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Top Tips for Parents of College Kids: How Can You Enhance Their Success?

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Getting into college is one of the most critical moments of a teenager’s life, and for many parents, the lead-up of getting into a good institution can be a stressful time. Each year, more than 17 million people embark on their college journey, which is an experience that shapes them to become young adults and leads them into their desired career.

Students must make the most of their college life to enhance their future success, so it’s only natural as a parent to wish to be well-equipped with the necessary information to steer your child in the right direction.

Here are some useful tips to make a note of, if you’re a parent about to send your child off to college:

Talk them through the admissions requirements

Before applying for colleges, your child must be aware of which institutions they have a chance of being accepted into. Some colleges have higher grade boundaries than others, which means carrying out research beforehand is essential in finding out what is realistically achievable. Typically, college entry at Ohio state GPA, amongst many others, is based on the individual’s SAT score, ACT score, and GPA. It is a great idea to sit down with your child and calculate their average scores to determine which universities may be an option for them. This will give them goals to aim for and a clear focus when sitting their exams. 

Don’t pick your child’s course – but offer advice where possible 

Your child should be able to choose their course, so it wouldn’t be a good idea to overrule their course decision. They must pick a subject they are comfortable with and plays to their interests to succeed. It’s perfectly reasonable to voice your own opinion to help them make the best decision for their future goals, but they should have the final say on which course they wish to choose.

Encourage them to see their professor

Once your child has been accepted into college, they will be assigned a professor who they can turn to if they have any queries or issues. Many students ignore the opportunity to have regular meetings with their professors, which can be a huge mistake for their educational development. They may be struggling with lesson topics in the early days or find difficulty building on friendships with other freshmen, which is making them feel socially isolated. Encourage them to make an appointment with their professor to talk about any issues they have as soon as they arise. After all, you are paying the fees, so they have every right to make the most of this resource.

Do be aware that it is never good to phone the professor yourself. Unlike school where parents were entitled to get involved with their child’s education, this is very much discouraged in college. Students must stand on their own two feet to pursue their goals. In some colleges, there is even a ‘dean of parents’ with the principle aim of limiting parental interference.

7 Tips on Raising a Child in God’s Way

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Parenting in the 21st century can be hard, particularly if you’re wanting to raise your child in a spiritual manner. Teaching your child about God is part of your role as their parent. There are no guarantees that teaching your child will be successful or easy, but here are some tips to help you raise your child in God’s way:

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1. Teach Your Children to Have Confidence

All children are different and it’s important that they know it. We are all individuals with our own opinions and choices to make. Try to avoid comparing children and instead value their differences, including their talents, skills and values.

2. Teach Them to Care About Others and to Value Them

Once you’ve taught your child that they are unique and special in their own way, then you need to teach them to value and respect others irrespective of their opinions or status. Teach your child that it doesn’t matter who you are, everyone is special.

To help your child on their spiritual journey why not consider sending them to a school that will help support and guide them? The Visitation School is the perfect choice for parents of Catholic children. Not only do they help support your child in their faith, they also make sure they grow up knowing that they are special and cared for. This school also works with your child to help them get the best grades possible and the most out of their life as a whole.

3. Teach Them that it’s OK to Say No

All children need to learn that there’s nothing wrong with saying no. You should teach them to be confident in their opinions, which will lead to them becoming better leaders as they grow up. Talk to your children about the importance of being honest.

4. Set Boundaries for Your Children

As your child’s responsibility increases, so should their liberty. Giving your child rewards when they try their best or achieve something new will also encourage them to try harder.

5. Set a Good Example

You need to make sure that you set a good example to your children. Jesus led by example when training the twelve disciples. Try not to force the Bible on your children, instead teach them life lessons by following the teachings yourself. Children are much more likely to learn from your actions than they are from the teachings in a book.

6. Attend Church on a Regular Basis

Encourage your children to attend church with you on a regular basis. Children who are brought up attending church are more likely to carry on attending when they get older than children who don’t. Many churches provide areas for children to learn in a fun way away from the adults. This might be a great way to teach your child about God.

7. Discipline Your Children

It’s important not to react to your child in anger. You also need to try and not make empty threats that you’re unlikely to follow through on. Try and take a balanced approach to discipline; as your child grows, try and reason with them more and punish them less.

Raising your child in God’s way may seem like a challenge, but with the support of your friends, school and community it’s achievable. Follow some of our top tips above and you’ll be well on your way.

Tips for Teaching Your Child to Play Nicely

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No parent is perfect, and when your child is consistently showing an inability to share, aggression towards others or other forms of bad behaviour, it can be difficult not to blame yourself or know what to do. It’s important to note that all children go through phases of bad behaviour as they grow and develop, and these are perfect opportunities to work on teaching your child how to play nicely.

Create a Chill-Out Zone

Instead of punishing your child every time they act out, which could lead to further tantrums and bad behaviour, try instead creating a ‘chill-out zone’ where they can go to cool off and collect themselves. Encourage them to think about their behaviour and what they could have done instead to improve. This helps your child to learn self-calming skills, as well as giving them the opportunity to reflect upon their behaviour.

Set a Good Example

Children see and copy everything, so if you want your child to play nicely with other kids, you’ll need to start setting a good example yourself. This isn’t to say you have to be perfect all the time, but try to make a concerted effort to display to your child how you overcome disagreements with your partner for example, or how you can stay calm even when you’re arguing. If you do mess up and end up getting angry or aggressive, remember to talk to your child about it and point out where you went wrong.

Encourage Empathy and Conversation

One of the key steps to learning how to play nicely with others is learning how to effectively communicate and empathise with them. It’s important to encourage empathy with your child, even if they are young, by asking them to consider how their actions affected other people, and asking them why the behaved the way they did. Often young children struggle to understand ‘why’ questions, so instead try using ‘what’ questions such as ‘what made you hit your brother?’

Read Books That Encourage Good Behaviour

Try reading to your child from books that encourage good behaviour, sharing, kindness and empathy. There are plenty of kids’ books geared towards encouraging nice play, such as ‘Why Should I Listen’ and ‘How To Be a Friend’. Reading these books before bedtime is a great way to calm your child down, ready them for sleep and teach them some life skills. Studies have also shown that we are more likely to remember concepts we learn before going to sleep, so making it a bedtime routine can help good behaviour to stick.

Create Some Art That Demonstrates Friendly Playing

An easy and fun way to encourage friendly productive play in your children is to incorporate it into an art session. For younger kids this might mean bringing out the finger painting kits and making a picture of them playing nicely. For slightly older kids, try using an online comic creator such as Rage Maker, to make a fun and silly comic addressing how to resolve conflict effectively.

Parenting is never easy, and we all struggle sometimes.  Searching online for a little help and guidance now and again can provide you with some tips and reassurance and will also make you realize that you are not alone.

Starting a business as a mom

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Becoming a new mommy is a full-time role, no doubts about that. Very quickly your lifestyle changes, as your number one priority is that little bundle of joy; keeping them safe, well-fed and happy. Your role as ‘Mom’ may be the most important responsibility you take on in your lifetime.

Though the stresses and concerns, it’s reassuring to know that other mommies will be going through the same thing. Yet, if you flip that on its head: anything you miss about pre-baby life, or anything you wish could be different about parenthood, it’s likely lots of other moms feel the same way. Therefore, raising a child can be the perfect springboard for a new business idea.

Pre-baby life: what’s changed for you?

The most successful product innovations, or new businesses, are born from a genuine unanswered need. So ask yourself, what did you used to enjoy before you became a mom, that’s now too difficult, time-consuming or expensive to keep up? It might be a beauty regime, or a food you used to enjoy eating, and perhaps there’s space in the market for a mommy-friendly alternative!

Jacqueline Smith came up with the idea for Palisade because she missed getting manicures; her product allows quick, at-home nail art and now sells at Sephora nationwide. She’s just one of many moms who’ve launched a successful business from home.

Playtime: when does your child laugh the hardest?

There’s no better sound in the world than your baby’s laugh, so naturally you’d want to make them giggle as often as you can! If you’ve found something that your little one finds incredibly entertaining, then perhaps it would be a great addition to a stroller, baby bouncer or seat? Do your research, and use a parent guide to see if any models already have such a feature, if not — draw up some plans and approach a company with the idea.

Caring for your child: what issues do you face?

When it comes to infant and child skincare, moms can face all sorts of unexpected challenges, such as skin irritations and allergies. Sometimes, no products seem to help, and you’re left to search for a solution yourself.

If you’ve found a bizarre method that seems to work — who would have thought oats could soothe skin, before brands like Aveeno came out? — then it’s worth asking your friends to trial out the approach. It’s important to sense-check new ideas with other moms first, and then if they like the product or idea, think about how you can take it further! Why not invite some of your mom friends over and host an informal focus group, to see if they can help you improve the concept even further?

You’re the expert…

Inspiration for a new business can strike at any time. If you’ve got an idea that you think could be a real addition to the market, then why not ask your friends for their opinion? You could follow in the footsteps of some amazing moms who have revolutionized mommy and baby life!

Ways To Stay Healthy When You’re A Mom On The Go

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It’s not always easy to stay healthy when you’re a busy mother. That’s why you need measures in place that allow you to take care of your wellbeing and attend to your daily responsibilities, without causing you to experience stress. It’s always better to know your limits than it is to exhaust yourself trying to do it all.

Realize that you’ll function better when you feel your best. There are ways to get your tasks done and not become overwhelmed by what’s on your plate. It’s all about preparing and planning, so your health doesn’t suffer as you go throughout your busy days.

Have A List of Resources Handy

You don’t have to do it all on your own. Use resources like echiropractor.org to gather information about how to attend to your aches and pains. Hopping online and doing a little research yourself to find solutions to your health concerns is easy and beneficial to you. It’s also a smart idea to secure a good doctor and dentist for you and your family. Focus on your health first, and the rest will fall into place.

Pack Nutritious Snacks

Being on the go means you’re won’t always have access to healthy foods. That’s why you have to carry nutritious snacks with you while you’re out and about. It’s not only necessary for you, but for your kids too. This way you won’t be tempted to eat poorly and grab unhealthy choices when you’re away from home. All it takes is a conscious effort to think in advance and pack your purse full of healthy options for when you suddenly become hungry.

Ask for Help when you need it

Being a busy mom requires you to ask for help once in a while. It doesn’t make you weak; it makes you smart. Reach out to your spouse or friends for support and guidance. See if they’ll cover for you while you attend to your health or join a carpool to take some of the burdens off your shoulders. All it takes is you speaking up and being proactive so that your health doesn’t suffer as you attend to your responsibilities.

Put A Routine in Place

While it’s a good idea to switch up your routine once in a while, routines are also helpful for keeping consistency in your life. For example, set a time you’re going to exercise each day and make it easy on yourself to get in a workout. Come up with a fitness plan and hold yourself accountable for following through. The same goes for when you’re going to grocery shop and make meals for the week. Find a routine that’s simple to maintain and allows you to keep you and your family happy and healthy.

Conclusion

It’s time to stop making excuses that you’re too busy to care about your wellbeing and start taking actions that deliver results. It’s important to find techniques that you find easy to upkeep. Stick with it, and you’ll soon feel much better, both mentally and physically.

Dealing with Your Child’s Use of Slang

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Children and young people have always delighted in creating their own languages and finding ways of communicating that their parents don’t understand. In the fifties, teenagers would say “razz my berries” knowing their folks wouldn’t have a clue it meant getting interested or excited about something and confusing your elders is still seen as an essential skill by many young people. In the modern world of constant communication and social media influence, these slang terms catch on and spread seemingly overnight, but they also come and go far more quickly too.

Why do kids like using slang?

As children grow up, they form their own social groups and networks, and being able to share a language no-one outside the group understands can make them feel a part of something special and different. Young people grow away from the dependent relationships they have as young children and are likely to go through a phase of seeing their elders as something of a hindrance interfering with their freedoms. If you can communicate with your peers without adults understanding what you’ve said, it makes you feel clever and reinforces the idea that your elders are stupid and don’t understand you. This pulling away from the parents is a normal stage of development and will usually pass as the child matures.

How can you get to grips with your kids’ language?

It can be very frustrating for parents when they don’t understand what their child is saying, and this can lead to conflict. Your child will probably be thrilled that this is winding you up, but try and stay calm and remind yourself it’s just a developmental stage. If you want to get to grips with the slang terms that are doing the rounds, a quick internet search should provide you with some definitions. You can also see what’s happening with trends in slang by going to a website like lolhit.com that analyzes the use of slang terms and catchphrases. It is a good idea to know what current slang terms mean, just in case your child is using offensive or unpleasant references, so you can step in and dissuade them from saying anything unsavory.

Joining in

There’s a temptation to want to use the same language as your kids when you’ve found out what their slang terms mean, but it’s best to resist. If your kids know you understand them, they’ll simply find or invent new ways of communicating that baffle you anew. They will not be impressed by your new-found knowledge either, and parents who start using the same slang terms as their kids are generally seen as being very uncool indeed.

Try not to worry about the slang your child is using, as there is little you can do to stop them and any efforts to do so are likely to be met with resistance. That’s not to say you shouldn’t maintain standards of communication at appropriate times, such as social occasions and family mealtimes, just don’t get too hung up on the way they speak with their friends. In general, it’s best to stop sweating the small stuff and try and stay frosty, hang loose and chillax.

Keeping a Close Eye on your Child’s Vision

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According to recent research, one in twenty pre-school children now wears glasses, and problems with visual acuity is a growing problem among younger people. This is down in part to poor eating habits, lack of exercise and increasing amount of time spent in front of a screen (as well as natural eye diseases and macular degeneration), and it highlights the need for parents to pay attention to their children’s vision.

But how can you do this? And what steps can you take to ensure your child’s eyes stay healthy? The first thing you can do is to ask your child if they have any problems with their vision. Often children don’t know there’s a problem (particularly if they’ve had issues from birth), or they don’t want to say anything for fear of being different from their counterparts. Ask your child regularly if they have any issues, and keep an eye out for tell-tale signs such as problems reading or difficulties at school.

Similarly, you should also ensure you get regular eye tests for your child. This is the best way of ensuring their eyes are healthy, or dealing with any problems with their vision. It may be that your child needs glasses or an operation, but it’s better to fork out for surgery or a pair of must-have Ray-Ban glasses than have them struggle through their school years with vision problems.

When it comes to keeping your children’s eyes healthy, there are several simple steps you can take:

  • Ensure a varied and healthy diet, containing fruits, vegetables and plenty of amino acids
  • Make sure you child gets regular exercise
  • Limit screen time, ideally to less than two hours per day
  • Schedule yearly eye examinations, both to ensure their visual acuity is good, but also as they can be an early indicator of other diseases
  • Ensure appropriate eye protection is worn during sports and other activities
  • Ensuring children’s eyes are protected from the sun, with 100% UV protection sunglasses being worn whenever appropriate

Of course, there are some things you simply can’t prevent – such as disease or certain injuries – but you can take steps to limit the likelihood of these things occurring, and keep your children’s eyes healthy for longer.

5 Ways To Relax as a Stressed-Out Parent

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Everyone will always tell you that whilst being a parent is stressful, it is so rewarding that you can live with it, something I fervently disagree with. Yes, being a parent is stressful and yes, the rewards far outweigh the problems but that doesn’t mean that you should simply accept being stressed out, on the contrary in fact.

The world is a stressful place and everyone needs to deal with this stress in some way, and being a parent is no different. And so, if you are a parent and want to alleviate the stress, here are some ways in which you can do it.

Meditation

Meditation is a great tool because with just 10 or 15 minutes each day, you can considerably reduce your stress levels. The key to mediation is to sit down somewhere quiet in a comfortable position, spend the next 10 or 15 minutes trying to clear your mind as you take a series of deep breaths. Don’t worry if you can’t get into it right away, most people can’t but if you stick with it then within a week you will be switching off, zoning out and calming yourself down.

Sharing is Caring

If you are the only parent who feels the stress because of the amount of time which you have with your kids then it is time to speak to your partner about sharing the load. Even just being without the kids for a couple of hours each week can do wonders for your stress levels.

Exercise

Exercise is not just awesome in terms of keeping yourself in shape, it can also be a wonderful stress management tool. Now, as a parent you may not be able to dedicate an hour per day to exercising but making 30 minutes every 2 days to do a fitness video or go for a run, can really help to bring your stress levels down.

Sleep

Being able to sleep as a parent is very difficult, not only are you always busy looking after the kids, but even when they are in bed, the worrying is enough to keep you awake. Sleep however, is vital in terms of keeping your stress levels down and if you can get into a nightly routine of sleeping at least 7 hours, you will be doing yourself a great favor.

Positivity

People will say that laughter is the best medicine and they are really on the money with this. The key to your happiness and your levels of stress, are a positive attitude. It can be easy to get wound up when things don;t go to plan but if you can approach them with a positive mindset and the kind of attitude which can shrug off issues, you will be far less stressed. We can all change our character if we want and if you are not a naturally positive person, you can become one, with just a little bit of effort on your part.

Parenting isn’t easy but you can take measures to reduce how stressful it is.