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Julie &  Kevin - More4kids Inc.
"More4kids, because kids don’t come with instructions"

By Julie Baumgardner

Karen’s son lied about his homework, so she grounded him from weekend activities. Her son was scheduled to be with his dad that weekend so she called her ex to ask him to honor the grounding. He refused, saying that was his only time with his son and he wasn’t obligated to fulfill her decisions. Karen was furious. 

Was Karen right to ask her ex to do this? Was her ex wrong not to honor her wishes? 

“The ultimate goal is to have Karen and Ted strive to enforce similar rules and cooperate regarding the children,” said Ron Deal, author of The Smart Stepfamily. “If you can achieve this level of cooperation, terrific, but the reality is, in many instances, they aren’t there. So, what we work toward is each household being autonomous, but sharing the responsibility for the children. Co-parenting does not mean sharing all decisions about the children or that either home is accountable to the other for their choices, rules or standards.” 

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Parenting responsibilities should be shared between mom and dad. Each parent should back up and fully support the other. Parenting is a demanding lifetime job from which you never get to retire. However, it is by far the most rewarding. There are no courses for parenting and no exams to pass – all you need to do is follow your instincts and make the right choice for your children. Shared parenting and shared responsibilities will help make parenting more enjoyable and rewarding. Here are some ideas to make the most of shared parenting, and make it work for you.

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Are you a single parent who is looking to be a better Mother or Father to your children? Single parenting can be very rough and exhausting. Unfortunately, single-parent families are becoming more and more common today than ever before, it is never easy on the parent or the child. And increasingly large groups of children live with parents who were never married. Also, there are a small number of children living with a widowed parent.

There are of course many positive opinions behind being a single parent. For example, you can raise your child according to your own beliefs and traditions without conflicting input from a spouse. Single parents often form closer bonds with their children. Fathers who are single parents may end up being more nurturing and the Mothers end up being more involved with their child’s social activities.

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Part of parenting is keeping our children safe and secure. Kids feel safe and secure in a predictable world. The end of a school year can often times be a time of change for young kids. My son, Jacob, who is 4 1/2 has to say goodbye to a few of his friends. That can be hard for a young child to understand and comprehend. However, everything in life is changing every day, all of the time. Change is as basic a part of our reality as night as day is. If there is one thing that you can count on in life, it is the unpredictability of change. As human beings our bodies are in a constant state of change, our minds are always evolving, and our attitudes towards life are changing every minute by what we are experiencing from everything around us.

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Just for Mom Fruit Salad - here is a recipe that Dad and kids can easily make for Mom and have fun doing it together.  

Ingredients:
1 can prepared lemon pie filling
12 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 - 15 oz. can tropical fruit salad, drained
1 - 15 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
2 - 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups fresh strawberries

Instructions:

Mix lemon pie filling and whipped topping together in a large bowl. Add fruit to mixture and chill in refrigerator from 4 hours to overnight. When ready to serve, top with fresh strawberries or fruit of your choice and whipped topping. Servings: 8

Here is a parenting challenge: do you have a child that seems to always be craving your attention? Do you find yourself being asked non-stop by your child to check out every move they make? Even in the car, kids will ask Mommy and Daddy to turn around to look at something that they are drawing, or at something passing by, or a funny face he is making, etc.

Most parents get upset after a while because it seems that the child is not taking into consideration what their Mom or Dad is doing at that time. You should not get frustrated because for the most part a child’s mind cannot grasp that you are busy doing something else, even though they can clearly see with their eyes. Although it is understandable that some of these “calls for attention” can be annoying, it is important to learn to appreciate your child’s needs.

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I remember as a child growing up without any of the luxuries most children seem to be given today. More importantly, I was happier for it. If you take a look at all of the young celebrities, most of whom have the admiration of teenagers, it becomes more and more evident these kids had little or no constructive home life; but instead were given everything they’ve ever wanted. Is raising happy children without giving them the world even possible today? The answer is an unqualified yes.

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Until recently I have never heard of child identity theft. Sure, I have heard of identity theft and my wife and I have taken steps to protect ourselves. We view our bank statements on line regularly, destroy old credit cards, shred credit card statements etc. If you have not heard of this new crime, you must read the article on Child Identity Theft over at Who Stole My Identity.

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Every once in a while, we see an article in the news about a woman giving birth at age 65 or 66. We don’t hear as much about older fathers, although 80-year-old Hugh Hefner made news earlier this year when he announced that he and his girlfriend were considering having a baby. While new parents over age 60 are rare, the fact is that more and more people in their forties and fifties are having children. 20% of women now wait until age 35 to have their first babies and a 2005 study showed that the birth rate for women in their early to mid-40s had grown 5% in the last decade. What special challenges and rewards await these mid-life parents?

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If your child does not belong to a day care, or go to a pre-school and you are worried about your toddlers social development , you may want to consider a mommy and toddler group. This is also a great way in which moms continue the all important bonding with their toddlers, as well as having their child experience being with other toddlers, is through mommy and toddler groups.

There are a number of groups which you and your toddler can join. One of which is at a library or checking your local community to ascertain if they have any similar groups you can join.

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It is a universal fact that all parents want their children to be happy and healthy. It is also widely accepted that positive emotional development will play a big role in how healthy and happy your youngster really is. Encouraging your child’s emotional development will begin about the day that you bring that precious bundle home from the hospital, and will not end until the day you send him off to college. However, the toddler years are a key time for encouraging your child’s emotional development so that he will grow into a happy and well-adjusted child and adult. Here is some tips and ideas that may help.

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We all want our children to be happy and grow up to be emotionally well-adjusted and successful. Perhaps that is one of our biggest parenting challenges. Being a successful parent means taking the time to understand what our kids need in order to be self confident, happy, and living a life of well-being. Here are six tips to help you raise your children to the top levels of their needs.

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Remember dads, Mothers day is just a few weeks away, and if you have young toddlers they will need your help in making Moms day extra special. On Mother’s Day its the thought that counts and actions can express love much more than expensive gifts. For younger kids its a great lesson to teach kids that money and expensive gifts don’t buy love, and that love comes from the heart or buying something that has meaning and feeling behind it. Unless your kids have been saving their allowance religiously, they may not be able to afford to buy an expensive gift for Mother’s Day. However, here are some ideas for inexpensive Mother’s Day gifts.

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It’s official. The weather is getting warmer, the birds are chirping and you don’t have to search high and low for boots and gloves. The stores are filled with shorts and bathing suits and suntan lotion! So why not get out and have a mini-celebration with your favorite people- your children!

1. Plant something special! Have your child pick out a special tree, plant or perennial for your yard or for your patio. Read about what helps it to grow. Learn with your child how to take care of it. Re-plant it if you like in a special pot that you shop for with him or her. If you plant it in your yard, do it in your child’s name. If possible, play some spring songs on a cassette or compact disc player while you are planting! Be sure to add a plant marker!

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