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Travelling to and from school is often not very safe. However, there are some simple rules that can help to make the school journeys safer, ensuring peace of mind for both children and parents.

1. Waiting for the school bus in the mornings, while traffic is at it busiest, requires a degree of commonsense. Try to have a safe place for children to wait at away from the street and heavy traffic.

2. Don’t let children move close to the school bus until it has come to a complete stop and the driver has signalled that it is safe to board.

3. At the end of the school day when children leave the bus, instruct your child to move away from the vehicle at least a dozen large strides to a point where the driver can clearly see them. This helps the driver and keeps the child safe as well.

4. Instruct your child to keep a close eye on all traffic near to the school bus. The law has some special protection measures for school buses, but car drivers are only human, and they can and often do make mistakes.

5. If your child walks to school, make sure he or she wears reflective material. Aim to make them as visible to as possible to all drivers. This will help to avoid accidents.

6. If a child rides a bike to school, instruct them to walk the bike through intersections, observe all traffic light signals, and be wearing reflective material. They should also be with a friend if possible as one can help to look out for the other.

7. If you take your own child to school in your car, always have older children in a seat with a safety belt on, younger children in a booster seat with a safety belt on, and very small children in special safety seats, all seated in the back with only you, the driver, in the front.

Our children are our most important legacy to the world. However, our love is our most important legacy to our children. Here are seven ways to show love that will help children build sturdy foundations for the future.
1. Spend Time with Your Children. Time is the most loving gift we can give to our children. It allows for the mutual exchange of ideas, emotions, actions, and words that help our children develop and learn to communicate. Enjoy a toddler’s tea parties as well as a teen’s ball games. Help your children build things and create art. Begin new family traditions that you can enjoy together each year. Ample time spent in mutually enjoyable activities will create memories you will always treasure.
2. Be the Primary Role Model for Your Children. Children need examples to follow. Teach practical values to your children by modeling those values. Admit when you have made a mistake and apologize. Model being committed to the ideals you embrace. Demonstrate the advantage of integrity over peer pressure. We teach and influence children more through actions than words. We are our children’s first heroes; the ideals that we live today are the ideals that will influence our children throughout life.
3. Listen to Your Children. A child’s message is one of his or her most essential gifts. We build self-esteem in children when we show interest in what they have to say. Children need to communicate their pride of accomplishment as well as their needs. Get down at eye level with very young children and listen with your eyes, ears, and heart. Listen most of all to the feelings conveyed through a child’s eyes and expressions. If you listen to your children deeply, they will grow up listening deeply to you.
4. Provide Your Children with Loving Discipline. Children need guidelines and safe boundaries without being constrained unnecessarily. They need to learn the value of being accountable for their choices and actions. Let your children know that you disapprove of hurtful actions but will always love them as sons and daughters. Loving discipline enables them to recognize the best in other people. It allows children the freedom to explore the world safely and reach their highest potential.
5. Give Your Children Encouragement. Encouraging words are powerful emotional deposits of confidence and self-esteem. Verbally acknowledge your children’s special talents and accomplishments. Catch your children doing something great, and tell them what a great job they have done. Children need to know that we recognize and support their hopes and dreams for the future. Encouraging children to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually provides the foundation for living a balanced life.
6. Share Your Experiences with Your Children. We each have valuable stories to tell, unique maps of our journey through life. These stories tell how our reactions to events created the life we are living now. Sharing the benefit of your experiences — the roadblocks and rewards — is a very loving way to guide your children. Your children may face many of the situations you faced. Your experiences can help them make informed decisions and avoid unnecessary mistakes. Among the most worthwhile possessions that we can someday leave for our children are journals filled with the stories that shaped our lives.
7. Love and Support Your Children Unconditionally. Love is an unconditional gift from the heart; it is not a reward for good behavior. Let your children know that you will love and support them in any situation. This message creates a sturdy bond of trust. Your children will grow to feel safe in coming to you with any problem they face. Children need the freedom to make decisions, try new things, and learn that life requires personal responsibility and persistence. They need the freedom to fail and learn from mistakes without being judged. Unconditional love helps them to acquire the decisiveness and resiliency required to become successful. If you could sum up all of our children’s needs, hopes, and expectations in one word, that word would be love. We share love when we play a central role in our children’s world of learning and discovery. Our legacy of love will have a guiding influence upon our children and grandchildren for many generations.

Here are some easy ways to incorporate instilling the virtue of gratitude in your children. As you go through your day, show them, the wonderful events going on behind the scenes that we all most usually take for granted.

1. Set the Right Example.

It is better if you teach them by using the appropriate words at the right times yourself. How many parents do you see saying “Thank You” to there two or three year old children. It is through example that kids learn best, and teaching gratitude is no different than anything else in that respect. “Children Learn What They Live!”

2. Teach It Through Role Playing.

You can play games with your children that implement the virtue of gratitude. Play the second chair and practice showing them how it feels to be on the receiving end of an unexpected, “Thank You!”

3. Teach by Showing Them How to Be of Service to Others.

Even simple things such as holding a door for an elderly person, are small ways we can show them how others appreciate us and our actions. It is also a way to put a smile and a lift into a strangers day, which always creates a good feeling within the person who is doing the kind act as well. You would be surprised how many times a simple gesture like this can occur in your normal day activities, in places like grocery stores, doctors offices, or shopping trips.

4. Make a List.

An easy way to get them to make lists of what they are thankful for is to use “The Daily Gratitude Journal Software” You will find a link to this software in the resource box at the end of this article. There are two versions, one written in “kid language and displaying an output of “kid fonts” and an adult version as well.
5. Teach Gratitude While Going Without Things.

Recently my single family of three kids and myself had to deal with a full 24 hours of no power. This outage caused by a wind storm, was an ideal opportunity for me to teach them what we had to be thankful for that we normally took for granted. Simple things like, lights, heat, and being able to watch Tv, were just a few that quickly came to mind.

6. Show them How to Be Thankful for the Little Things in Life.

As in the previous example, although, most of us would not consider heat and light little things, they are things that are always there for our kids, so they are simple things that they usually don’t pay much attention too.

Other simple examples could include; having food to eat all the time, friends to play with, and having plenty of toys and school supplies. Showing them examples of third world country children who go without these things is a way of teaching them appreciation for what they have, too.

7. Teach them to see the good in someone they don’t like.

You can even use a negative experience to teach them the value of being grateful. When I think of this, immediately what comes to my mind is the Walt Disney movie, “PollyAnna” where she played the “Glad” game and found many things to be grateful for in every situation she encountered. Renting this video, watching and discussing it with them would be a great, gratitude building quality time family activity.

As you go through your day, show them, the wonderful events going on behind the scenes that we all most usually take for granted. Things like the police, who protect us, the firemen who are there for those who need them, and the clerk at the grocery store doing her job to help us get our food. Simple thank you comments to all of these daily activities is the easiest way to role model appreciation that they will learn and emulate.

In school, kids are encouraged to create, draw, color, paint and build. These activities can certainly stimulate children, and help them grow. Very often, these masterpieces that your children create are brought home and proudly displayed. But what do you do when all of the artwork begins to take over your home? Here are 7 great ideas:
1. FIND THE DIAMONDS. Rather than keeping every single piece of artwork your child creates, sit down with your child on a regular basis and ask him to choose the one or two he likes best. By the end of the year, you should have no more than 5 pieces of artwork that your child believes to be his "best" pieces. This will help keep the artwork under control, and will still give you an opportunity to save his creations for future memories.
2. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. Take photos of the artwork that your child creates and keep these photos in a scrapbook. This way, even if the artwork is discarded for space purposes, you’ll still have the memory!
3. KIDS FILE STORAGE BOX. Office supply stores carry portable file boxes that hold hanging file folders. These generally have a cover and a handle for easy portability. Help your child create her very own filing system. Perhaps one file folder for 2nd grade artwork, one for 3rd grade artwork, and so on. Now, all the drawings, and any type of artwork that lays flat, will be kept safe and organized. You’ll even be teaching your child filing skills! It’s never too early!
4. KEEP IT CONTAINED. For other artwork that does not lay flat, the perfect container may be a large, plastic container with a lid. Your child will have a space for shadowboxes, and other artwork that won’t fit into a file folder. Again, be choosy. If you keep every single piece of artwork your child brings home for the next 15 years, your house is going to be overflowing with it.
5. HANG IT. Get your child his very own artwork bulletin board so he can display his favorite artwork in his bedroom. When organized on a nice cork board, this really adds a nice touch to a child’s room. Plus, your child can very easily switch one piece of art, with another.
6. SUPPLY MANIA. If your child produces a lot of artwork at home, she probably has tons of crayons, markers and other art supplies. Keep it all in a portable box, light enough for your child to be able to transport it from one room into the next. In addition, separate and organize the supplies into separate Zip-lock baggies before putting them in the box. This will keep everything organized and easily accessible.
7. THE PERFECT GIFT. Kids artwork makes the perfect gift for grandma, grandpa, sister Jane, Aunt Sue, Uncle Jim, and so on. Rather than buying gifts for your child to give to family members, encourage them to give their creations away as special gifts to special people.

Despite the tons of scientific literature available, these breastfeeding myths are a cause of concern for every nursing mother.Read on to see a few common myths dispelled. Myth #1 “My breasts will sag if I breast-feed” Not true! Pregnancy does bring about some changes in the breast (Yes, that one is not a myth). But breastfeeding does not play a big role in determining the future shape of your breasts. Heredity, your body type and excessive weight gain or loss, have a role to play. In fact, breastfeeding helps the uterus to rapidly revert back to its original size, utilizes body reserves as calories for your baby, acts as a natural contraceptive and is scientifically known to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Myth #2 “I don’t have enough milk” Perhaps you spend sleepless nights on this one. Most women produce enough milk for their babies. During the first few days, you will produce ‘colostrum’ in small quantities, rich in vitamins, proteins and infection fighting agents. Until you start making ‘breast milk’ colostrum fulfills all your baby’s needs. Find out if you are getting enough milk. If you think your baby is not gaining enough weight it is perhaps because he is poorly latched onto the breast. Get some tips to make breastfeeding a breeze. Myth #3 “I can’t breastfeed if I have to go back to work” You can! In fact, breastfeeding gives you that special opportunity for bonding with your baby, when you get back from work. Breast fed babies are known to be healthier than formula fed babies causing their mothers to miss work less often. Pumping breast milk is another option. Many companies now support nursing breaks and also provide facilities like lactation rooms for mothers to pump milk in privacy. Learn more ways to tackle this issue in Breast feeding and Getting back to work. Myth #4 Modern formula is as good as breast milk. Nothing can beat the original. Human milk contains live cells, antibodies that avert infections, enzymes, hormones and many other vital ingredients that cannot be cooked up by any formula company. Unlike formula, breast milk is made especially to suit your baby’s needs any time. It is always fresh and comes safely packaged too. Myth #5 I should stop breastfeeding if my baby has diarrhea or vomiting Breastfeeding is the best treatment for any intestinal infection. Usually no other fluids are required for a baby with diarrhea, if he breast feeds adequately. Make sure you know how to tell the difference between various types of infant poop. Myth #6 A breastfeeding baby needs extra water in hot weather. Breast milk contains all the water a baby needs, in any weather. Make sure you get enough fluids though. Never allow yourself to get to the point of feeling thirsty. Hydration is crucial to producing sufficient breast milk. Myth #7 Frequent breastfeeding initiates obesity in children On the contrary, over enthusiastic formula feeding and early weaning off breast milk are more likely to promote obesity in later life. Breast fed babies learn to regulate their own feeding pattern and consume only what they need.

Nine months of pregnancy seems an eternity when you get that little pink positive on the test stick. In this day and age, we no longer have to wait until we start having symptoms of pregnancy, which can start as late as 8 or 10 weeks for some. Instead, we have pregnancy tests that will determine a positive just days after conception. This can make the pregnancy journey seem even longer! While you are growing, suffering morning sickness and anxiously awaiting the new addition to the family, here are a few ways to memorialize your pregnancy; both for yourself and to pass along to the child in the future. Write It If you don’t already, now is a great time to take up journaling. A hardback journal to write would give you the option of writing any time, while eating breakfast, in bed, or in a waiting room. Picking out the book could be a special in itself, as you will be picking something that touches you. If your penmenship is not something you particularly want to share, journaling online offers a wide variety of options. Generally called “blogging”, a web log has been a popular method of writing thoughts, opinions and sharing knowledge with others. There are many blog communities, each offering different perks. Some provide private post options, so your posts are viewable to the general public, only to those you allow. Some allow categories, giving you the option of writing about things other than just your pregnancy. Others still, are aimed just at moms or pregnant moms. Take a look around and find one that has a good feel for you. Pregnant Belly, Say Cheese Take monthy pregnant belly pictures. Start at the beginning, or as soon as you are able. There may not be much of a baby belly at 8 weeks along, but when you have a whole pregnancy worth of belly shots, you’ll have fun looking at where you started and where you ended! Some tips for taking monthy belly pictures: Be consistent. Stand the same way, by the same wall or door (or similar). Wear similar clothing (like a pair of sweatpants that you can wear almost throughout). Show bare belly, or wear a shirt – or do one of each every time. The more consistent you are, the more obvious the pregnancy changes when looking back. Studio Pictures You’ve got the digital camera taking your own pregnant belly pictures, but a professional photogragher will make some beautiful pictures for your baby belly book. Consider including siblings, if any, your partner, and take pregnancy pictures that aren’t so “traditional”. Strip down and wrap up in white robe, or guaze – with a dark background, this is beautiful. Siblings touching or kissing baby belly makes for a touching moment. And your partners hands on your belly, speak love. Of course, studio pictures are best towards the end of pregnancy, but don’t wait too long either! Some studios specialize in pregnancy and newborn pictures – check your phone book or ask around. Belly Cast It Belly Cast, or Belly Mask, has become a popular method of preserving pregnant bellies. Belly Cast kits are inexpensive and easy to find, particularly online. They are easy to do, but don’t try to do a belly cast yourself! You will definitely need another set of hand and sometimes an extra set is helpful. No baby belly inhibitions? Make a party of it! Invite your girlfriends over for some messy fun. In the end, you have a plaster cast of your belly to decorate, hang on the wall or sit on a shelf. Decorated Belly Women are becoming more willing to bare their pregnant bellies. Decorating your baby belly is a fun way to show it off. Wear it around the house, or out in public. Make a party of it, or do it yourself. But don’t forget to take pictures! Semi-permanant belly decoration – Henna is a type of skin dye that will essentially “stain” the skin, essentially, a non-permanant tattoo. Women have been using henna for years and years. Henna kits are widely available. A simple design or something elaborate – it’s all up to you! Do be careful in the sun with a henna’d baby belly. Your skin may tan and when the henna wears off in a week or more, you may end up with a reversed belly tattoo. Paint it and wash it – Skin safe paints are a great just for fun project to do with siblings. Get into some comfy clothes, get a glass of water, juice or your pregnancy tea and sit back. Let the kids paint. Don’t forget to Take Pictures! Belly Pillow Whew! The pregnancy is over, or close to it. Grab your favorite maternity top, your sewing machine and some good stuffing. Sew that shirt into a pillow; square, round, or just sew up all the openings and leave it full size! This is a great momento to pass along to the baby. Do it for each pregnancy and each child will have their very own “moms favorite maternity shirt pillow”. Regardless of how much you do to memorialize your pregnancy, enjoy as much of it as you are able to. Those nine months, though they seem long while you are counting the days, when looking back, it’s just a snippet in time.

How would you like to have a closer relationship with your teen again? Your ability to communicate effectively with your teen is one of the most precious skills you can develop to achieve this goal. When we think of communication, we tend to think only of the way we can express ourselves. This is certainly important, but listening is the single most crucial of all communication skills. As a mother of two teenage boys I know that it isn’t always easy to communicate well with your teen. It’s particularly frustrating when they aren’t talking to you. However, when I started applying these techniques to our lives, I found that we started getting along better almost immediately. There was less arguing between us, and our relationship became stronger.
1. Make Your Teen Your Focus Give your teen your full attention. I know that this is a toughie, because we tend to be so busy. It seems like we are always multi-tasking. However, it is important in clear communicating that you make a point of stopping what you are doing and really listen to your teen (rather than just hearing them). When you give your teen your undivided attention they will know that you care, because you took the time to listen, and it will increase the chances that they will listen to you.
2. Get the Details Hear what your teen is really saying! Teens tend to give terse answers to questions, leaving out details that may be important. It’s up to you to be able to get them to open up and draw them into a conversation. Here is an example: Teen: “I hate my teacher!” Parent: “Oh, you don’t really mean that!” Teen: “Yes, I do, I double hate him!” Parent: “Well, I don’t want to hear that kind of talk. I am sure you don’t really hate him!” Teen: “Yes, I do so, I hate all teachers!” Parent: “Do you think hating your teachers is going to get you a good mark?” And on and on the arguing goes…. Here’s an alternative: Teen: “I hate my teacher!” Parent: “Wow, you don’t normally hate anybody. What did he do to get you talking like that?” Teen: “A couple of kids didn’t have their homework finished again today, so he decided to punish all of us by giving us a math test tomorrow!” Parent: “That doesn’t sound very fair!” Teen: “No, it isn’t fair at all. I wanted to go over to Rachel’s tonight to hang out and listen to music. Instead I have to study for that stupid test. I am so mad at my teacher! He ruins everything!” Parent: just listening……. This teen was able to express herself and felt validated by her parent. You will notice that the parent didn’t argue about the feelings the teen had. You don’t have to agree with your teen’s feelings; just acknowledge them. There is no such thing as a wrong feeling. We can’t help what our teens may feel, however, we should set limits on behaviors that don’t satisfy what we consider appropriate behavior. Expressing one’s feelings is a healthy thing; although negative expressions of one’s feelings should be avoided; like screaming or name calling. A good way to avoid this is using ‘time outs’ – wait and continue the conversation when everybody has calmed down.
3. Open-Ended Questions Questions can be crucial to communicating with your teen. Ask them questions that they can’t just answer with a “yes” or a “no”. For example in the above scenario the parent could ask the teen, “What could you do to help your teacher change his mind about the test?” Teen: “I am not sure – this guy is so stubborn!” Parent: “If you talked to him and came up with better ways for him to deal with the kids that aren’t doing their homework?” Teen: “Mmhhh, maybe I could give it a try….?”
4. Criticize Behaviors, Not Your Teen Now, let’s move from the listening to the talking part of communication. When you want to see a change in your teen’s behavior, use the “when you…I feel…because…I need …” sentence. Using this wording (known as ” I ” message) doesn’t attack your teen’s personality; it merely talks about their action and that you’d like it changed and why. Here is a scenario you might relate to: The chores haven’t been done and your teen went out instead. This example shows not the best way of communicating by attacking them as a person and making statements you may not stick to anyways. Parent: “You didn’t do your chores! You are such a lazy slob! You never do your chores and I always have to do them for you. Next time you don’t do them I am going to ground you for a week! Teen: feeling pretty lousy… Now here is an example with using the: when you…I feel…because…I need – technique: Parent: “When you didn’t do your chores before going out, I felt really mad. We had an agreement about chores being done before going out and I need you to do your part of the chores or I am stuck doing them for you.” Teen: thinking – “I guess that makes sense.” Remember when you start a sentence with “You are such and such…” , you aren’t communicating. You are criticizing!
5. Let the Consequence Fit the Action A fairly big problem that parents run into is looking for suitable punishment for broken rules. However, the penalty applied usually isn’t related to the teen’s action. As parents, we need to show our teens that each choice they make has consequences. Parents tend to punish their teens by taking away something the adolescent enjoys; for example, no TV for a week. Take the above example of the unwashed laundry. It would be more beneficial to the development of your teen if you base the penalty on a natural connection between his action and the punishment. A good way of showing the consequences to his action in this instance would be having your teen do your chores as well as his next time, since you had to do his this time. When following this step you are practicing “silent communication” with your teen. Letting your teen experience the natural consequence of his actions speaks louder than any words ever would! It illustrates to them that they will be held accountable for what they do. As they grow teens tend to get more privileges from parents. It is important for them to realize that with the extra freedom there is more responsibility that goes along with it.
6. Using Descriptive Praise We all praise our teen sometimes. We tell them “You are a smart kid” or “You are a good piano player” etc. We mean well, but unfortunately this kind of praise doesn’t get the desired effect of making your teen feel good about himself. Why is that? It is because what we are doing is evaluating their actions. With this type of praise, we aren’t giving evidence to support our claims, and this makes the praise fall flat, and seem empty and unconvincing. We need to describe in detail what they are doing and as your teen recognizes the truth in your words they can then evaluate his actions and credit themselves. Here is an example (evaluating praise): Teen: “Hey Ma, I got a 90 on my geometry test!” Parent: “Fantastic! You are a genius!” Teen: thinking – “I wish. I only got it ’cause Paul helped me study. He is the genius.” Descriptive praise: Teen: “Hey Ma, I got a 90 on my geometry test!” Parent: “You must be so pleased. You did a lot of studying for that test!” Teen: thinking – “I can really do geometry when I work at it!” Describing your teen’s action rather then evaluating them with an easy “good” or “great” or labeling like “slow learner” or “scatterbrain” isn’t easy to do at first, because we are all unaccustomed to doing it. However, once you get into the habit of looking carefully at your teen’s action and putting it into words what you see, you will do it more and more easily and with growing pleasure. Adolescents need the kind of emotional nourishment that will help them become independent, creative thinkers and doers, so they aren’t looking to others for approval all the time. With this sort of praise, teens will trust themselves and they won’t need everybody else’s opinion to tell them how they are doing. Another challenging problem is when and how we criticize our teens. Instead of pointing out what’s wrong with your teen’s actions, try describing what is right and then what still needs doing. Example: Teen hasn’t done his laundry yet. Parent: “How is the laundry coming? Teen: “I am working on it.” Parent: “I see that you picked up your clothes in your room and in the family room and put it in the hamper. You are half way there.” This parent talks with encouragement, acknowledging what has been done so far rather then pointing out what hasn’t been done yet. For more helpful information and examples on good communication with your child I highly recommend the book by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish called: How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So They Will Talk, Publisher: Harper, ISBN:0380811960. Also, in the Fall 2005 a new teen version of the book is scheduled to be published – “How to Talk so Teens Will Listen” – ISBN: 0060741252. Keep your eye out for it! “Parents need to fill a child’s bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can’t poke enough holes in it to drain it dry.” – Alvin Price

1. New Word of the Day Introduce your preschooler to a new word each morning at breakfast and define it for him. Keep it simple by using synonyms for words he already knows. Example: vehicle can be another word for car, truck, van, etc. Make a game of using the word as many times as possible each day. This is a fun way to build your child’s vocabulary.
2. Create a Reading Hide-Away A large cardboard box can become anything your child wants it to be. Spend a fun-filled afternoon fashioning a reading hide-away with your child. A miniature house, a castle, or a cave are just a few possibilities. It need not be fancy to catch your preschoolers fancy! Large pieces of construction paper can be taped to the outside to represent stone or siding. Place a rug, some pillows or child-sized furniture and a few age-appropriate books inside. Be sure to design a skylight into the top of the box. Your child will spend many hours “reading” or playing in their special spot.
3. Her Very Own Scrapbook Scrapbooking is a fun way for children to develop their fine motor and categorizing skills while creating neatly organized memories that parents can cherish for years to come. Scrapbooking supplies are readily available at specialty stores and craft shops. Let your child choose a topic for her scrapbook. If she needs ideas, suggest a birthday, a holiday or other special family event. Allow her to choose her own stickers, colors and accessories while explaining that certain symbols represent certain events. If she really insists upon using a cake with blazing candles in a Halloween scrapbook, let her! This is supposed to be fun, remember? Sort through your family photos together and help her choose ones that fit her theme.
4. Community Map Show your child a map of your state or the U.S. Using a large piece of poster board, draw a map of your community and help your child mark your home, school, grocery store, and relative’s and friend’s houses. Children enjoy using colorful stickers to represent familiar landmarks. Help him create a simple key for your map. New landmarks can be added as your child further explores the community.
5. Personal Telephone Book Buy or help your preschooler make a telephone book of her own. She can list emergency numbers, such as 911, and also the numbers of her friends and grandparents. Provide a toy telephone with realistic buttons so that she can practice dialing and proper phone etiquette. Her reading hide-away would make a nice quiet spot in which to do this.
6. Roleplay Bedtime Stories Preschoolers feel secure with routines, and as a result parents often find themselves reading the same bedtime story night after night. Another result is that children often know the stories by heart, even if they can’t yet read. Break up the monotony by having your child take over the speaking part of his favorite characters. This gives them early practice in dramatic interpretation and makes bedtime a little more fun!

Choosing a name for your baby is the most crucial decision you have to consider. It is very exciting and quite difficult at the same time. During the pregnancy, you will spend many hours trying to decide on the baby’s name. You have to choose and select from a huge names list and consider suggestions from family, friends and other relatives… In fact, you are going to face a big challenge, really. In this article I will help you to manage all those factors and give you important ideas to come up with the perfect and ideal name! And then I will show you an easy yet powerful software that you can use to make advanced and personalized search into a huge names database easily. This tool will literally make naming your baby a very enjoyable task! But before that, there are 6 imprtant aspects you have to be aware of before we can go any further. And that’s what we will discuss right now. Important Note: You can apply the following simple tips whatever the origin of the name you are considering. Feel free to apply them if you wish to invent a new name, use a place name, honour a family member… The 6 Simple Rules to Keep in Mind: Rule #1. Uniqueness: Having a unique name, may make your child stand out of the crowd. It is always good to feel “special”… Not being one of the several “Johns” or “Taylors” in the classroom. The downside is that “invented” or unusual names may be mispronounced or misspelled by others most of the time. And this could be frustrating for the child. To resolve this dilemma, you can balance an unusual surname by a more popular first name. For example, a name like “Kyle Minkowsky” may be preferable to “Regenweald Minkowsky”. On the other hand, you could balance a common surname by a creative first name, say, “Eleonora Smith” rather than “Jessica Smith”. Rule #2. The Rhythm of a Name: How your baby’s name sounds is very important. Before you go any further, try to say it aloud with the middle name you are considering and your surname too. The full name should be sweet to the ears with no harshness. Please, don’t get me wrong, what I am trying to say here, is that your baby’s name should be fluent. You can achieve that if you keep in mind the following tips:
* Balance a short surname with a longer firstname, and vice versa. There is no good if it takes your child five minutes to write out their full name! e.g. “Jake Huntington” or “Elisabeth Wood” are fine examples.
* Avoid names that end with the same letter as your surname begins. I will try to illustrate this second rule here: The following names tend to merge together: “Alexis Smith”, “Erik Kramer” or “Jarod Deals” …Do you get my point? Rule #3. Alliteration: Alliteration brings a kind of fine “decoration” to the baby’s name. If used properly, it is a combination of letters that make the name easier to say and to remember. e.g. “Len Livingstone”, “Opal Ohara” or “Jerry Johnson”. Rule #4. Meaning of the Name: At this level of the search, you should find out the meaning of the name you are considering. It is always gratifying to know that your baby’s name means: Love, hope, joy, life, tolerance, peace… Rule #5. Check the Initials: Once you have an idea for the baby’s name, always check the initials! While the full name may sound pretty, the initials may bring some surprise! Imagine the feeling of a child who grows up and realizes that their initials are: “N.I.L.”, “Z.I.P.” or “S.A.D.” In order to avoid such embarassment for the child, check the initials before you make your decision. You will be glad you did. Rule #6. Nickname: Make sure you like the pet forms of your baby’s name. e.g. If you plan to name your baby boy: Richard, then expect him to be called also: Rick. So, if you don’t like this shortened name, you may reconsider your decision. Now you have all the elements to come up with the perfect name! The challenge is that you have to combine ALL these factors and apply them to EACH of the thousands names available! Do you really think it’s too much work?

As your child approaches teen age -around 12-13 years old- you’ll experience some changes in him. He will probably be out of the house more often and wants to keep his privacy from you. Other times, he may not be listening to you nor doing what you ask him.

Many parents in the world find the same troubles when dealing with their teens. Hope you don’t get them. But if you do, don’t worry! Keep on reading to get solutions.

Just like when you were a teenager, you wanted to spend times with your peers rather than with your parents or family, right? Your teen feels the same way, too. Making his own decision is another important thing for him besides privacy.

Now, do you think your teen is out of control and never wants to listen to you?

Don’t give up! Of course you can help yourself deal with your teen. The best way to do it is to always strengthen your relationship with him. But how?

Here are the solutions:

1. Talk with him more – It’s better if you start the conversation. It can be just “How was your day, buddy?” Try to discuss many things instead of interrogate him. Find interesting topics, such as sport, entertainment, friends, and school experience to make it relaxing.

2. Listen to him – If he reveals his criticism to you, listen to him and ask what he expects you to do. Talk about this wisely, not emotionally. It’s good for him to be able to express the feeling.

3. Set rules for him – Your teen needs to recognize what is and isn’t acceptable and what the consequences of misbehavior are. Therefore you should set, or precisely, negotiate some rules with your teen to keep him on track.

4. Consider his point of view – Regard your teen as your friend and respect his opinion whenever you discuss something. This also shows that you pay attention to him and consider him as important.

5. Encourage your teen by doing his interests and talent – Most teens like to try new things. Let yours choose what he desires, though you don’t agree with it because, for example, it can endanger him. Giving him support is the best you can do, while you keep monitoring that the new activity is safe for him. Moreover, this idea is a good way of teaching your teen on how to be responsible with things he does.

6. Do things together – This one is surely a great opportunity for you to improve your relationship with your teen. Why? ‘Cause you probably haven’t had much time to spend with him. Arrange agenda for the whole month. In each week, make an interesting plan for you and him and get the pleasant results at the end of it.

Still about the last point above, think of exciting activities you both can do together. For example, in the first week, play video games together on Saturday, while on the next day both of you can go bowling or swimming at the beach.

Later, in the following weeks, set up enjoyable weekends by doing these: having breakfast at a popular coffee shop which makes your teen’s favorite food and beverage, going fishing, going to the movie, camping, or visiting a college where your teen looks forward to join in the future.

Conclusively, warm and positive communication without underestimating your teen is a key to successful relationship between the two of you. Clearly it won’t work at once. Try the tips progressively and enjoy your time being a parent of a teenager.