It seems that everyone is cutting back. More and more people are falling upon hard times. The cost of living keeps rising, people are losing their jobs, getting laid off, having their pay or hours reduced and it seems many people just can't get a break. Even our home has felt the crunch. We recently had our gas cut off. As a single mom raising two teenagers alone, sometimes my paycheck just doesn't go that far. We are moving to a cheaper place in a couple of weeks (to ease our financial burden a bit) so I did not get it turned back on. At this point I really can't anyway.
It was a silly bookkeeping error on my part. Instead of paying the gas company, I accidentally double paid the utilities company. I am making small payments to repay the bill. In the meantime, we have no hot water and can not use our stove/oven. So, it was time for a family meeting. We discussed our situation and came up with a couple of solutions.READ More on Family Matters: When Hard Times Hit your Home
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by Jennifer Shakeel
This article is inspired by the fact that our oldest is almost 15 and this summer everyone seems to want her to come and stay with them… and not for a day or two… but a week or more. Most of the next month, she is only going to be home for about 5 days if I am lucky. Now mind you it doesn't bother her, she is looking forward to going. She is going to get to see old friends and new places. We are happy for her, and we want her to go. At the same time though, we want her to be home. My husband and I miss our kids when they are gone. I know that you have read enough of my writing that you know we are a very close-knit family, always together. So this is a trying time. We want her to have fun… to do that, we have had to start to learn to let go.
So I am going to offer a few ideas to all the parents out there that have a child that is ready to blossom on their own, spread their wings and fly a little… but you are struggling cutting the umbilical cord. I am there with you! Here is how I am surviving.
Parenting Tip One: Realize that You Have Done Your Job
At some point you have to acknowledge the fact that you did a pretty good job of raising a responsible young adult. Yes, I know… chores are still not always done…and there are times that you question if their brain is still asleep on the pillow… but over all they are a good kid… and they deserve the chance to show you what a great job you have done on raising them.READ More on Parenting and Learning to Let Go
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by Shakeel Shaique
What is inspiration and what does it mean? It really is a result of an involuntary or sudden reaction to something that motivates or stimulates a personal reaction in the form of encouragement to do something out of the ordinary and having an everlasting affect on the witnessing person.
Bringing a child into the world in itself is an inspiration shared by couples that generates love, new stimulations for advancements, expected gratification and is in itself experiencing the miracle of life. Even before a child is born, the couple starts to plan for the short and the long term. This brings in new subjects of communication, decision making, sharing of ideas and above all a new level of excitement. The buzz in the house is all about the baby to come. Family and friends get involved and the celebration begins.
Now the kids grow up and start to take in and get exposed to their surroundings and all this time they are learning new things. As we all know, children adapt to the environment and events much quicker then adults, and some of their reactions turn out inspirational to people around them. I will write a few of my personal and family stories that I hope will serve as good inspirational examples.READ More on How Kids Inspire Parents and the Rest of Us
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by Stephanie Partridge
At some point as a parent, regardless of how great your relationship is with your teen, you will butt heads and go through some struggles. You teen will begin trying to separate from you and become an individual. They want to be independent, in control of their own lives and make their own choices. While it may be difficult and even painful for both of you, these struggles are actually good for your teen – and for you. If you handle these struggles properly, you can actually strengthen your relationship with your teen while making both of you stronger, wiser and better decision makers. These survival tips will help.
Don't – Fall in the Parent Trap
Many parents fall into what I call the "Parent Trap." They play that parent card like they were playing a winning hand in a million dollar poker game. They over use the power (bordering on abusing it), completely controlling the situation and giving the child no leeway whatsoever. Do you want a kid who sneaks out after you go to sleep or who wears one thing out then changes into a "forbidden" ensemble in the gas station restroom after they leave your house? Well, that is exactly what you are going to get if you control every aspect of your child's life. And if you say, "MY child wouldn't do something like that" you are especially at risk. You are kidding yourself and your child probably already has done something like that.READ More on Parent and Teen Struggles: A Survival Guide
by Stephanie Partridge
An estimated twenty percent of teenagers will experience depression at some point before the reach adulthood. Twenty to forty percent of those teens will experience more than on depressive episode within a two year period and an incredible seventy percent will have more than one depressive episode before they reach adulthood. These are very sobering figures, but they should serve to put parents, teachers and others who work with young people on alert. Teen depression is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly. As our teenagers are placed under more and more pressure by a society the moves fast and lives hard, we should keep a watchful eye and be ready to intervene when things get out of hand.
We are all well acquainted with so-called "teenage angst." Television shows us the "typical" teenager (which really isn't typical at all), dressed in black, a sullen look on their face, lying around doing nothing and we told that this is normal. To some degree, this is normal teenage behavior, but we need to be cognizant of any changes in behavior or habits. Ideally, parents should maintain open lines of communication between themselves and their children, but this is sometimes easier said than done. So let's take this one step at a time, examine depression, its symptoms, it causes, preventative measures and what you, as a parent or influential person in the child's life, can do to help.READ More on Teen Depression: Is it More than "Just the Blues"?
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by Jennifer Shakeel
I have to admit that when I heard all the controversy over whether students should be allowed to hug each other at school I went to the source for an investigation. I talked to my children, one is in elementary and the other is finishing middle school. I asked them if their schools had a policy against hugging or physical contact and how they felt about it.
My son who is in elementary said that his school did not have a policy that he was aware of. My daughter on the other hand said her school does, but no one follows it. She stated that her and her friends could get away with the “one arm hug.” It was really the “boyfriend-girlfriend hug” that was the major no-no.
Myself, I can not believe that we live in a society that would ban hugging at all. I would like schools to explain to me why they would ban a hug. Now, I can understand that not all hugs are equal. I don’t think school is a place that students need to be groping each other, but I also don’t believe that is an activity that kids should be doing anyway. So I can see saying that any sexual touching is banned. But a hug?
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Many women experience a dip in their level of self confidence once they become a mom. You begin to doubt your ability to be a good mom, you doubt the fact that you are still an attractive vibrant woman, you worry that your husband may find you less attractive… you begin to question exactly who you are a person. This is normal… I know, I say that often in these pregnancy articles. The reason I say that is because it’s true. Wondering why no one ever talks about it then, that is because if you knew all of the changes physically and emotionally that you were going to experience before you got pregnant… you may not want to get pregnant at all. However, most women that have had a baby, once they hear what you are going through will smile in acknowledgement for we have been there too.
