TIPS FOR DEVELOPING SIMPLE PARENTING RULES

by Geoff Powell

Here are some tips for developing very simple rules for your children.

Rule 1 - Establish strict regular sleep times. Emphasize the importance of sleep. If the child is not getting enough sleep or is having disrupted sleep. The rule should be that your child gets enough undisrupted sleep regularly.

Rule 2 - Encourage good behaviors. Offer privileges to encourage the enforcement of this rule.

Rule 3 - Make homework a priority. Adhere strictly to doing homework first before play.

Rule 4 - Prevent back talk. If your kid gets big-mouthed with you, then be strict and remove privileges.

Be consistent and set clear boundaries.

About the Author
Geoff Powell is an internet Entrepreneur. For more information on how you can improve your parenting skills visit Parenting Tools - Parenting Toolbox Review

Trying To Find The Causes For Autism

by Jonathan Sullivan

Many parents hope that in finding a source of autism, this disorder can be cured or prevented. Unfortunately, scientists have yet to find one single reason why children develop autism. It is possible that someday autism will be linked to a specific gene abnormality, but the more likely source is not one thing, but a number of factors in a child's world. Autism cannot be prevented or cured, so the best we can do to help autistic children and adults is be understanding and willing to compromise to make the world comfortable for them and ourselves.

First off, there are certain things that do not cause autism, and these myths should be laid to rest immediately. Most importantly, bad parenting does not cause autism. In the past, mothers were blamed for traumatizing their children with cold parenting techniques, which was thought to lead to autism. This is simple not true. Autism is also not caused by malnutrition, although food allergies occur in my autistic children and some autistic children do benefit from taking daily vitamins.

There are many links between autism and the brain. Most people with autism have larger brains and they are "wired" differently than a typical brain. Differences occur in many parts of the brain, so it cannot be targeted to one specific brain malfunction overall, but rather a brain malfunction in general. Autistic children also show signs of an immune deficiency. Evidence in this study is not yet strong, but research is still being done. Many autistic individuals have other health problems related to immune deficiencies. Overall, these things all seem to point to genetics. Although autism is not the parents' fault, it is most likely that autism was found elsewhere on your family tree, and it is not uncommon for parents to raise more than one autistic child. Autism may also be linked to vaccinations, although this is still being highly studied. The benefits of vaccinations greatly outweigh the risks of them causing autism, so you should not deprive your child simply because you are fearful. Talk to you doctor if you have concerns about vaccinations.

Nobody knows what causes autism. Therefore, we can do nothing to prevent and cure it, but rather we can simply treat the autistic people in our lives with the best of our ability. Becoming educated in autism is the key-the more you know about the disorder, the better you can help individuals who suffer from it. Autism is a complex problem, and as researchers develop new understandings of the way it affects the body, better treatment options will become available, with the hope that someday we will be able to cure this disease.

About the Author
For info on autism symptoms and what is autism, visit the Autism Diagnosis website.

How to Make Your Kids Obey You

by Bernard Loke

While there are a number of frustrating things associated with being a parent, one of the most frustrating thing is having a kid who does not mind what you say. In addition to being frustrating, a disobeying kid also creates embarrassing, and sometimes, dangerous situations. Just imagine trying to tell your kid to stop going across the street because you see a car coming but he does not and then, he does not mind. Obviously, this scenario could end up in a big disaster.

Tips on how to make your kids obey are tough but parents are learning right along with the kids. So never be afraid to make appropriate adjustments when required. Hey, parenting can be tough but starting your kids out the right way will ensure they have a life of success. The following will help on how to make your kids obey your orders and instructions.

Be the Parent - Too often, parents lose their roles as the person of authority. When raising your kids, they need to understand that what you say goes and there is no argument about it at all. In fact, arguing or disobeying is simply not options. If you start raising them early with this attitude, how to make your kids obey will become much easier and at an earlier age.

Stop Yelling - When you yell at your kid for not minding, all you have done is proven to him or her that you just lost control. Immediately, the kid understands that he or she has taken a position of power, not what you want. When disciplining your kid, remain calm and firm - stop the yelling! The response will be that the kids obey much quicker.

Be Fair - Chances are you have heard the words, "These rules are unfair" more than once. In reality, parents will sometimes set rules, restrictions, and expectations that are not fair. Consider the age of your kid, his or her maturity level, and the individual situation so you are fair. As an example regarding how to make your kids obey, if you have a daughter who just turned 14 and she wants to go to a school dance, something she has never done before, why not. At this age, and as long as there will be supervision, she is old enough. However, if you were to tell her no, stating she was too young, she may stay at a friend's house and then sneak to the party anyway. In other words, set the rules so you are not setting your kid up for failure. With this, kids obey more readily.

Consequences - Kids of all ages need to know that with disobeying, lying, stealing, and other negative behaviors, consequences are a part of the deal. By establishing guidelines and letting your kid know the consequences, he or she may be less interested in disobeying. You can help kids obey by teaching them that not minding leads to tougher disciplinary actions.

About the Author
Jamie Sullivan is a mother of 3 children aged between 4-16 years old and an author of "Child Anger Revealed - Your Ultimate Guide To Deal With Them Effectively" at http://www.ManageYourChild.com.

Top 7 Parenting Mistakes to Avoid

by Paul Banas

If you have difficulty dealing with your children, you are not alone. Many parents seem to be quite at loss when it comes to enforcing good behavior in their children. Research has shown that some parenting styles definitely do not work. Read on to learn how you can avoid the most common parenting mistakes:

#1: Don't punish harshly. Professor of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, Murray Straus, estimates that 90 percent of parents do not think it wrong to beat children. However, researchers studying child behavior insist that punishing children too harshly is a big parenting mistake. Discipline, they say, is effective only when it is mild. For instance, "time out" should not be for more than a few minutes, and privilege withdrawal should not be extended for more than a day.

#2: Don't nag. If you think that constant nagging will get your kids to do as you want them to, think again. Research has proven that people tend to ignore repetitive commands. Not only that, nagging also negatively reinforces wrong behavior.

#3: Don't compromise. If you make rules, be ready to enforce them. Nobody expects that you set military standards for discipline for your children, but let them know that a "no" means "no." When your kids learn that you will not give in to their tantrums, they will simply stop throwing them. #4: Don't overprotect. While it is your duty to protect your children, it is also important to let them learn from their mistakes. As psychologist and Raising Resilient Children co-author, Robert Brooks explains, "Resilient children realize that sometimes they will fail, make mistakes, have setbacks. They will attempt to learn from them."

#5: Don't over-praise. An important aspect of parenting is to praise children for exemplary behavior. However, if you habitually applaud every thing they do, you may end up undermining the effectiveness of praise as a form of positive reinforcement. This is because your children may not understand why you are praising them, or may even overestimate their own worth.

#6: Don't stress grades. Academics are important for your children, but a common parenting mistake is to stress grades over creativity. Psychiatrist and author of Great Kids, Stanley Greenspan points out that while parents make children learn rules and facts, it is more difficult to get them to think creatively. Creativity, however, is essential to help children to discard ideas that don't work and look for alternative solutions.

#7: Don't disregard feelings. Myrna Shure, author of Raising a Thinking Child, says that children need to be able to examine their feelings about things. One of the most common mistakes parents make is disregard their children's feelings-by telling them not to cry, for instance. A better approach is to show empathy by letting children know that you understand how they feel.

Your parenting styles are likely to impact the way your child grows up. Being responsive to your children, and at the same time, setting clear rules and limits, is crucial for you as a parent.

About the Author
Paul Banas was looking for a business idea that would allow him the flexibility to spend time with his family. Paul Banas is a founder of GreatDad.com. He writes articles on father and daughter, parenting skills, family planning, pregnancy ca

A Parent's Must-Know Guide to Internet Safety

by Jamie Jefferson

Being a parent today is much different than it has been in generations past. Even though the Internet has been in homes for nearly 20 years, it has just been within the past 5 to 10 years that teenagers and children have had routine use of the Internet.

If you are beginning to feel like your children know more about the online world than you do, it's no wonder that you're concerned about keeping them safe. There are many steps that you can take to protect your children and to direct their online behavior so they present themselves correctly. Here are five important places to start.

1. The first step you should take is to ban computers from your children's bedrooms. The entire family should use a common desktop computer that is in a well-trafficked area in the house. Keeping the computer (and your children) in sight will help minimize where they visit online and what type of activities they can take part in. Limiting their computer time is also a good way to keep them safe. A child that is on for an hour per day, rather than four or six, can get in a lot less trouble.

2. Set some ground rules with your children for their Internet use. For example, many parents allow their children to have their own e-mail address but only if the parents have the passwords. When you use the computer you can double check that this rule is being followed by checking the history and making sure no unauthorized email addresses are being used.

3. One of the most popular sites these days is Myspace. Myspace is a social networking community that brings people together from all walks of life. It's also become a popular place for teens and preteens to meet one another and bond after school. You can make sure your children are staying safe by building their Myspace account with them. This way, you know the password and you can check in on the account from time to time. Make sure that you communicate to them the importance of limiting their communication to friends only. There are many spam programs that will ask to be your child's friend, and then expose them to inappropriate material. If your children only accept friend requests from people that they know in real life, this cuts down on their exposure.

4. Make sure that your attempts to keep them safe aren't all punitive. You can prevent a lot of problems by getting involved in your child's online life. Visit websites together and let them show you where they like to "hang out" online. Encourage them to tell you about their online friends and how they spend their time online. If you are a part of their world, you'll know exactly what they've been up to and whether they are following your ground rules or not.

5. If you need to, you can take your level of parental protection to the next level with a professional monitoring software that will tell you just exactly where they have been. This type of software can also limit their usage to specific sites. This can be very helpful if your child is young.

Protecting your child online is easy if you involve yourself in what they are doing from the start. Interacting with your child and the Internet in a friendly way when they are 10 is a lot easier than cracking down on bad online usage when they are 16. Just like with all other parenting areas, it's better to try to prevent problems first.

About the Author
Jamie Jefferson writes for Susies-Coupons.com, where you can find {a href=" http://www.susies-coupons.com/vista.htm"}Vistaprint Coupons as well as Symantec Coupons. Symantec has a number of programs to protect privacy and security online.

Questions To See If You Are Ready For A Baby

by Julia Sullivan

Are you a woman? If you are, have you been thinking about motherhood? If you have, you may be wondering whether or not you are ready to be a parent. While parenthood is occasionally unexpected, a large number of women and their partners plan and prepare for it. If that is the approach that you would like to take, there are a number of important factors or issues that you should first take into consideration.

Perhaps, the most important factor to take into consideration is healthcare. When pregnant, you will need to schedule regular prenatal exams. Towards the end of your pregnancy, these exams may be as common as once or twice a week. For that reason, healthcare should be taken into consideration. Do you have health insurance? If you do, does your health insurance cover pregnancy and prenatal care? If it does not or if you are uninsured, you may end up paying for the cost of your pregnancy alone.

In keeping the cost of having a child, it is also important to examine the costs after your baby is born. It is no secret that raising children is expensive. How are you currently managing, financially, now? If you are having difficultly making ends meet, you may be unable to afford the cost of a child. Of course, there are financial programs out there to assist, but you shouldn't rely too heavily on them. If you would like to have a child, it is advised that you take steps to financially prepare for doing so. These steps may involve increasing your work hours or eliminating unnecessary purchases.

Another factor that needs to be examined is your current living situation. Do you own your own home or do you rent an apartment? Regardless of whether you are a homeowner or a renter, do you have enough space for a child? If you do not, it may be a good idea to rethink your current living situation. Although many mothers like to keep their newborns in the same room with them at night, there will come a point in time where your child will need their own room. If you would like to buy a larger home or rent a larger apartment, you may want to think about doing so before you decide to become pregnant, as it may save you a considerable amount of stress.

Another issue that needs to be discussed is your partner or spouse's feelings on having a new child. Although it is more than possible for you to be a single mother, by way of a sperm donor, many women make the decision to have a child with a man that they love. Despite being more than possible to raise a child as a single parent, it is important that you seek assistance from the father. That is why the decision to have a child is one that you and your partner should make together. If you are married or if you have been with your partner for a long period of time, there is a good chance that they will be just as excited with having a baby as you are. If, at this point in time, you realize that you both have difficult goals and aspirations in life, the issue needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

When deciding if you are ready to become a mother, the above mentioned issues are all ones that should be taken into consideration. As a reminder, many women have children unexpectedly, but many take the time to plan and prepare for pregnancy and childbirth. If you would like to thoroughly examine your decision before getting pregnant, it is advised that you do so. You can research pregnancy and raising a newborn baby by speaking with your healthcare professional and other parents or by buying a collecting of birthing and parenting books, as well as by using the internet to your advantage.

About the Author
Visit Pregnancy Facts to learn about teenage pregnancy statistics and tips for getting pregnant.

Creating a Great Parenting Plan

by Len Stauffenger

Are you a single divorced parent? Then you know how full your schedule can be. You don't ever have enough time to complete the daily tasks, to answer all their questions, to solve the arguments that arise between your kids, and to be sure they get all their homework done. If you're anything like me, you will want to give up because you are so overwhelmed.

Children don't understand overwhelm. They don't understand not having enough money. They don't understand that you need advanced notice for their school project supplies. They don't understand that bunches of kids yelling and laughing can get on your nerves. They don't understand their arguing can drive you nuts. They aren't aware that you don't have their other parent to bounce ideas off any more and it's a burden and a pressure for you. They don't see the full picture.

But you do. Step back a few paces and look at the whole picture objectively. Try to see down the years to their graduation or their wedding. It's that long view that will help you hang on in there with the courage necessary to persevere with your Great Parenting Plan. You have made a plan, haven't you?

The Great Parenting Plan is where you are all dressed up, dabbing the tears from your eyes, watching your child walk down the aisle at his graduation. It could be a high school graduation or a college graduation. That all depends on your plan. You want to take yourself in thought out to that point in the future where your child graduates and begins to move off into his own life, fully self-sufficient and capable. The idea is to get him to that point from where you are right now and where he or she is right now.

Working backwards from that moment in the plan, but always keeping that in the forefront of your thinking, will help you get through those challenging moments that create overwhelm, those moments when you might not even want to be a mom or dad anymore. But you just can't quit being their parent, can you. Your kids are here and they deserve your best. It is your golden opportunity to summon up all of your resources and give it one heck of a go.

You will have to exercise great courage to keep on keeping on with your Great Parenting Plan. It will take great courage to solve all the problems and challenges that will arise for you as a single parent. One of the nicest aspects of parenting is that the things you need to do the job are all built in. Yep. You had them when you were born. You've been building them while you lived your own life. This parenting task is like getting a Ph. D. in strengthening virtues!

What happens is that your kids provide some test for you - they test your patience, or your courage, or your ability to love. And you have the option to say "Yes, I can" or "No, I can't." Sometimes when you really think that you can't, you still say I can and then you do. Have you ever noticed that in life, when you make a commitment, somehow in someway the fulfillment for that commitment seems to just happen.

When I was a young parent, I needed a reliable car. Car wasn't in the budget that month, but we needed that car. I made the commitment. I don't remember ever not making that payment easily. Somehow, in someway, the fulfillment for that commitment seemed to happen.

And the same thing will happen when you decide that, come what may, you will exercise the courage necessary to persevere. If you determine that, by gosh and by golly, you will persevere in doing the absolute best job you can to be their mom or dad, the courage that it takes in the moment (that'd be the moment when you're exhausted and they need a ride downtown) you will bring up the courage to set yourself aside and provide what they need from you. And you will do it over and over again.

You'll forget those moments until you see them walk down that aisle in their gown and mortar board. Oh, they'll have asked you "Mom, please, please, please, don't cry at my graduation" and you will really try. You'll really try. All the challenges that overwhelmed you as a single divorced parent will be gone. Only you will know of all the times when you set yourself aside to care for them, of all those hundreds of details you handled to be a good parent, and you won't be able to help those escaping tears. They're tears of joy. I know.

About the Author
Len Stauffenger's parents taught him life's simple wisdom. As a divorced dad, he wanted to share that simple wisdom with his girls. "Getting Over It: Wisdom for Divorced Parents," his book, is the solution. Len is an author, a Success Coach and an Attorney. You can purchase Len's book and it's accompanying workbook at http://www.wisdomfordivorcedparents.com