Dogs have long been known as “man’s best friend”; they are social animals who see the humans around them as their pack and they become strongly attached to those humans.  One of the things about a family pet is that they can help teach responsibility. A dog can be a lot of fun and a great addition to your family, but a dog can also be a lot of work, and there is always the chance the child might tire of the pet and leave the chores for Mom and Dad. Thats when your parenting skills come in to empasize how important it is and how much it means to your pet when your kids help out with them. One tip is to make the chores fun, help the child out if they need it and make it a routine.

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Mother’s Day is a tradition that has been celebrated all throughout history. On this special day, Dads and kids all around the nation gather to show the mother in their life how much they appreciate and cherish them. If you are a dad that is searching out for ideas that you and the kids can use to order to achieve the goal of making mom’s day special, then this can serve as a very powerful tool and resource. Here, you will find many different creative ideas that you can put to good use. In the end, your wife will feel absolutely honored that you have taken the time to devise a way of showing her how much you and the children love and cherish her!

Memory Movie

One of the first and most impressive strategies that you can use to ensure that you are successful in making Mom’s day special is to create a memory movie. This is not a difficult task, but there are many different supplies that must be obtained in order to complete this Mother’s Day gift. These items are as follows:

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More and more families are becoming blended families which means that parents are remarrying and children and gaining new step parents.  This can also mean some rocky roads ahead.  Blended families rarely mesh together easily and seamlessly, there is usually a great deal of adjustment and often a lot of conflict.  Step children may be resentful to the new parent, feeling that the step parent wants to take the biological parent’s place.  Children can become surly, depressed and combative.  They may act out at home or at school causing their parents a great deal of stress and worry.  This is normal, but that knowledge does not make the transition any easier.  These tips, however, might.

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Grandmas love surprises, and there is nothing more special than a homemade gift that comes from the heart, even if they don’t have a use for the gift. They know just how to fawn over present given in love. Here are a few ideas Mom and Grandchildren can work on together to make Mothers Day extra special:

1. Potpourri pies are popular in gift stores. Here’s how your little one can create a similar experience. Create this pie with a disposable pie shell. Make a bottom pie crust out of flour/salt dough. Add a potpourri that smells like your grandmother’s favorite scent, and then create a lattice pattern out of the dough. Cover the potpourri and allow the dough to harden overnight. To enjoy the potpourri, “bake” the pie in a warm oven.

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Earth Day and kids go hand in hand. This is a special day set aside to bring awareness to conservation efforts and help educate people on how to be more earth friendly.  Parents can use April 22nd to teach their kids how to respect the earth and what they can do to make a difference.

One thing that most people do anyway is to recycle.  If you don’t, contact your trash service and request recycling pick up.  Most trash companies will do this for free, but you may need to use their special recycling bin.  Kids can learn to recycle in several different ways.  First, teach them how to identify whether an item is able to be recycled or not.  The easiest way to check this is to look for the recycling symbol on the item.  Things like plastic bottles and newspapers are almost always recyclable.

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by Pam Smith 

Building a relationship with step kids may not always be an easy task. This can be especially true if you are dealing with older kids. Many step kids live with the notion that their parents will one day get back together. After all, they were once in love, why can’t they be again. Therefore, in their minds they only have enough room in their hearts for one mom and one dad. However, there are a variety of different steps you can take, in order to make your transition into step parenting a smoother, more enjoyable one.

One of the first steps to keep in mind is that you are not there to replace their biological parent. It is important that you understand your role as their step parent and share that with your step kids. In most instances, a step kid will be more receptive if they understand you are not trying to replace their mom or dad. Therefore, start your relationship off as merely their friend.

When you first begin your role as a step parent, it is important that you start slowly. Don’t jump into the situation head first. Instead, gradually work to build a relationship. The more time you take getting to know your step kids, the better your relationship will be. If you are the lucky step parent of younger children, come down to their level. Spend time playing games with them or going to the local park. Older kids may enjoy a shopping trip to the mall or a long bike ride.

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Parenting is much more than just teaching your kids right and wrong, good or bad, or health and fitness. It is also about “respect”. I’m not talking about your kids or teens necessarily  
respecting you, it is about you having respect for them, particularly for their privacy. By respecting your children, they will be more open and respect you.

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Summer is coming, and for many kids, that means a trip to camp. If this is your child’s first trip to camp, you may both be nervous about how things will go. A little advance preparation can make everyone feel more comfortable.

• Day camp or overnight
• Type of camp – religious, sports, academic, Scouts, etc.
• Length of the camp (how many days, how many hours each day if it is a Day Camp)
• Whether any friends will be attending the same camp
• Transportation 

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Parents always hope for the best when bringing a child into the world. When my son was born and I held him for the first time, I could not stop the tears. I wanted my him to be happy and knew that I would do whatever I could for my child and that I would do anything to help him achieve and reach his lifes goals.

The first step in this quest is teaching our kids about responsibility. This starts the moment the child is able to understand and do simple things to the time they reache the teenage years.

Here are some things that will help teach the teens about responsibility.

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