Parentsology

These are tips that the entire family can and should use. All family members living in the home should help take care of the home they live in. Almost everyone can do something, even small children. There is NO reason why Mom should clean up behind herself and everyone else too! After all, if everyone is partaking of the blessings of the home to live in, everyone should help take care of it. While no one will change overnight, incorporating these tips into your daily life will soon make new and neater habits for even the messiest of the messies.

1. If you make a mess, clean it up immediately. Don’t say you will get it after a while, do it now. Once you walk away from it, chances are that you won’t go back to it. Make a habit of cleaning up as you go! This saves time and keeps the home clean and organized. Washing dishes as you cook works great if you don’t want a pile after the meal, fold and put away the laundry as soon as it’s done, and have the kids put away toys they are done with before they take more out.

2. If you use it, put it back where it belongs. Don’t wait until later, do it immediately! Again, once you leave it, chances are you won’t go back to it, and whatever you used will not be put away. Have family members learn to put things where they belong when they are done with the item.

3. Have a place where things live. Everything has a home! Instead of just laying something down anyplace, always put it where it belongs. If you make a habit of putting things up THEN, and having the family do the same, it will become a habit to automatically put things away in the correct
place.

4. Never go to bed with a dirty kitchen. Even if you don’t do dishes right after a meal (I don’t), make sure the kitchen is clean before bed. If the kitchen is clean and someone decides on a snack after, have them clean up anything they mess up. Wipe the counters, the stove, and the table, and make sure the sink is empty and clean.

5. Bathrooms should always be clean! Keep Clorox Wipes in the bathroom so that anyone can use them immediately if needed. These are great for cleanups!

6. When you are cleaning out, have a bag or box for items no longer needed or used. Donate them, sell them, but get rid of them! There’s no greater clutter than things we don’t have need for. Clothes that we no longer wear, toys the children are too old for, books we have read and that just sit on shelves….whatever is in your home that’s not needed, get rid of it as you clean. When you put items no needed or used in that bag or box, make a note to have the items out of your home no later than seven days from the date you packed them. Don’t just move the clutter, get rid of it!

7. Take time to declutter! If your home is really cluttered, make yourself start the cleaning process by taking at least 15 minutes a day to clean it. It’s a great thought to try and clean the entire house at once, and if you can do that, great! But for the person that cannot do that, make it a goal to start at 15 minutes and work on up to more as you go in the following days. Start with the kitchen and bathroom. These are two rooms that should always be clean and sanitary. Make it a goal to clean those two rooms and keep them clean. Then work on the rest of the home. Once you have a room clean and organized, KEEP it clean and organized!

Each of these tips are attainable! While everyone is different and works at a different pace, at the same time, everyone can do this! It cannot be stressed enough that ALL members living in the home should do their part. There is no excuse for anyone to not help out unless they are physically or mentally unable to do so. Even a baby that crawls at six months can be taught to begin put their toy into the toy box. Get everyone involved and get organized!

Anyone that parents a special needs child knows the stress that usually accompanies the parenting of the child. The stress level can sky rocket, and if you don’t have some backup help and/or respite care for yourself also, the stress level can become overwhelming.

There are no easy answers on how to raise a child with special needs. Every child is different, as is every parent in their parenting methods. But the stress level is invariably there. Handling the stress is necessary in order to provide good care not only for your child, but for yourself and the rest of the family as well.

The main thing a parent with a special needs child needs to know is that they are not alone. There is help out there! Even if you are a single mom raising a child or children alone, there is help. It’s up to the parent however to realize that it’s not a sign of failure as a parent to need and accept help in caring for your special needs child.

A special needs child that also has sever anger issues can send a parent’s stress level shooting through the roof. Discipline for a special needs child is often very different than the way you would discipline a child without special needs. So a parent is often left feeling helpless and not knowing what to do, and feeling they have no where to turn in getting a break from parenting. In fact, a lot of parents actually feel guilty for even wanting a break, let alone taking one. The idea of a few hours away from their child makes them feel as though they are failing their child as a parent. For some reason, some parents feel that to parent their special needs child, that means being around them and caring for them 24/7 without any outside help.

Parents need to take a break! Hire a competent babysitter, even a nurse if needed, get family to help, ask a friend for help! The point is get out of the house alone or with your spouse for a few hours and enjoy yourself. You cannot change the issues your child may have. You cannot change the fact that the child needs to be cared for and looked after. You cannot do much to change a child that has sever anger issues. You generally cannot stop the stress that is bound to occur from parenting special needs children. But you can get a break, you can get out a few hours a week alone to unwind, and you can get help to allow you to get that much needed break.

Special needs kids are special indeed and we love our kids very much. But we as parents need to be able to unwind and relieve the stress so that we are better able to parent. Never feel guilty for needing to ask for help!

Many American women leave their kids with a babysitter or put them in daycare while they work outside the home. But just how safe are your children in the care of a person who might be watching a number of kids? There are some signs to look for that might mean your child is being abused, hurt, or neglected while with the daycare provider or babysitter.

Most people would agree that taking care of kids can be very stressful. A person who doesn’t isn’t able to control themselves when stressed out might not be able to handle a crying baby or a child that cries or whines a lot or simply isn’t cooperating with the babysitter. Sometimes they go off the deep end and they abuse an innocent baby or child. And often the parents have no clue that the babysitter or daycare provider is hurting their kids.

There are several signs that might indicate that your child is being abused by your daycare provider. While these don’t necessarily mean there is abuse, they are reasons to be concerned. These tips are also for parents who have been using a the same babysitter or provider for at least a couple of weeks, time enough for the child to know the babysitter and not be going through leaving you withdrawals.

If your child has been comfortable with the babysitter but that changes suddenly and the child is very reluctant to be left with the babysitter, there could be a reason why the child is behaving in that manner. Has the child not had a problem in being left but recently began to cry and be very upset that you are leaving them with that particular person? Is the child doing this when left with someone else or only the babysitter or daycare provider in question? Assuming the child is very upset at being left with the babysitter, it would raise the question of why the child is so upset and crying. There is a reason that the child pitches a fit when you drop them off with the babysitter, when this behavior is new and not common for the child.

Is your child leaving the babysitter with bruises when they haven’t had them before? While it’s normal for kids to get cuts and bruises when playing, when this occurs too much, it raises a red flag. Ask the child and the babysitter separately how the bruises occurred. If you get two different stories or this happens repeatedly, it’s possible the bruises aren’t from playing.

Another sign of abuse is a child that flinches when you raise you arms near the child, such as reaching for something that might be near the child. A child that has been hit will often flinch out of fear that they are about to be hit again. If your child has never done this before and is suddenly doing it, it could be time dig deeper into what’s going on when the child is with the babysitter. A child that flinches in this manner has most likely been slapped or hit near the head or face.

Abused children will often become withdrawn. If your child has been a loving and happy child and has recently become withdrawn, it could be from abuse. This could be not just physical abuse but also mental or verbal abuse. A stressed babysitter might scream or yell things at the child or berate them with names, etc. Talk to your child and find out how the babysitter speaks to them.

If you suspect that your babysitter is hurting your child, proving it might be a bit difficult unless there are bruises to prove or the child outright tells you that the babysitter is abusing them. While you don’t want to falsely accuse anyone, you want your child to be safe and unharmed.

There are several things parents can do if they suspect abuse. The first thing is immediately remove your child from the suspected babysitter. Take pictures of any bruises or suspicious marks on the child. Contact the police or child welfare department and file charges. Depending on the severity of the abuse, the child might need counseling. The important thing is that the babysitter is not allowed to care for any other kids and hurt them too.

Unless you already know the person who will be caring for your kids, it’s important to always get background information on anyone that is going to be watching your child. Whether it’s someone that babysits in your home or their home or a daycare business, do some research before just leaving your kids with anyone.

One way to find out how a daycare is treating the children they are caring for is to drop in unannounced and see how the provider is dealing with the stress of watching several young children. Leave work early and pick the kids up earlier than usual and observe how the babysitter reacts. If she seems angry that parents arrive early, it might cause you to ask why. If the daycare provider seems upset that you are there unexpectedly, you might want to consider another babysitter.

No one that watches your kids should be upset that you want to know how they are handling things. It’s very important that babysitters understand that they are caring for your kids and that the welfare of your kids always comes first. Any babysitter that is upset that you arrive early to get the child or that you arrive with announcing it first is a cause for a red flag. Remember that you are the parent! The safety of your child should never cause a babysitter to be upset over you checking them out unexpectedly.

If you suspect your child is being abused by the babysitter, take action quickly and get your kids away from the babysitter and alert the police and child welfare agency as to what is going on with that particular daycare provider.

Having a baby is a wonderful experience, and life with the new baby is just beginning. But the fact is that six weeks after the birth of your child, you have to return to work. Your finances have changed with the new addition to your family. You need someone to care for your new baby while you work, but you can’t afford to have daycare costs eat up your paycheck. What can you do?

In general, if you continue to work, you can look to be needing daycare or someone to babysit your child for at approximately a four year time frame, or until the child reaches school age. The cost of daycare for a new baby will be more usually because they require more care.

There are a number of ways to potentially save money on the cost of child daycare. One idea is to enlist the help of family or close friends. Normally they will not charge what a daycare provider would charge, and you already know these people, allowing you immediate peace of mind as to who is caring for your baby.

You might also consider the option of working at a different time than your spouse so that one of you is with the child more, leaving less time needed for daycare of a babysitter. Rearranging your work schedule isn’t always an option, but if your employer is willing, it will help cut costs on daycare.

For low income families, there might be child care help through through the county. Financial aid might be available to help defray daycare costs.

Local families might consider starting their own babysitting club. Moms can take turns caring for babies and children depending on their work schedules, all free of charge or at a low cost. With each parent involved in caring for all the children of the members in the babysitting group, it can help to save a lot of money on daycare.
The cost of placing your child in a licensed daycare will depend on many factors. The age of your child, the child’s needs, the location of the daycare, the going rate for daycare centers in that area, and how often you use the daycare are just some of the factors that determine what you will pay for a daycare provider for your child.

One of the easiest ways to save money on caring for your child, when you have to work, is to work at home. A home business of your own, or telecommuting, allows you to be at home with your child on a full time basis, thereby totally undoing the need for child daycare or a babysitter. It takes some adjusting and time management and your child benefits from the parent or parents being home.

Child daycare can cost you a fortune, but it doesn’t have to. Making changes in your present work schedule, enlisting the help of family and friends, starting your own work at home business, and seeking financial aid are just a few options open to parents who want to save money on child daycare costs.