Regina

We’ve all heard about parents who “overschedule” their child and keep the child running all week from lesson to lesson or sport to sport, or a combination of the two. The other side of that coin happens too. What if your child wants to join everything? When does a parent draw the line and set some limits?

The answer to those questions can be different for different ages or personalities. A few points to consider as you evaluate what’s right for your family:

Does your child enjoy the activity and look forward to it?
Is your child overly competitive or hard on themselves if they don’t meet their own expectations?
How much expense is involved in the activity? Is that expense reasonable for your family budget?
How does participation in the activity affect the rest of the family? Does it require travel or excessive time commitments that take away from other family activities?
Is your child’s school performance negatively affected by the activity?
Is the activity safe? Is it well supervised?
Does your child have a balance of active and more relaxing activities?

Having a child who is ready and willing to explore many new things is a wonderful thing. Children need some opportunities to try out a wide variety of interests and see what clicks for them. Children who try a range of different things may come across a talent or skill that can become a lifelong source of satisfaction for them. Other children get caught up in wanting to do whatever various friends are doing out of some anxiety or feeling of missing out on something if they don’t get to do it all.

As with most things, balance is the key. Answering the above […]

The last day of school. The LAST DAY of SCHOOL! Most of us remember that amazing feeling that the whole summer was stretching out ahead of us, and life was GOOD. While summers are a great way to relieve some of the pressures and expectations of the school environment, it can work against some children who may find school more challenging. A little planning can keep your child from losing too much ground on their hard-earned academic progress while still experiencing the joys of summer. You might want to consider some of these tips:

Summer Camps – Some are designed to be heavy on specific subjects like math or science, but many summer recreational camps and programs incorporate academics into their program in fun ways.
Library Reading Programs – Most communities fortunate enough to have a public library run programs for children to earn prizes or other incentives for summer reading.
Book Clubs – Connect with a few of your child’s friends’ families and start a book club for your kids. Let the children take turns selecting titles to read. Schedule a meeting time to discuss the books and incorporate treats that reflect a theme related to what they read.
Summer School – Don’t rule it out! Many summer school classes are packed with fun activities while still supporting your child’s weak subject areas.
Vacations – Assign your child some questions to research about your vacation destination. Along the way, show them how to calculate distances travelled, estimate arrival times, track fuel expenses etc.
Little Free Libraries – Map out locations of Little Free Libraries in your surrounding area and visit as many as you can. Select books to read and then pass them […]

When you become a parent, you experience a lot of “firsts” in your life. The first night your baby sleeps through the night, the first time the child runs a high fever, the first time your child takes a step on their own. One “first” that can cause a lot of parental anxiety is deciding when you are ready to leave your child with a babysitter for the first time out as a social being again, or when you are ready to break in a new babysitter.

All situations are different and we’re all different in our comfort level for doing this. Following are a few things to think about to help you ease into this next part of your life.

How old is the babysitter and how much experience have they had? In some cases, you may want to hire the person first as a “mother’s helper” and be in the home while they care for your child. By doing this, especially with a very young or inexperienced babysitter, both you and the sitter can ease into the situation.

Keep it short at first. Start out by having the babysitter there for an hour or two while you run errands, meet a friend for coffee, etc. Try not to have the time include putting the child or children to bed until they are more comfortable with the babysitter. While many children enjoy the company of a new babysitter while they are actively involved in playtimes, bedtime can bring on fears or renewed separation anxiety. If children are old enough, you may want to pre-plan an activity for the sitter to do, like a movie or new board game.

Provide pertinent instructions and information.  Does your child have […]