spacer gif

New Parents And Teens Child Parenting
Good Parents and Kids Parenting Tips

Home      

Baby Names Meanings

Top 100 baby names

American Baby Boy Names

gre

This Parental Control Software Shows You Everything Your Child Does Online When You're Not There.

With an estimated One MILLION pedophiles online, you need parental controls to protect your children from child molesters and sexual predators. Click For More Info

spacer gif

The baby sleep solution | Baby shower games | Secret to baby modeling success | Baby sign language | Planning baby showers | Baby boy names |


spacer gif


Share |


You are free to use content from this page in your blog or website, in return for a link back to this page from that blog or website.



5 Simple Steps Guaranteed To Allow You To Spend More Time With Your children This Summer


Look around: Your kids are counting sleeps until the last day of school, the local outdoor swimming pool is open, and the temperature has sky-rocketed. Summer is here! Are you still stuck in your winter routine? The one filled with rushing around to after school programs, play dates and endless birthday parties. Do you still feel the pressure of hurrying your kids to catch the school bus and rushing out after them to deliver the lunch that little Amanda forgot on the table? Summer is here! Time to relax!

Summertime is a time to relax some of our daily routines, allowing more flexibility into our lives. The holidays are often a time where we anticipate lots of wonderful family time together to create and share experiences that are timeless. Yet many parents dread some of the practical challenges of getting through the summer. Many people can't afford to totally disengage from the routine of work and adult commitments to spend as much time with their children as they would like. Don't get caught up in the "all or nothing" mindset - even small changes in your daily schedule can go a long way to helping your child feel like the priority in your day.

Creating more time in a busy adult life is easier if you follow these five simple steps:

1. Identify the barriers blocking flexibility in your schedule. Look for areas in your schedule that can be traded off for more time with your children.

2. Address each issue identified above and rate as flexible or inflexible. For example, a weekly team meeting would rank as an inflexible activity whereas an hour at the gym after dinner would rank as flexible.

3. Engage your child in the planning of shared time. Make sure the time you spend together is valuable. Plan activities that you both will enjoy and that allow for parent / child interactions.

4. Be Mindful. Remember, you can't be everything to everybody. Sometimes your commitments as an adult conflict with your commitments as a parent. When conflicts arise, talk to your children to explain the situation and let them know how you feel.

5. Respect. Everyone needs time alone. Remember to respect your and your child's need for "me" time

Let's look at an example:

Julie is a busy solo-entrepreneur running a web design business from home. She has an eleven year-old daughter, Sierra, who is days away from the start of her summer vacation. Julie has signed Sierra up for summer day camps but she also wants to spend more time with her this summer.

She looks at her schedule. Mondays are usually set aside to start new projects or meet with prospects. Tuesdays and Thursdays she goes out to a yoga class after dinner. Wednesday are usually pretty light, with mornings set aside for medical appointments or grocery shopping. Thursdays vary - some weeks busy, others are dedicated to business planning and strategizing for her own business. Fridays are traditionally project end and launch days.

Julie looks for holes in her schedule and finds that some activities can be combined with time with her child. Sierra loves dancing so Julie trades her yoga classes for ballet lessons with Sierra. As she has a fair bit of flexibility with her Wednesday and Thursday schedules, Julie decides to shorten her work week for two months of the year to free up Fridays to spend time with Sierra. From June 30th to September 1st, Thursday is the project end date. She contacts another freelance web designer to arrange for emergency coverage on Fridays. Julie's clients are notified of the summer hours and of the additional coverage available on Fridays should any emergencies arise.

Mother and daughter sit down and start planning activities for their first long weekend and decide on a trip to the water park. Now mom and daughter are both counting sleeps to the weekend!

Remember: It doesn't take much effort to make small changes in your routine to allow more time with your children. The time that you spend (or don't spend) with your child has lasting effects on their self-esteem and self-worth. Though it may at times be challenging to affect lasting change, it's worth the effort! After all, these are the days that create lasting memories.

Dr. Charles Sophy currently serves as Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of children and Family Services (DCFS), which is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of nearly 40,000 foster children. He also has a private psychiatry practice in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Sophy has lectured extensively and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles Neuro-Psychiatric Institute. His lectures and teachings are consistently ranked as among the best by those in attendance.

Dr. Charles Sophy, author of the "Keep 'Em Off My Couch" blog, provides real simple answers for solving life's biggest problems. He specializes in improving the mental health of children. To contact Dr. Sophy, visit his blog at http://drsophy.com.



Tastefully Simple Samples LOT of 13 flavors
$24.00 (8 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Feb-9-2012 10:10:37 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

16.4ft 5m RGB 5050 150P LED Flexible Strip IR Remote + Power Supply Simple USA
$44.99
End Date: Friday Mar-2-2012 7:03:38 PST
Buy It Now for only: $44.99
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Simple Blue Cloud Bird Picture Bathroom Waterproof Fabric Shower Curtain pa013
$19.80 (0 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Feb-9-2012 10:20:14 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

Tastefully Simple Bountiful Beer Bread Value Pack
$19.99
End Date: Tuesday Mar-6-2012 15:05:15 PST
Buy It Now for only: $19.99
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Praying Children Area Rug 6x8 Kids Religious Carpet Kid - Actual 5' 3" x 7' 2"
$68.00 (0 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Feb-9-2012 10:23:17 PST
Buy It Now for only: $74.80
Buy It Now | Bid now | Add to watch list

Mikasa Crystal Tea Time Tea Caddy T8158/902
$0.99 (1 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Feb-9-2012 10:26:35 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

Beauty woman Wall Paper&Art Sticker 120*84cm Decoration, beautiful, simple,
$19.87
End Date: Monday Feb-13-2012 4:41:18 PST
Buy It Now for only: $19.87
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

(halftime)Half Time Drill Driver as seen on TV
$8.50 (3 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Feb-9-2012 10:30:10 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

Adult Clothes Folders --fold clothes with simple flips
$8.99
End Date: Friday Mar-9-2012 18:54:03 PST
Buy It Now for only: $8.99
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

5 Amazing Dip Recipes &Bonus -Guaranteed to LOVE these!
$1.50 (0 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Feb-9-2012 10:31:27 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

Tastefully Simple Samples Lot of 17 Flavors
$10.00 (0 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Feb-9-2012 10:31:29 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
home | Parenting site map | Privacy policy
Copyright © 2011 parenting.babyinfocenter.com