Your Child's Journey

wisdom for the big steps little children take

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Being Spontaneous

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I received the following article from a Malaysian friend, Lai. She has a keen interest in children and helping parents in their challenging task of child rearing. I think it is encouraging to hear about how others raised good, successful children.

Maybe it is because we are so busy these days or maybe it is just out of fear, we do too much for our children. They are capable of so much more. When we teach them skills and then expect them to do them, we are teaching them to be the capable, diligent people we want them to be as adults. See how Lai did it. [Read more…]

Bad Reasons to Avoid Early Intervention

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So maybe your pediatrician has talked to you about getting early intervention services for your child, or you’ve let your doubts about your child’s development lead you into making a few phone calls about it. You’re worried about your child, but you’re also worried that getting help will mean there really is something wrong. These five reasons to skip EI may be nagging at you, tempting you to just go on and hope for the best. Don’t listen. They’re bad reasons. Here’s why.

1. I don’t want to label my child.
The “label” your child gets to qualify for early intervention doesn’t go on his “permanent record” — many kids go from EI right into regular education preschools and kindergartens. The idea is to label now so that there’s no need to label later. Because those labels that come later stick a lot harder.

2. My family thinks it’s a bad idea.
Mothers and fathers and in-laws and siblings are always full of advice, but as a parent, the buck stops with you. You spend more time observing your child than anyone, and if you have concerns, they need to be respected — if not by others, then absolutely by yourself. Follow your gut.

3. My child will catch up on her own.
Maybe, but you’re gambling with your child’s life here. When your child is five and still delayed, you’re not going to be able to dial things back and try early intervention. Early intervention will do no harm, and may do a great deal to help. Why take a chance when you don’t need to?

4. Children need to play and have fun, not do therapy.
Sending your child to early intervention is not like sending him to boot camp. It’s fun. Your child will think he’s playing as he does things to strengthen his motor skills and gain meaningful language. You’ll have fun watching it, too.

5. I’ll just work with my child myself.
Terrific! Work with your child yourself! There are lots of hours in the day. Doing early intervention doesn’t mean doing nothing else. You’ll still want and need to work with your child. But chances are the intervention therapists will be able to give you ways to do that so much more effectively.

For many more articles on related topics see: SpecialChildren.About.com

Find Your Happy Parent Place

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Editor’s Note:  This is a wonderful article with good ideas on how to keep your sanity and your marriage in the midst of parenting. Pick one and start doing it today. You’ll be happy you did!
Diane

Admit it: Parenting can be a real grind sometimes. But if you follow these six simple mantras, you’ll have a lot more fun — and so will your kids.
By Scott Westcott

How to Be Happier, Now

Welcome to a typical mom morning. It begins when your toddler dive-bombs into your bed at 5 a.m. You stumble through the dark for an eyes-half-open diaper change. Next comes breakfast. The daily recipe: spilled milk and fistfuls of Cheerios dumped on the floor. Then you do the dishes and get your child dressed, all before you drink your morning coffee. Are we having fun yet? The answer is not so simple.

Being a parent is inspiring and rewarding, but it’s also demanding and thankless. A recent Princeton University survey found that typical childcare tasks are roughly as pleasurable as housework — in other words, not very. But the fact is that our kids are our pride and joy. How can this be, when they’re also a drag on our quality of life?

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Raising Your Spirited Child

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by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

In her book, Raising Your Spirited Child, Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, has a number of different tools to evaluate your child. The following are just excerpts from her book. If these are interesting to you, I encourage you to buy her book.

You can purchase the book from Amazon.com

 

Evaluating your child’s temperament

Evaluating the parents’ temperaments

The Introvert/Extrovert Survey

Evaluating Intensity

Evaluating Persistence

 

 

Fun and Funny Kids

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All of us know we feel better when we are laughing than when we are angry, sad, or even just dutiful. Scientists, sociologists, psychologists, and comedians study laughter and humor. They have made some fascinating discoveries.

Dr. Lawrence J. Cohen-a psychologist who specializes in children’s play-says, “A sense of humor offers huge advantages in life. It’s one of the best ways people have figured out to cope with things that are difficult.” Some of the advantages of being able to laugh easily are the ability to build strong friendships, being well-liked by peers, managing frustration, diffusing conflict, and less depression. A good sense of humor is also linked to intelligence, self-esteem, creativity, and problem solving.

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