising twins or other multiples. Twins can make an older sibling feel that they are displaced. Often a lot of attention from friends and relatives will go to the twins as well, which can make other children feel left out. Make sure you spread your time around to all of your children. This will benefit your other children and your twins as well.

Raising children that are happy and healthy includes positive discipline and a lot of love and it is no different when raising twins. Although you may find yourself harried, tired, and tested, raising twins can be exciting. With these helpful tips, you'll be better able to help your children both grow up to be unique and productive adults.

There are unique benefits and challenges to parenting an only child. While you have the ability to be more involved in your child's life if you only have one child, finding the right balance with your child can be tough. An only child has a personality all their own, and as a parent, you need to learn to work with your child's unique characteristics in a way that will help them develop into a successful and responsible adult. To help you better parent your only child, here is a look at some of the characteristics often found in the only child, as well as some effective parenting tips that you may find helpful.

Characteristics of an Only Child

An only child can have an interesting variety of characteristics. In many cases, an only child will display characteristics of an oldest child mixed with some youngest child characteristics as well. Often they are perfectionists; they have great organizational skills, and lofty goals for achievement. On the other hand, they may be carefree, funny, creative, and a bit self centered, much like a youngest child. It is this mixture of characteristics that can make raising your only child such a challenge.

Effective "Only" Child Parenting Tips

Now that you know a bit more about the characteristics that an only child often displays, you have information that can make you an even better parent. The more you understand your child, the better you can work with them to help them develop into a wonderful adult. The following are a few effective parenting tips that will help you as you deal with your only child.

Tip #1 – Help Them Build Friendships with Others

One of the most important tips for raising an only child is to help them build friendships with others. Your child doesn't have siblings to interact with, so you especially need to draw them out socially. There are many great ways that you can help socialize your child. Consider preschool for your child. Schedule some play dates. If they are older, get them involved in after-school activities. Focus on social skills with your child as well. Teach them to compromise, be considerate of others, and to share. These are important life lessons that you'll need to focus on, since they won't be learning them with siblings.

Tip #2 – Set Boundaries for Your Child

Another important tip to remember is to set boundaries for your child. An only child can be quite bossy and your child may even try dictating your actions. You have to start with good boundaries. Explain to your child how they are to behave and then let them know that some actions are not going to be tolerated. Boundaries are important. They make your child feel secure and let your child know that life will have boundaries once they are adults as well.

Tip #3 – Teach Them to Be Responsible

You also need to teach your only child to be responsible. It is very easy for parents to pamper an only child. Do not clean their room or avoid giving them chores. Give them age appropriate tasks to complete. This will teach them to be responsible, a life skill that will be important as they grow up.

Tip #4 – Avoid Being Critical

It is also important that you avoid being overly critical of your child. It can be quite easy for you and your spouse to criticize your child when they make a mistake. Discipline needs to be handled in a way that is loving and it should be a shared task. However, you do not want to make your child feel like you are ganging up on him and being critical. Mistakes will happen. While you will need to use discipline from time to time, make it constructive and avoid too much criticism, which can be discouraging to your child.

Tip #5 – Avoid Overindulging Your Child

Overindulgence is something you need to carefully avoid when raising an only child. Many parents make the mistake of purchasing many toys and other items for their child. This can make your child become even more demanding. Of course, this doesn't mean that you can't buy things for your child from time to time. Just avoid going overboard and spoiling your child.

Tip #6 – Encourage Your Child to Be Independent

Another very important tip to remember as you raise your only child is encouraging them to be independent. It may seem easy to help your child with everything, but this will only make your child dependent upon you. While you will need to give them help when they need it, allow your child to make some mistakes so they learn. You do not want your child to grow up without a proper amount of independence.

Some children have grown up feeling lonely. This doesn't have to be the case. You can bring up your child to be a confident and independent adult. By avoiding being overprotective and making sure your child has plenty of interaction with others, you can help them build the confidence they need as they grow older. Keep these tips in mind and use them as you raise your only child. You'll give your child a happy childhood and ensure they go into adulthood prepared to meet the demands of the world around them.

While every child you raise will present challenges, there are new and unique challenges that come along when you are raising your youngest child. No matter how many children you have already been raising, you'll find that things are a bit different with your youngest. Often the youngest child is seen as a bit of a rebel, and these children need plenty of affirmation and attention because they are competing against the rest of their siblings.

Although you may not realize it, birth order definitely plays a big part in the expectations and personality of your child. If you take the time to learn more about the specific needs of each child, it gives you the ability to raise your child to be confident and well rounded, as they grow older. Here is a look at some of the common characteristics displayed by the youngest child and some specific parenting tips that can help you to best deal with the special needs of "the baby" in the family.

Characteristics of the Youngest Child

To parent your youngest child effectively, you first need to understand your youngest, how they think, and the traits they commonly display. In most cases, you will find that your youngest is a lot different from your older children. Usually the youngest child is funny and more socially outgoing than your other children are. They may act carefree, since they usually don't have many responsibilities. Often the youngest feels driven to compete or follow in the footsteps of their older siblings.

Youngest children are often outgoing, creative, and they are more likely to take risks. They get bored easily, they can be self-centered, and they like being pampered – after all, they are used to being pampered as "the baby." You'll also notice that they have a great senses of humor and can be quite competitive as well.

Effective Youngest Parenting Tips

Now that you have a better understanding of the youngest child characteristics, you have a better idea of how to parent them. When you understand what drives a child, you can find ways to work with those personality traits to raise them to be well-adjusted and responsible adults. Here are some specific tips that can help you parent your youngest child effectively as they grow up.

Parenting Tips

Tip #1 – Give Your Youngest Some Special Quality Time

One of the first tips to keep in mind when raising the youngest child is to give your youngest some special quality time. By the time you have the youngest child, you don't worry as much as a first time parent. You have more confidence as a parent, but this may appear to your youngest as lack of attention. Children definitely need some quality time with their parents. This is especially true for the youngest. Take some time to spend several moments each day with your youngest child. Ensure that you discuss any fears or concerns that they have. They need to know that you are there for them, even though you are busy with all of your children.

Tip #2 – Celebrate Their Accomplishments

Another important tip for parenting your youngest is to celebrate their accomplishments. It is easy for the last-born child to begin feeling invisible due to all the accomplishments that their brothers and sisters have. It is important that you specifically celebrate the accomplishments that your youngest child has. They need to find their own hobbies and skills that they excel at. They have their own traits and you need to nurture the interests they have so they develop in a positive way. Although you don't want to stop praising the accomplishments of your other children, be sure that you remember to praise your youngest and never compare them to the other children you have.

Tip #3 – Avoid Giving Too Many Hand-Me-Downs

One thing that the youngest child often deals with is hand-me-downs. This is definitely a wonderful way to reuse and recycle items, which is great for the environment. The problem is that if you give too many hand-me-downs to your youngest child, they do not get to enjoy the excitement of having something that is new. While you may need to pass some things down to your youngest due to financial constraints, avoid doing this too often. One option is to allow your child to choose items that they want from older siblings. Just make sure that your youngest does get some new things from time to time. They shouldn't miss this experience.

Tip #4 – Don't Let Discipline Slide

It's so important that you don't let discipline slide with your youngest child. This is one of the biggest downfalls that parents encounter. It is easy to be more lax with your youngest. Often the youngest likes to try to break the rules as well and may want to create a path of their own. This is not something you want to foster. Risky behavior can be destructive as they grow into adults. Once you begin to let discipline and rules slide with your youngest, it is difficult to stop this trend, leading to a child that is out of control. Set up rules with your youngest and stick to them. Every child is different and responds to different styles of discipline. Find what works, and stick to it. Although it's tough to stay strong with your youngest, it will pay off in the end.

Tip #5 – Teach Them to Be Responsible

Teaching your youngest to be responsible is also very important. Often you don't require as much from your youngest child. They may not have as many chores or rules, but this can be a problem. You do not want your child growing up feeling that they are not able to do anything on their own. Give them boundaries and responsibilities while they are young. Although they may not like responsibility, it will help them develop important skills that will help them become a responsible adult in the future.

When your youngest child comes along, you may feel that they are your last child to coddle and enjoy. Although you want to enjoy time with your youngest, you cannot forget to parent your child appropriately. While you adore your youngest, you still need to be firm with your child, requiring them to act responsibly. Learn about their unique personality, embrace the unique needs they have, and use these tips to raise an individual that is personable, responsible, and confident.

Birth order has a lot to do with the personality of a child. While not every child shows all the traits associated with their birth order, in many cases, birth order will accentuate some of the traits they possess already. The middle child is the child that is sandwiched in between other children, and these children come with their own set of characteristics. There are specific challenges that come with raising a middle child as well. It's easy to lose the middle child a bit in the shuffle of family life. To help you out, here is a look at some of the middle child characteristics and some effective parenting tips to help you do the best job raising that middle child.

Characteristics of the Middle Child

In most cases, the middle child has the largest variety of traits. In many cases, you will find that they are totally opposite of the oldest child and they work to be unique. Usually the middle child is very easy going and flexible. Often they are the ones that try to make peace in the family since they are more likely to see all of the sides to a situation. The middle child is usually quite social. Their friends are important because they may feel like they don't have a place within their family.

They may keep secrets and don't usually open up about their feelings. Avoiding conflict is another trait, since they like life to go smoothly. Often the middle child is inventive, but they may try to please everyone, making them become codependent. Some middle children even feel unloved and that life is not fair. If you discourage your middle child, there is a chance that they will become a bit of a problem child.

Effective Middle Child Parenting Tips

Now that you know a bit more about the middle child characteristics, you may be wondering how you deal with these characteristics. How can you use them to help your child develop into a wonderful adult? Here are some great tips to help you better parent your middle child for great results.

Tip #1 – Listen to Your Child

One of the most important tips for raising the middle child is listening. The middle child often feels that there is no one listening to them. While your middle child probably won't try to insist that they get time with you, make sure you take time out to listen to them. This way your child really feels like you are listening to what they have to say.

Tip #2 – Help Them Develop Talents

It's also important that you help your middle child develop talents. The middle child often feels like they are not special. They often live in the shadow of the oldest child. Find out what is unique about the middle child. Then help them to take their talents and develop them. This will help them find something in life to hold on to, showing them they are special and unique.

Tip #3 – Let Them Make Some Decisions

The middle child needs to feel empowered. You can accomplish this by allowing them to make some decisions. They feel overshadowed by their siblings much of the time, so let them make choices like what you have for dessert or where you go to eat. This will make your child feel important and empowered.

Tip #4 – Add More Pictures to the Album

Start adding more pictures to the family album. In many families, there are many pictures of the first born child. Life gets busier when you have the second child and you don't do as much with pictures. When your child pulls out the family albums, this can make them feel that they are not as important and that you don't love them as much. Add plenty of pictures of your middle child to your albums, and work to get some pictures of them on their own as well so they aren't overshadowed all the time by their siblings.

Tip #5 – Take Time Out for Special Attention

As a parent, you need to take time out for special attention with each child. However, this is especially important when it comes to the middle child. Often the middle child doesn't get as much attention and they may feel like you overlook them. Take time out to spend some time with them. Have a date night with your middle child; show excitement when they do something special, and do everything you can to make sure they get as much attention as your other children.

Tip #6 – Stop Comparing

It is so easy as a parent to compare your children. The middle child hates this. Many middle children feel like they are always compared to the oldest child, which leaves them in their shadow all the time. You should never compare your children. They are all different and need to be parented in different ways. Stop comparing and deal with middle children on their own merits. They don't have to be like the oldest child to be special and to get your love and affection.

Tip #7 – Keep Communication Open

Many times the middle child will keep their feelings hidden. Since your more verbal oldest child probably is more verbal, the middle child may just hold their feelings in. This means you need to work as a parent to keep communication open with your middle child. Try to draw them out and ask them about their feelings. This way those feelings don't get bottled up all the time.

Extra Tip – Don't Make Them the Referee All the Time

Last, don't make your middle child the referee all the time. Middle children are often the family diplomats. They try avoiding conflict. However, you should not count on your child to play that role. Sometimes this leads to their siblings taking advantage of them. Help them to stand up for themselves and teach them that they don't always have to be the referee in the family.

Although kids are often born with certain characteristics related to their birth order, remember that they way they are treated as children has a huge impact. Make sure you tune in to your middle child. Then you can help them grow into adults that have great skills with people and adults that have great ideas.

Parenting at More4kids: More4Kids Inc © and All Rights Reserved

Whether you have been parenting for one year or twenty, you know that every child is different. Your children have different personalities, they respond differently to you, and often birth order has a lot to do with this. Every single birth order position comes along with specific attributes and characteristics, although there may be exceptions from time to time. For every child, parenting skills have to be a bit different. Parenting your firstborn child can be tough. Understanding your firstborn, their personality, and characteristics can help you as a parent. Here is a closer look at the firstborn child and some great tips for parenting and raising them effectively.

Characteristics of a Firstborn Child

Before you can begin to realize how to best parent your firstborn child, you need to understand a bit more about them. Usually it is the firstborn child that ends up with a lot of attention, which leads to the development of their personality. Many times, there are big expectations for the firstborn, they spend a lot of time under scrutiny, and they often grow up quicker than other children in the birth order do.

Your firstborn child will probably have some aggressive and some compliant traits. Most firstborns are natural leaders and are very driven. They like having things go their way, they are assertive, driven, and perfectionists. Often they are the "movers and shakers" in the world, and this starts while they are young. However, on the complaint end, the oldest child also craves approval, is conscientious, a good team player, and they often are people players as well. Most are reliable, great caregivers, and they often have a nurturing personality. Other characteristics of the eldest child can include being ambitions, scholarly, enterprising, logical, and energetic.

Effective Firstborn Parenting Tips

Once you understand the mindset and personality traits of your firstborn child, it becomes easier to parent them effectively. To help you out as you work to raise your first born child to make all these firstborn characteristics work for them, here are some excellent tips that you can use.

Tip #1 – Work to Let Them Make Decisions on Their Own

Although it may be hard for you as a parent, work to let your firstborn make decisions on his or her own, as long as it isn't a dangerous decision. It's easy to want to push your child and they often will do things to please you, even if it is something they don't like, such as taking those tuba lessons. Introducing your firstborn to something new is great, but don't expect them to have to learn to like something over time. Let them make these types of decisions, such as whether they want to take piano lessons or dance lessons, on their own.

Tip #2 – Avoid Being Too Critical

As a parent, you definitely need to avoid being too critical with your oldest child. Usually these kids are already perfectionists. Criticize them all the time and your criticism may drive them to overachieve, which can become a problem. Relax and let your child realize it's okay to make some mistakes along the way. They don't have to be perfect for you to love them.

Tip #3 – Don't Turn Your Firstborn into the Babysitter

One big mistake many parents make is turning the firstborn into the babysitter in the family. Your eldest will grow up fast enough, don't make this happen faster. Even though your child is the oldest, they should not be made responsible for other children. This is taking advantage of your child and can lead to future problems. While it's not a problem to expect your firstborn to have some responsibilities, they shouldn't be responsible for others.

Tip #4 – Help Them Develop Patience

It's important that you help your firstborn develop patience as they grow up. Firstborn's have difficulty with patience. They like to be in control and they want things to go as they plan. Show patience to your child as you parent them, setting the example for them to be patient with others.

Tip #5 – Be Proud of Your Child – Not Just Their Skills

Sometimes as a parent it is easy for you to show your proud for your child's skills. You love that they play an instrument well or that they are getting great grades in school. However, it is easy to take this too far and make your child think that love for them is based upon what they can do. Make sure you show your child that you are proud of them, not just the skills that they have.

Tip #6 – Take Time Out for Your Firstborn

Another important parenting tip for raising your firstborn is to take time out for your firstborn. Spend time with them one on one. Firstborn children really respond to time with adults and they often feel neglected by parents because you may spend a lot more time trying to deal with younger children. Make them feel important. Take them out for dinner alone, go on an errand and stop for ice cream, or just hang out together, watch a show, or spend a few minutes talking at the end of the day. You'll be surprised at how great this makes your firstborn feel.

Tip #7 – Encourage Them to See the Big Picture

Your firstborn child often focuses on one task, trying to do it perfectly and they don't look at the big picture. Perfectionism is not always a good thing. Spending hours on a project until it is perfect may not be the best thing. Having your child learn the material, making sure they do a good job, and ensuring they have fun is a better option.

Tip #8 – Teach Your Child to Compromise

Last, you need to teach your child to compromise. Since your firstborn child is a natural leader, often they can be a bit bossy or aggressive. While this can be positive in some ways, it can lead to them alienating their peers. Teach your child to compromise with other people without being bossy or feeling that it is their way or no way at all.

Your firstborn child is special. They come with their own personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Learn about your firstborn child and incorporate your knowledge into your parenting practices. With this information and these tips, you will be able to more effectively parent your firstborn so they grow up to be a successful and well adjusted adult.

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Animals are an important part of our lives, and one way to teach compassion is to focus on how we can teach our kids how to be kinder to animals. Many kids love animals and kids that learn kindness to animals while they are young end up growing up to be adults that are kinder to animals and humans alike. Not sure how to get your kids involved in animal kindness? Here are a few excellent ways we can teach our kids to be kind to animals.

Plan Special Pet Pamper Time

One idea is that you can teach our children to be kind to animals by planning some special pet pamper time. Today one of the big problems with pets for kids is that kid have so much more going on that they don't spend much time with their pets. It's easy for kids to get caught up in their video games or surfing the web and they don't give pets the attention that they really need. To avoid this problem, try planning a special time when kids pamper their pet.

Pampering our pets doesn't have to cost a lot either. Encourage kids to spend time simply brushing their pet, giving their pet a bath, playing with the pet, or even just giving them a belly rub. Some special time pampering the pet will not only do wonders for your pet, but it will be a special time for our child as well. Do it this week and then consider making it a regular occurrence in your home.

Take Kids Pet Gift Shopping

Another fun idea that can help you to teach kids about animal kindness is to take kids out pet gift shopping. Since this is a week to celebrate pets and the love they show to humans, why not take your child shopping for something special for your pet. Pets give so much to their owners and a gift is a great way to give something back to your pet.

There are many great pet stores out there that you can visit. You'll find pet toys, pet homes, treats, special foods, and so much more. It doesn't have to be something very expensive, but help your child find something special that your pet will really enjoy. Then once you get home, allow your child to present the gift to the pet. Kids will enjoy the shopping and then seeing the excitement of the pet when they give the special gift.

Volunteer with Your Kids at a Shelter

To take animal kindness one step further, why not volunteer with your kids at a local shelter for animals. Make it a family affair and get everyone involved. Check with local shelters to plan a time where you can come in and help out. Most shelters will be happy to have the help.

Taking your kids to the shelter and allowing them to help out will help them learn more about the responsibilities that come with pet ownership. They'll also learn more about animal protection and how important it is to take good care of animals. Let them clean cages, play with the dogs, walk the dogs, or play with other animals that are in the shelter. Explain to your kids why the animals are in the shelter as well so they learn about the sadness of pet neglect. Chances are your kids will go home and treat their pets even better than before.

Watch Great Pet Movies as a Family

As we celebrate our love for our pets, watching great pet movies as a family is a wonderful way to teach kids more about animals and about ways to be kind to animals. Older classics like Lassie make great family movie night ideas. Another newer movie about a pet is Marley & Me, which is another dog movie that goes through the life of a dog with his owners. These movies will teach kids how important pets are and how important loving and caring for pets is as well.

Go on a Wildlife Nature Hike

Going on a wildlife nature hike is a great way that you can teach kids about all kinds of animals and how incredible they really. Try to find a local park or other area where you can go on a nature hike and see some wildlife. To really focus on the animals, have the kids take a notebook and record all the different animals that they see while you are on the hike. If you don't have an area to go hiking, consider checking out a local aquarium or a zoo in your area. This way kids get to see interesting and exciting animals and you can teach them how important preserving wildlife really is.

Adopting a Pet

Of course, if your family doesn't already have a pet, this is the perfect one to consider getting one. Consider going to your local animal shelter and picking out a pet for the family. Shelters usually have kittens, older cats, puppies, older dogs, and they may have other animals to choose from as well. Teach your kids about the importance of adopting pets rather than buying from pet stores. When you adopt a pet, you save them from bad circumstances because pets that are not adopted eventually are euthanized. Adopting a pet together as a family is the perfect way to save a pet and to start teaching your kids even more about being kind to the animals.

While it's a great idea to celebrate Be Kind to Animals week, remember that animal kindness is something that needs to be practiced all the time. Focus on it this week and continue to encourage kids to be kind to animals and show them love, affection, and respect.

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