Baby, Pregnancy, and Parenting at Babies Online » discover

Helping Your Children Discover Themselves

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:07:20 +0000

By Maggie Macaulay

In Tarzan II, the future King of the Jungle struggles to belong in a world in which he is very different. In his search for self, Tarzan faces tough challenges. We are all on this life-long journey of self-discovery, and we can help our child as she explores her place in the world.

Accepting Differences
We are all different. Even identical twins relish their differences. It is when “different” becomes “less than” or “better than” that it presents a problem. When acceptance is based on being the same as others, we interpret our differences as something to eliminate or hide. Our differences are wonderful tributes to our uniqueness. The more we embrace them, the more self-acceptance we gain. Here are a few ways we can help our children gain self acceptance:

Celebrate your child’s uniqueness. If most of the children you know are interested in baseball and your child wants to play the violin, encourage his interest in music. Explore different activities with your child to see where his interests lie. Let your child be your guide. If your daughter looks bored to tears at a soccer game but her face lights up when she sings in the drama production, there’s your ticket.

Avoid labeling your child or allowing others to label him, even if it is a “positive” label. Saying “You are the smartest student in your class” when he brings home a great report card or, “You certainly have all of the artistic talent in our family” when he draws a terrific picture may feel like encouragement. However, tagging your child as the “best” or “smartest” actually puts a lot of pressure on him. It separates him from his peers or family members and sets up competition to out do others. Motivation then comes from the outside rather than the inside. Instead, ask him what picture he is most proud of, what he likes the most about his drawing, or simply say, “Tell me about it.”

Teach your child that teasing, name calling, and exclusion from the group are not helpful ways to resolve conflict. Teach your child respectful ways to get what he wants and be clear that these other means are not acceptable.

Give your child the words to use if he is teased, called names, or excluded. “I am not for [teasing or name calling]” is an assertive response, as is “I don’t like it when you leave me out. How can we play together?”

Feeling Capable
When a child’s self-esteem is high, he can confidently handle challenges. Feeling capable is a part of self-esteem, and we feel capable by successfully meeting challenges. Here are a few ways to help build your children’s self-esteem:

Let them help with activities around the house. Children want to help. Let them whisk the eggs, sweep the floor, feed the pets, fold the clothes, or water the plants. Pick activities that are age appropriate so that your child can experience success. Acknowledge his helpfulness. You can probably get something done quicker or with less mess if you do it yourself, but the value the activity provides for your child far outweighs speed and neatness.

Do not do things for your child that she can do for herself. Pick one thing every week that you are doing for your child that she is able to do for herself and let her do it.

Let your child lead. Ask for his opinion or help solving a problem. Let your child choose a family activity or what to have for dinner. Put your child in charge of making sure that everyone has brushed his teeth, buckled his seat belt, or turned off the lights at night. By helping your children accept differences and providing them with opportunities to feel capable, you’ll encourage them in their journey of self-discovery.

About the Author
(c) 2005 – By Maggie Macaulay, MSEd., owner of Whole Hearted Parenting, a parent educator, coach, public speaker, and co-founder of Whole Hearted Adoption seminars. Tarzan 2, by Disney DVD, is now available! For more information, visit www.guerillamom.com/go/go.php/t2.

My Baby Is Putting His Hand In His Mouth!

admin — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:42:53 +0000

As your baby grows and learns, they will begin discovering all the new parts of his body. One part of his body he will probably discover by the time he is about three months old is his hand. Every time you look at him you may see him sitting there with his hand in or near his mouth.

Now, for a while your baby will be fighting and trying to work that hand all the way in, however he will probably fail as his mouth may be smaller than his hand. This can lead to frustration and fussiness in your baby.

While discovering his hand is a normal occurrence for all babies, it can also be a sign of teething and a way that a baby begins to sooth himself when tired or fussy. If there is a lot of excess drool, it probably means that your baby is starting to teeth and that they are putting pressure on their gums with their fits. If this bothers you try getting a teething toy for your baby to chew on that will help their gums.

If your baby begins putting his hand in his mouth, and then you discover that it has gone from his hand to just his thumb or a couple of fingers it means that your baby has found a way a way to help calm himself down. You should be happy about this as it means you may have some more free time on your hands.

In most cases, unless your baby has been crawling around in an unsanitary environment or outdoors, you don’t have to worry too much about cleaning your baby’s hands constantly. If you keep your floors vacuumed and mopped and your house pretty clean, then there shouldn’t be anything on the floor that could hurt your baby. What you would need to watch for is your baby picking something up off of the floor and putting it in his mouth. If you really think him putting his hand in his mouth is bad, wait till he discovers his foot….

Play, Laugh, Grow – Learning To Play With Your Child

admin — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:11:49 +0000

by News Canada

(NC)—The first year of a child’s life is a prime time for exploring. Babies are excited and eager to learn about the world around them and playing is essential to a child’s development. Parents are the best learning resource a child has, and playtime offers a chance for bonding between parents and children. By learning how to play with their children, parents can help them develop a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.

Parents shouldn’t feel that they have to constantly practice the alphabet or enroll their children in school at age two to stimulate learning. Instead, parents should provide toys that help stretch mental, physical and emotional muscles. In addition, parents shouldn’t be afraid to get down on the floor and play alongside their babies.

“Rewarding babies for accomplishments helps to develop a positive self-image,” says Dr. Kathleen Alfano, leading child researcher and Director of the Fisher-Price Child Research Department. Parents should enjoy watching their babies play and can offer encouragement by clapping their hands or singing songs to their children.

Parents can help their children play by creating an environment that is safe and clear. The area should also be childproofed so that the youngster is able to explore without any restrictions.

When left to explore and discover, baby will soon learn how to move from sitting to crawling to learning how to stand. Once babies begin to move around and walk, toys for pushing and pulling that feature pleasant sounds are important motivators. Fisher-Price’s line of Baby Playzone toys encourages and rewards baby’s physical accomplishments, making baby want to repeat the activity again and again. For example, Baby Playzone Stride-To-Ride Walker helps steady baby’s first steps and reward baby’s achievement with lights, sounds and high-energy music.

Parents can watch their children grow through these stages with the Fisher-Price Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcade, which will take them from standing to sliding down baby’s first slide. In addition to a parent’s encouragement to take the next step, lights and lively music also reward every accomplishment baby makes.

It is important that parents try not to direct play or show children how to do something “the right way.” It is important to remember that children who are able to explore on their own develop a sense of accomplishment and confidence.