Being involved in your child’s education

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As our child grow up, it can be overwhelming and a bit daunting when they begin going to school. As your child grows older, it is important that parents stay involved in their child’s education. But what does it mean to be involved in your child’s education?

First, it is important to stay in contact and to communicate with your child’s teacher. This is a good practice whether your child is entering first grade or is a junior in high school. As your child grows, it may become increasing more difficult to stay in contact with your child’s teacher, however parent teacher nights, conferences, and sometimes just occassional emails can allow you to stay in contact.

It is also important to communicate with your child. A good time to talk with your child is during meal times or on car rides home if you pick up your child daily. This daily time spent talking about their day and what is happening at school can help support your child and get you involved in not only their education but what they are feeling and anything that is taking place outside the home.

Communication with your child and child’s teacher is not the only way to say involved. Other ways you can stay involved in your child’s education are to help them with their homework, encourage them to talk to you about what is happening at school and in the classroom, or even to give them a comfortable and productive environment that works best for them and how they learn to complete classroom at home.

No matter how you choose to get involved in your child’s education, the extra time, support, or involvement will show your child that you care and can increase their success both inside and outside of the classroom.

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Capturing Milestones

PORT SULPHUR, LA - MAY 14: Herschel Barthelem...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Children grow up so fast. Caught up in the excitement of your baby’s first steps you may forget to grab the camera, but when you do remember the camera, that photograph is precious.

Preserving memories has become a creative hobby for most parents. But what memories are the most important to preserve? Milestone events you want to photograph include losing that first tooth, getting on the school bus for the first time, learning to drive, going to prom, and falling in love. You can document changes in your family through births and adoptions, moving to a new home, taking in a new pet, and graduating college.

Scrapbooking is a fun way to collect these memories. It’s also a hobby the entire family can work on together. Completed scrapbook albums can grace your family’s bookshelves for generations, and each page will show the love that went into making it.

To mark special events like birthdays, graduations, or anniversaries, personalized calendars are cherished gifts. Calendar printing services allow you to select the format and add personal images. These can be theme calendars like pictures of your children or pets, or a special way to display your child’s artwork or photography.

Designate a shoebox to hold all those special joys like baby pictures, tiny shoes, newspaper birth announcements, pacifiers, first teeth, and favorite toys. As your child grows up, you may have to upgrade to a larger box such as a vintage suitcase, but the collection is precious no matter the container.

Filed Under: Children

3 Reasons your Teen Needs a Cell Phone

Many parents find themselves wrestling with whether or not they should buy their teenage child a cell phone. This can be a difficult decision to make when you consider what happens when your child misuses their cell phone privileges, which is a common occurrence, especially among first-time cell phone owners. The truth is, however, there are a number of reasons why your teenager would benefit from having a cell phone, and here are 3 of the most prevalent:

1.    To be prepared in the event of an emergency. Whether your teenager has a simple flip phone or a Blackberry smartphone, having a means of calling 911 or phoning home in an emergency is essential. Your child needs to be able to reach you at all times, so make sure that he or she can.

2.    So you can reach your child in an emergency. If you cannot pick him or her up from school, if you are injured in a car accident, or if you need to find out what his or her plans are for the day, being able to reach your child whenever you need to is one of the most obvious benefits of ensuring that your child always has a cell phone on his or her person.

3.    It’s an outstanding learning experience. Giving your teenager a cell phone and specific boundaries or restrictions on its use is a great learning and teaching experience. You can help your teenager learn to handle a cell phone bill, minute allowances and other aspects of having something that they are responsible for, and so in addition to providing a much needed means of communication, it also allows your child an outstanding learning experience  in the process.

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Special Events with American Girl

Molly McIntire from the American Girl doll series.

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American Girl regularly holds special events, such as workshops, for the special girl in your life to participate in.

Doll Workshops

There are all kinds of workshops available for your girl and her doll, including the following:

  • “Stylists’ Secrets From the Doll Hair Salon”
  • “Dazzle Your Doll”
  • “Braids and Bows”

Your girl will have the chance to learn new hairstyles and fashions with American Girl doll clothes. Create a sweeping up-do or a whimsical braid, and learn how to dress for a special occasion with workshops such as these.

Craft Workshops

Crafts are fun for all girls. Have fun at craft workshops such as the following:

  • “Flower Power Frame Craft”
  • “Father’s Day Card Craft”
  • “Fashion Fun Paper Doll Craft”

Your girl can learn new skills and make new friends while making some cute crafts.

Family Workshops

The following family workshops are fantastic ways to involve your girl in a fun activity whilst spending time with family:

  • “Date With Dad”
  • “A Great Day With Grandparents”
  • “Memories With Mom”

At American Girl, they know just how important family is in a girl’s life.

Self-Development Workshops

Something American Girl advocates is the positive self-development of all girls. The following workshops will help to boost and promote your girl’s confidence and self-esteem:

  • “Be Your Best”
  • “American Girl Friendship Fun”
  • “American Girl Book Club Basics”

These workshops also help to promote forming friendships and learning as an integral part of growing into a successful person and woman.

Many other workshops are available throughout the year in various cities across the United States.

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Teaching Your Teen Some Responsibility

teen parade 2006

Image by Jefferson Martina via Flickr

A lot of parents think of discipline as just something they have to administer. However, once a child gets out of the “barbarian” stages of being a toddler, they tend to take on bits and pieces of discipline that they can administer to themselves. For one thing, most people know not to hit others under general circumstances. Most people also know not to bite others. When you lay solid groundwork, your teen should know a lot of basic, responsible things.

Discipline can take on a lot of different forms, but it will ultimately fall back to being a restraint against one’s natural tendency to act. If your teen wants to take your car when you woldn’t know, only discipline and responsibility inside their own mind will keep them from doing so. While a teen may rebel, the level of responsibility they demonstrate will shine through that rebellion. Even the reasons why a teen might rebel will be different if they are a more responsible type of person.

Irresponsible teens will rebel because they expect to get their way. If you’ve allowed them to get away with anything all of their lives, you shouldn’t be surprised if they carry this expectation with them into early adulthood. However, a more responsible teen will be more likely to rebel if they believe they could do a better job of running things than you can. While they may not be right, perception is often reality. If you’ve taught them responsibility, it generally means you have to demonstrate it, as well. Consider it a good thing if your teen keeps you thinking responsibly.

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