Things I Want to Teach My Daughter

1. Beauty is a state of mind, not a state of body.

2. The benefit of the doubt is sometimes the best gift we can give our friends.

3. There will always be mean girls – that doesn’t mean we find a tower and Rapunzel ourselves away from the world.

4. Your daddy has loved you better and longer than any boy ever will.

5. Your brothers will teach you how boys should treat you.

6. You’re always welcome in my wardrobe.

7. The world needs your point of view.

8. Food is a joy.

9. Your body is strong and capable of more than you can imagine right now.

10. Ice cream is a love language.

11. Cook, decorate, clean, organize because you love to, not because someone tells you you’re meant to.

12. Music makes everything better.

13. Dance – especially when you’re doing the laundry.

14. You’ll never be too old for me to rock you.

15. Nothing you tell me will ever make me want to stop hearing from you.

16. We need your story.

17. No prayer request is ever too small, too silly or too embarrassing to share.

18. Washing your face every night is the best kind of beauty routine.

19. The painful truth is always easier than a messy lie.

20. There’s no such thing as perfect.

21. You can always come home.

22. Nothing will make me love you less.

23. Nothing will make me love you more.

24. The mirror is not the boss of you.

25. You’re the most brave when you’re the most scared and keep going anyway.

26. Womanhood is a gift

Pregnancy Stretches to Relieve Tension

Five Easy Stretches
These exercises target the muscles most affected by pregnancy — calf and chest, upper and lower back, and hips — and ease common pregnancy discomforts. The exercises can be done in any order, and you can do them postpartum, too.

How to do the stretches:
Hold each stretch to a point of mild tension for about eight to 10 seconds, then release. Repeat each stretch three times. Each time you stretch, go a little farther, as long as you are comfortable and there is no pain. Don’t bounce. Each time you release, take a breath, then exhale as you get back into the stretch.

Frequency: Do this program four to five times per week or whenever you feel the need to stretch.

Total Back Stretch Stand arm’s distance from a door jamb or pole. Place your hands on either side of the jamb at chest height, arms extended and palms facing in. Feet should be slightly wider than hip-width apart, knees relaxed. Bend knees slowly as you drop your chin toward your chest and round your spine out and up toward the sky, tilting your tailbone under to stretch your back fully. Inhale and “send” the breath into your back. Pull belly inward and away from the jamb at the same time, expanding your back as much as you can. Hold, then exhale, continuing to round your spine up and out of the arch, straightening legs to return to starting position. Stretches back; relieves tension in the back, neck and shoulders.

Side Stretch Stand with your right side to a door jamb or pole, and cross your right foot over your left. Keep your legs straight and knees relaxed. Place your right hand on the jamb at shoulder height, elbow bent and left hand on the jamb above your head, left arm straight and shoulders relaxed. Contract the abdominals and begin to pull your body away from the jamb so you feel a stretch on the left side of your torso. When you can’t pull your arms away any farther, bend your knees, and push your left hip out even farther to complete the stretch. Keep abdominals contracted and head aligned with spine. Straighten legs and release. Change position and stretch left side. Stretches back, rear shoulder, side abdominals, upper hip and hip rotators; relieves sciatica and tension in arms, shoulders and lower back.

Studies Reveal Why Kids Get Bullied and Rejected

Ways to help

When children have prolonged struggles with socializing, "a vicious cycle begins," Lavoie said. Shunned children have few opportunities to practice social skills, while popular kids are busy perfecting theirs. However, having just one or two friends can be enough to give a child the social practice he or she needs.

To teach social skills. The process works for children with or without learning disabilities and is best conducted immediately after a transgression has been made.

1) Ask the child what happened and listen without judgment.

2) Ask the child to identify their mistake. (Often children only know that someone got upset, but don't understand their own role in the outcome.)

3) Help the child identify the cue they missed or mistake they made, by asking something like: "How would you feel if Emma was hogging the tire swing?" Instead of lecturing with the word "should," offer options the child "could" have taken in the moment, such as: "You could have asked Emma to join you or told her you would give her the swing after your turn."

4) Create an imaginary but similar scenario where the child can make the right choice. For example, you could say, "If you were playing with a shovel in the sand box and Aiden wanted to use it, what would you do?"

5) Lastly, give the child "social homework" by asking him to practice this new skill, saying: "Now that you know the importance of sharing, I want to hear about something you share tomorrow."

 

How to Encourage a Child to Help Clean the House

Educate your children on the importance of cleaning and why we clean (i.e. mold, dust, dirt, bugs, general hygiene, etc.)

Keep compliments to a minimum since it's a duty, not an art project.

Start taking away those privileges.

Help them. They don't know where to put all those Legos.

Try to turn it into a game. Challenge them to get it done in a set amount of time.

Get the stuff you need.... trash bag and toy box and some water or treats to keep your child active.

Put on music and sing along to your favorite tune! This will make it more fun for your child and will encourage them to clean their room!

Pick up their room in sections.... trash, toys, and clothes.

Once you have picked up trash and toys, take a little break or play a 5 minute game!

Teach your child to fold their clothes correctly if they don't already know how to.

Put away their clothes and then vacuum.

Congratulate your child and yourself for having a clean room and give your child a special reward.

How to Build Children's Confidence

It is important that children develop a positive image of their own. A positive image means that they are self confident; they know their own limits and trust their own abilities. People who have a positive image enjoy their lives and can handle themselves in tough situations. So, it is the same situation for children; in order to build self-confidence, parents need to show confidence in their children. This feeling is not congenital.

Accept children for who they are.

Children learn a lot more by trying for themselves though it will take longer and probably be more messy. Patience and confidence can do a lot. Give children the time and space to try something new and learn from their mistakes. Provide them with help, if they need it. Be proud of them, whether or not they succeed. Children with self-confidence are not frightened by new experiences or learning situations.

Allowing children to complete puzzles or projects on their own (you will help if they ask) will build their confidence.

Act as a role model. Children learn the most from your behavior. Children invariably imitate adult behavior, good and bad. They want to be adults themselves. If they see you cussing, they will cuss. If they see you praying, they will pray. If they see you helping others, they will try to help. Abused children are at an increased risk to become child abusers in the future.

Building confidence in children will help them achieve success as adults.

How to Be Patient When Doing Homework with Your Young Child

- Decide what you want, and what you need to do. Do you want your child to get good grades? Do you want him to understand the material well? Write out your goals on an index card.

- Determine your child's learning style. Many children don't process visual information well, but are quick to learn if the material is spoken out loud.

- Decide before you start how much time you're going to devote to helping with homework. Set an egg timer so that you don't have to worry about running over.

- When you sit down to help your child with an assignment, look over it first.

- Let your child do as much as he can. This is the hardest step. The assignment looks so easy to you, you want to jump in and tell him how to do it.

- Resist the temptation to tell him the answer when he's stuck. Instead, ask leading questions.

- At the end of the assignment (or your allotted time, whichever comes first) find something you can praise your child about.

- Maybe he finished it in less time than you expected, or got most of the answers on the first try. Complimenting not only will make him feel good, it will make you feel like your time was well spent.

How to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read

Teaching your child to read starts in the womb. Let the fetus listen to Western Classical music by placing headphones against your tummy - Classical Symphonies have a highly beneficial effect on the forming mind.

Purchase or borrow other media. Reading sources such as magazines, newspapers, etc., are another way to interest your child in reading.

Give books as presents. Books are ideal gifts for birthdays, holidays, Christmas, traveling, as rewards, etc.

Teach your child to respect and love books. If you can teach children to see books as their lifelong friends, they'll have innate respect for them.

Spend time in the library together as a regular outing. Let your child choose favorite books to read and borrow, and encourage your child to explore the library and enjoy all of the activities it offers.

Teach your child about famous writers, actors and characters who are in books, or who write classic books.

Read often and your child will mimic you.

Pay attention to your child's changing interests. As your child gets older, pay attention to subjects that interest your tween or teen.

Maintain a regime for reading but be spontaneous. If your child wants to read at night before bed, let them read for a time limit and then lights out.