Feeding Your Child's Craving to Spend Time With You

Baking is a great way to satisfy those needs to spend time together and learn a little something as well.

Three happy bakers! 

 "Feed the meter" says Harvey Karp, M.D. author of "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" as noted in Parents magazine this month. You will

will likely increase your chances of experiencing better behaved kids who are better well-adjusted. 

And what parent can't use a bit of that? It's like feeding the meter.

Why? Time spent together while doing things such as cooking, playing, or even household chores will quench your child's much needed desire to spend time with you while allowing you to spend less time later asking her to "behave." 

A child's unruly behavior may surface more often if he or she is craving your attention and not getting it.

Next time you have a dessert to make, some laundry to fold, or want to go for a walk, include your child....you'll be glad you did.

Think of it as giving more time-ins and less time-outs. Go to www.parents.com to read more.

Good Luck!! Good Parenting!!

Parents are Teachers

Just Like You

Monkey see, monkey do –

I want to be just like you.

You’re my mom, you’re my dad,

Just like you, good or bad. - BJT

Our behavior and actions help to shape our children’s development. Don’t be surprised if your child blurts out word-for-word something you have just said, or does something exactly the way you do it. Children are learning all the time just as we are teaching all the time.

I learned this the hard way.

When my daughter was two she was sitting up in her high chair happily playing with her blocks until one dropped to the floor.

“Son-of-a-bi*+#!” she said as clear as a bell.

The block wasn’t the only thing that hit the floor.

I had to think fast.

I had seen moms before when their child unexpectedly used profanity.

I thought about punishing her; but a spanking really didn’t teach anything, and left everyone feeling upset.

I wasn’t going to spank her.

I thought about interrogating her, the famous last words of a parent setting themselves up for utter failure once the question, “where did you hear that?!” was posed.

Oops.

I wasn’t going to ask, "who have you heard that from?" oh no, I had a pretty good idea, and that would only prove embarrassing and even counterproductive.

I thought about asking her to repeat what she had just said, just to be sure I had heard it.

“What did you just say!?” But what was the point of asking a rhetorical question? Ahem.

No, I wouldn’t go there.

I thought as fast as I could, timing was everything.

I dropped my wooden spoon on the floor and said the first thing that came to mind,

“Fiddlesticks!” I emphasized the word. My grandmother had used it so it had to be okay.

I repeated it for effect. And before I could say another word, my two-year-old echoed my new swear word.

“Fiddlesticks!!” she said as clear as a bell.

Right after that I called the sitter and cancelled her for good. Then I swore I would never swear again, just for good measure, and at least until the kids were adults.

Kids and swearing, that's just wrong.

Good Luck!! Good Parenting!!

Bon :)