The Importance of Child’s Humor

September 28, 2012 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

From LovingYourChild.com by Amy Brown, an editor of Livesnet, a site helping parents choose the best baby products and offering helpful parenting tips. Visit her site and read hot articles on Joovy Caboose Ultralight Stroller.

Humor is very important in anyone’s life especially that of a child. Why? Because it is during those years that so many things are lost such as imagination and the ability to have fun at any moment.

That is why you need to encourage humor in your child’s life. How? Read on and discover how easy it is to have fun and laughter to show your children that life is great.

Laugh with the Babies

Just because a baby can’t tell a joke or understand everything around them doesn’t mean they can’t experience humor. They love to laugh.

Spend some time with your baby and laugh with them as you play games with them, help them crawl and walk, and even make funny faces at them. This continues as they grow and develop. Start them young.

Stop Focusing on the Serious

Life is so serious and we all fall for it. I’m so focused on working and trying to keep things clean and organized. You know what? That will all be there later.

Guarding Family Mealtimes

September 12, 2012 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

I was interested in this Today’s Christian Woman article on Family mealtimes.

In times past, children could be seen at the dinner table but were not to be heard. Thankfully, that has changed, as we now know the value of providing a safe and enjoyable mealtime environment for the entire family.

Family mealtime is critical to your children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual development, as well as their academic and behavioral progression.

Family mealtime is the primary avenue for parents to connect with their children. It’s a time for parents to serve as role models, to encourage healthy eating habits, and to establish family traditions. Children benefit from the socialization, the establishment of family unity, and the increased literacy and language development that occur during mealtimes.

Social skills develop naturally when family mealtimes are a regular practice. Children learn through the observation and interaction that occurs in a mealtime setting.

Because families are so busy, mealtime may be the only time to have a real conversation. As kids participate in the conversations, they learn how to take turns skills, not to interrupt, and proper etiquette.

Mealtime can become a safe place to share personal thoughts, feelings, and opinions. I don’t know of a single family that would say they are not closer to each other because of regular mealtimes that include the entire family.

A 2007 study at the National Center on Addiction & Substance Abuse at Columbia University reveals that children who have frequent family dinners are at a 70-percent lower risk for substance abuse and are half as likely to try cigarettes or marijuana compared to kids who have fewer than three family dinners per week.

Families that eat four or more meals a week together also tend to be healthier. Kids eat more fruits and vegetables when served a home-cooked meal or are instrumental in helping prepare the meal. And less fast food benefits everyone.

Developmental Milestones

September 6, 2012 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

Developmental milestones are a guide to judge our children’s progress. Most children will reach these milestones at approximately the time noted. Some children reach them a little earlier and some children reach them a little later. Gifted children, however, tend to reach several milestones weeks, months, and even years earlier than average children.

There are many sites that list milestones in different areas of development. About.com has a comprehensive list for your use.

Mother’s Intuition vs Diagnosis

September 6, 2012 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

January 21, 2012
by Hallie of “The Bump”

When Jodi Schulz, attorney and mommy blogger brought her three-year-old to the ER with a fever and a rash, she was sure the doc was joking when he announced that he was admitting the toddler. “Michael was running around like a lunatic, as if there was nothing wrong with him. They’d already run a bunch of tests and the nurse said they all looked fine.” The doctor did not immediately explain himself. “In retrospect I should have kept asking questions,” says Jodi. “I should have pushed harder.”

Eventually, doctors informed her that her son was potentially at risk for a rare disease called Kawasaki, even though everyone who examined him said he didn’t appear to have it. Though her gut (yep, that mother’s intuition) whispered that her child was fine, she didn’t initially push back. “You don’t want to be the parent who demands your child be released and it turns out there’s something wrong,” she says.

Over the next 24 hours, her son was placed on IV, poked, prodded, and awakened at 6 a.m. so staff could look at his rash. Eventually Jodi reached a breaking point and demanded Michael’s release. “I should have insisted much sooner,” she says. “Some of the nonsense could have been avoided.”

Jodi’s hesitancy to voice her intuition is hardly unique, particularly when it counters the opinion of medical professionals. Even when your gut is screaming that the doc is off, it’s tough to know how to handle the situation. Read on to find out how to keep Jodi’s experience from happening to you.

Get Familiar With the Patient’s Bill of Rights
This handy document comes straight from the top—the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nationwide, hospitals and medical plans have adopted its tenets, which promote communication and understanding between patients and their health care providers. And how does this bill of rights apply to you? Well, when we’re talking mommy’s intuition, the most important thing to note is that insisting on getting all the info and being involved in decision-making doesn’t mean you’re pesky or difficult—it means you’re standing up for your child.

To continue reading: Mother’s Intuition

What Matters Most

August 2, 2012 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

It’s been here since they were both born.

The incessant need to constantly compare them to other kids. Are they sleeping like normal kids? Are they crawling or walking when they should? Are they talking when they should be?

And I see this starting to escalate as David is getting to the preschool age. I see some kids his age reading and he barely knows his letters (not for a lack of trying on my part) and I have panic attacks. What if he is behind? I feel like I’m constantly trying to get around other almost 3 year olds and listen to them talk to see where he is. And the same for Fiona. Why is she not talking more? It keeps me up at night sometimes worried about how each of them will do as they grow up.

This has just been on my mind SO much lately, but I am trying hard to set my “momma mind and heart” and focus on this: [Read more…]