Sensory-Friendly Santa – At a Mall Near You

One of the fun parts of the holiday season is a trip to visit Santa Claus at the local mall. It can be hard for many little ones to wait in line – but most manage to do it. Children who have autism, or who have difficulties coping with the bright lights, loud sounds, and big crowds that surround Santa can visit a Sensory-Friendly Santa. A Sensory-Friendly Santa might also be called a Sensitive Santa or a Caring Santa. Santa looks the same, but is able to behave differently than typical in order to accommodate for kids who have special … Continue reading

Positive Parenting Might be your Style

Parents today have a plethora of parenting styles to choose from. Have you figured out what your parenting style is yet? If not, then perhaps Positive Parenting might be your style. Positive Parenting is a style that is intended to lessen stress and form healthier relationships between parents and their children. It is not an authoritarian parenting style. Other phrases that have been used to describe Positive Parenting include: positive discipline, gentle guidance, or loving guidance. Physical punishment, such as spanking, is absolutely not a part of Positive Parenting. It isn’t about “teaching your child a lesson”. Instead, this parenting … Continue reading

Your Parenting Style Impacts Your Teen’s Autonomy

One of the many goals of parenting is to raise children who become successful adults. Ideally, teens should develop the skills they need in order to become adults who can function in the “real world”. A study shows that your parenting style impacts your teen’s autonomy and the quality of his or her romantic relationships as an adult. Developmentally speaking, teenagers are at a stage when they are beginning to separate from their family and seek out their own, individual, identity. Little kids typically have a strong desire to seek approval from their parents. Teens, however, are much more interested … Continue reading

Your 18-Year-Old “Child” is Technically an Adult

In the United States, a person legally becomes an adult when he or she reaches age 18. This might be a shock to parents whose 18-year-olds are finishing high school and living under their roof. Parents need to be aware of certain things that change the minute their “baby” turns 18. Your child will always be your “baby”, no matter how old they become. However, legally speaking, that “baby” turns into an adult on his or her 18th birthday. Parents need to prepare themselves to accept this fact. An adult is not legally obligated to check in with his or … Continue reading

Banning Chocolate Milk Doesn’t Improve Nutrition

Parents who had children in several schools in Oregon noticed what they viewed as a problem. The kids were much more likely to drink chocolate milk than they were to drink white milk. The parents believed that banning the chocolate milk would force the kids to start drinking more white milk. Instead, things did not work out as planned. It is safe to say that the parents in the school district’s PTA meant well. They were hoping to make changes that would provide better nutrition for the students. They believed that removing the chocolate milk, and only offering white milk, … Continue reading

What to do When Other People’s Kids are in Danger

Most parents are very careful and cautious with their children. They put in a great deal of effort to keep their children out of dangerous situations. Sometimes though, things happen and a child could wind up in a situation that is not at all good. What can you do when you see that a child, who is not yours, is unsafe? Here are some suggestions about what to do. What to do if You Think a Child is in Danger A Child Has Been Left in a Car There are a lot of parents who will tell you that they … Continue reading

Things You Should Do For Yourself Right Now

Are you someone who makes an effort to help, comfort, and pamper your loved ones? It has been said that many people take much better care of their friends and family than they do of themselves. Typically, there are more women than men that have this tendency, but it does include both genders. Now is the time to start taking good care of yourself, too! Here are some things you can start with right this minute. LifeBuzz posted an article that contained 30 things that everyone should start doing for themselves. You can view it as a guide to better … Continue reading

Habits of Happy People Could Make You Happier

Have you got a case of the blues? Are you feeling frustrated and upset by stories in the news? Try adopting some of the habits of happy people. Doing so could make you feel more connected to your life, give you a sense of purpose, and make your overall outlook a happier one. An article at MindBodyGreen points out seven of the habits that are practiced by the happiest people. You might not be doing them. That isn’t really your fault, though, because few people talk about how they manage to stay so happy all the time. The main idea … Continue reading

Protect Your Allergic Child from Valentine’s Day

Does your child attend an elementary school that will be having a classroom Valentine’s Day party? Typically, those parties involve a ton of sweets, treats, and goodies that do not have ingredient labels and may contain things your child is allergic to. What’s a parent to do? Here are some options to protect your child from Valentine’s Day. Parents want to protect their child from all potential harm. Food allergies make that difficult. Not everyone understands what your child could experience if he or she encounters peanuts, gluten, eggs, or milk. Your child might not entirely understand exactly how this … Continue reading

Lance Armstrong Comes Clean to Doping

The other night, I was in bed, looking for something to watch on television.  I know, I know, experts say you shouldn’t have a television in your bedroom, but I find it comforting to watch a little before I go to bed. I was channel surfing when I came across the Lance Armstrong interview on OWN.  I didn’t realize this was the first airing and I am not a huge cycling fan, but something compelled me to watch. It has already been leaked to the media that Armstrong would confess to using performance-enhancing drugs to Oprah, but I wanted to … Continue reading