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

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Parenting sure has its up and its downs. Becoming a parent can be one of the most exciting times of anyone’s life, and it can also be one of the most stressful. It is important for new parents to realize that along with all of the stress and hard work of parenting come countless and immeasurable rewards. I personally would not give it up for the world!!

You see, parenting offers us parents the ability to raise a new member of the global community, someone who has unlimited potential to make a difference in the future and in the world. There is nothing better than seeing your child grow to become a successful adult who cares about the world in which they live.

Sure, the future reward is amazing and almost unbelievable, but what about the everyday rewards of parenting?

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Creating a meaningful close and relationship with your teenagers begins from the moment they are born. However you can’t turn back the clock and if you are having a difficult time with your teen, it is still possible to build a closer relationship. If you have other younger children, take this time to evaluate how your relationship with them is developing. Is is important to realize that the foundations you lay out now, will carry you into the difficult teen years. Make sure you spend time together, talk and answer all your youngsters’ questions. Kids are so inquisitive and will ask just about anything. Don’t shy away from the tough answers or you will slowly close the door on communication. Of course, you’ll be answering in an age-appropriate manner, but don’t brush off the hard questions. You want your children to come to you when they need answers and support.

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Now I don’t want this to get political, but I once heard or read Al Gore saying, and I am paraphrasing from memory here, "If your babies crib is on fire, you don’t speculate that the baby is flame-retardant". What did I learn from this? Use your gut instinct, and don’t always think about parenting, just do what seems to come naturally and see what happens, most of the time it will be the right decision.

Most moms seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to parenting. Dads do to, but it takes a little harder work, I am talking from experience here. As a dad I have found we really have to work at getting in touch with our kids feelings. Moms just seem to do it naturally. Beginning with the birth of a child, or sometimes before, an immediate instinct forms with a mom; a signal if you will, instantly hones in on the baby’s every need. While there are some who do not have the ability to take on the role of parent; the majority however, do. The confidence to follow your own parenting instincts is an inherent trait, and one which is worth exploring a bit more.

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Raising a natural child is a difficult task. Ask a thousand parents how to do it and you will get one thousand different answers. in fact you will find there is no right or wrong way. What matters the most is that your child is brought up in a happy and healthy environment, an environment where he or she is loved, respected and cared for in every facet of their life, and that they know you will always hold them in your heart and be there for them when needed. 

Here are some additional tips in the raising of your child that I try to incorporate in my life:

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

Yes, I’m old, as my children gleefully tell me. The thing is, I really don’t get video games. I don’t understand what the attraction is and I really have no interest in finding out. My boys, however, could play for hours. They’re even happy just watching someone else play.

Now, my boys are not video game couch potatoes. They both play sports, take music lessons, hang out with friends, read books, do chores, and are active in church. Still, given a choice of activities, video games still rank very high, especially for my nine-year-old. To help keep his enjoyment of video games from turning into an obsession, I have found it very important to set strict guidelines about when, what, and for how long my boys can play.

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Are you planning on a Halloween Party for your little ghouls and their friends? Here are some ideas your kids will be sure to enjoy!

Bobbing for Apples: The classic Halloween party game is bobbing for apples. To make it creepier, peel the apples and call it bobbing for brains or carve faces into them.

Bowls of Goo: Another classic is the “Guess What You’re Feeling” game where you fill various bowls with food items like peeled grapes and call them eyeballs, spaghetti becomes guts, and pumpkin guts are brains.

To add a competitive spin on the games add three marbles into each bowl of goo and challenge the kids to find the eyeballs with their feet!

Guessing Game: Fill a jar with candy corn and ask children to write down their guess on how many pieces of candy are in the jar. Winners get the jar!

Games to get them riled up!

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Is Your Daughter a Queen Bee?

By Julie Baumgardner

One day, out of the blue, a teenager decides she no longer wants a particular girl in “her” group of friends. The young lady arrives at school and is informed that she is no longer a part of “the group.” They make fun of her “big butt” telling her, “a small television could sit on top of that thing.” The young lady is hurt, embarrassed and confused. She never tells her parents what happened and makes excuses for why she doesn’t get asked to sleepovers or on outings with these girls anymore. It is a time she will never forget.

So goes the life of an adolescent girl. Few parents escape experiencing the pain and anxiety situations like this one create. Parenting your teenager can definitely keep you on your toes. Many parents testify to the fact that something happens to girls around eleven years of age. Things that neither the parent nor the child fully understand. Some parents believe aliens invade their daughter’s body! When it comes to dealing with the craziness of their relationships, it is hard to know the right thing to do. You want to protect your child from the hurt, yet you know this is a rite of passage as girls move into adolescence on their way to young adulthood.

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Learning responsibility as a child
Being a responsible adult may be hard for some people, possibly because they were never allowed to be a responsible child. Our goal as parents is to help teach our children what it means to be responible for our actions. It is our desire to show how learning as a child enables a child to grow up into a responsible adult.

It starts very early in life. Early in a child’s life, starting at infancy it is a good time to start the process of becoming a responsible adult. When a child is done playing for example, show them how to pick up. Don’t do it for them, but don’t force them either. Make it fun, make it a game, but make it a routine so they don’t have to think about it and it becomes a natural habit.

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Halloween is a little over a month away. Autumn is a fun season for little ones, because it means going on hayrides, painting pumpkins, and of course dressing up for Halloween. It is especially fun for small girls to dress up for Halloween, especially because there are many costume ideas to choose from.

Toddler Girls Love to Have Their Face Painted

Moms, do you remember back when you went to a fair or a theme park. Chances are, you liked getting your face painted, and little girls are the same way. There are many wonderful face painting kits that you can choose from either in the children’s section of your local book store, a costume shop, or online.

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Well, kids really don’t come with instruction manuals and when I held my first son in my arms I muttered to myself for the first time after birth, "now what?" The nurse must have heard me because she just turned to me and said softly, "just love him". That moment changed the whole world for me. As a new dad that was both my happiest and scariest day of my life! When someone becomes a parent, their child does not come with an instruction manual. Most of us learn by trial and error, books, or from tips passed on from our parents. Parenting is a hard job and it gets harder as our children get older. Our children face many pressures today that we as parents never had to deal with when we were young. That means we have to change our parenting technique to adapt to today’s society and its pressures. Today we need to take a different approach to raising children. Parents need all the help they can get for each stage of their child’s life. You can be an effective parent in today’s society, using common sense, and a few other professional tips will help you be the parent you want to be.

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Presented by Kent Estes

Parents you need to train your children in child safety, and you need to know what to do in case a Stranger approaches them. I have taught hundreds of children on how to protect themselves from danger. We learn by doing, this is why parents need to go over these 3 simple rules that will protect their kids. You do not want this to happen to your child.

Rule #1 

Rule #1, your feet, which means run away, when there is danger a child should run away. Running away is a child’s best defense against danger. Teach your children to think of their feet, it will be easy for them to remember because they will always have their feet with them. Hollywood makes it look like children can beat up an adult but in reality an adult will always win. The key here is to run away from danger and this keeps you safe.

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Oh, to be a teenager again. I remember my teenage years very fondly compared to the stresses of being a parent and head of the household. As adults and parents many of us are faced with  unending bills and various responsibilities that can sometimes get the best of all of us. As adults we have to deal with more complex issues and responsibilities that may have surpassed our wildest dreams and expectations. Clearly, when we were younger, we never fully understood the complexities of being an adult until you became one. Naturally, your teenage child may not be able to fully comprehend this truth. However, that does not mean the situations they have to deal with is any less important to them and understanding this helps us better communicate with our teens.

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Are you planning a Halloween Bash? The right decorations can make or break your party. Too scary and you’ll have little ones crying to go home, not scary enough and the older kids will be bored. Here are a few suggestions for decorating an age appropriate party.

A Pumpkin Themed Party

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Parenting Tips to Help Keep The Communication Lines Open Between Both Parent and Child

With young kids it sometimes requires a little extra work to effectively communicate with them, and to understand what they are trying to say. In order to be a more effective parent and develop good parenting skills we need to effectively communicate with our children. It is easy, not only at a young age, but to misunderstand what they are trying to say or do and get upset because we think they are not listenting to us. Communication is a two-way street, you and your child or teen need to practice listening and talking to each other. Learning to talk and listen when they are young will let you be prepared, as they get older and harder to communicate with. Talking to your children is not a natural skill it is a learned activity. Here are some ways to keep communication lines open between you and your child for better parenting when they are teens.

Do you listen to your children? Many of us may be busy doing dishes, helping to cook dinner, working on the car, or mowing the lawn, and are so wrapped up in other things that we may not always stop to really listen. This is an important part of communication. Take the time now to listen to your children because we may not have many opportunities when they are older. Stop what you are doing, look your child in the eye and listen. Let them know what they are saying is important to you. Listen with an open-mind and control your emotions while listening to a child unburden themselves.

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