PARENT TO PARENT NETWORK

Parenting With Om Yoga. FREE EBOOK

2011-06-26T01:14:00.000-07:00

I am a single mother to a 6 year old "wild child", I run an in home child care business, do online marketing, assist others in building successful online businesses and personally maintain six blogs covering an array of topics. In addition to my huge list of daily responsibilities, I still make time to take my son on bikes rides at the beach, for movies in the park on the weekends, make visits with my parents a priority, all while finalizing a much needed divorce.

As you can imagine, my life can be a bit hectic at times. What I have learned through the years is that in order to successfully juggle a booming business and busy personal life while still maintaining a reasonable amount of sanity, discipline is key. I think that we sometimes overlook how powerful our mind is and that if we discipline ourselves enough to control our thoughts and actions, we can accomplish anything. It was not until I was introduced to yoga and meditation that I was able to discipline myself enough to calm my mind, organize my thoughts, create a strategic plan of action and successfully execute without wasting time or unnecessary energy.

In my attempt to make this world a better place and assist in the well-being of my fellow busy parents, I would like to offer this free e-book on yoga (Om Yoga, Its Theory And Practice, 113 Pages) so that anyone interested can began their search for balance though this amazing tool. No Opt-in required. Instant access after download. ENJOY!!!

To open this Free Ebook, click on the link below, "YOGA EBOOK."

YOGA EBOOK

Can Getting A Divorce Make You A Psychopath?

2011-06-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Coming from a person currently going through a divorce, I know first hand that divorce is hard, to say the least. The divorce process along with its long-term side effects is a major stressor that has been known to cause psychological and physical health problems in many people.

A divorce involves an emotional and legal separation of marital bonds, negotiations of custody and financial arrangements and an establishment of a new lifestyle. In addition, because most women continue to be the custodial caregiver of the children, many fathers must cope and adjust to being the non-custodial parent. Given this list of major life changing events, it is no wonder that divorce causes emotional, physical and financial trauma to most couples.

According to the Journal Of Family Issues, after experiencing a divorce, the non-custodial parents are more likely to engage in harmful and reckless activities more often than the divorced custodial parents. Divorced men in particular, show higher rates of automobile accidents, alcohol abuse, diabetes, heart disease and mental illnesses compared to married men.

Children Can Inspire You To Have A Fairytale Happy Divorce

2011-06-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine, divorce can throw a curve ball into your life. At times, we get so busy picking up the pieces of what was broken, we forget about the children. If children are involved, we must make sure that they are first priority and receive an equal amount of comfort from both mom and dad. Children are innocent bystanders and it is both parents responsibility to protect their well-being during this unfortunate circumstance.

Children are entitled to have both parents raise them, therefore, both parents should be granted a reasonable amount of time for parenting. Children also need both parents to be involved in their regular activities such as school plays, basketball games and birthday parties. If necessary, this can provide the best opportunity for you to exercise that breathing techniques learned in meditation class. Encourage your children to spend time with the other parent, without making them feel guilty. Children should not have to take sides or feel as though they have to love one parent more than the other. Reassure them that although mom and dad live in two separate homes, the love that you both have for them will remain the same.

Making your children’s well-being first priority in this process can be the first step in accomplishing a “fairytale happy divorce.” Children force both parties to resist acting out of anger and revenge and to first consider how it will affect the children.

Life After Divorce, Mastering The Balancing Act

2011-06-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

Couples that choose to get a divorce when there are children involved face added challenges. The process of divorce, in of itself, can be emotionally damaging and if not addressed properly can leave long lasting wounds. Children are especially vulnerable to developing resentment, guilt and an unhealthy perception of family life that can stay imprinted on them through their adult life.

It is important that both parents make their children's emotional well-being a top priority and protect them as much as possible from the bitter effects of divorce. The best way to do this is by modeling the behavior that you want for your children to follow. Children will soon grow to understand that, in life, it is inevitable to experience unexpected and unwanted change, failure and other life altering situations. It is our job as parents and adults to teach and provide a blueprint of the route to take in order to best conquer those challenges and grow from the experiences.

Remember to keep your support system close to you and don't be afraid to reach out to them when your feeling overwhelmed. Friends and family that love and support you can provide you with a more balanced approach to the way that you perceive your experiences. They can also provide an escape from the day-to-day hustle and bustle, giving you time to release and recharge.

As a newly divorced single parent you must master and effectively implement the art of the "balancing act." Managing the stress of rebuilding after divorce, along with the added responsibility of being a single parent providing structure, guidance and a stable and happy home can seem like an unrealistic task at first sight. The good thing about this is when you understand the balancing act, you can rebuild bigger and better, while at the same time, providing your children with the loving tools to thrive in adulthood.

By far the best ways to develop a solid balancing act is through prayer and meditation. Dedicating just 10 minutes a day to prayer and meditation can change the way you make decisions and how you decide to experience life situations. They are both powerful tools used to teach you how to quite negative chatter, calm your mind and by association release stress and tension. When your mind is calm, your vision becomes clear. You can see what is important to you and realize what you can do without. With a clear vision and spiritual guidance you will be better equipped to choose a goal and plan a realistic path to reach your goal, while at the same successfully maneuvering the balancing act and raising balanced children.

YOUR NEW TWITTER PAGE: Get Your FREE!!! Twitter Marketing Manuel

2011-06-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

YOUR NEW TWITTER PAGE: Get Your FREE!!! Twitter Marketing Manuel: "Free Advertising... is the #1 question that my fellow online entrepreneurs ask me about. They all want to know how to send massive, but qual..."

Making Money As A Kid

2011-06-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

We know. Making money as a kid is hard, but if you follow these tips, you might just strike it rich!

Steps

Work for someone else. Advertise your availability to the neighborhood. Make up some flyers and stick them to the neighbor's front door, but don't be intrusive. You shouldn't demand that they let you work for them. You won't get good business if you do that.
Do extra chores for your parents, such as dusting furniture, vacuuming, sweeping floors, or scrubbing windows. Negotiate the best deal you can, maybe one fourth what they might charge for professional service. Remember, these are extra chores on top of what you should normally do to help support a clean household.
Teach someone how to use a computer. If you are an able computer user, use your talent for profit!
Mow lawns. Charge different fees depending on the size of the yard.
Sell some of your things that you don't want. You could have a garage or yard sale. Put fliers everywhere. That way people will come to your sale!
Walk dogs. They love it, and it would really help out the owners.
Babysit smaller children. Take a babysitting course if you need it and look on the internet for more guidelines.
Look after the neighbor's pets when they go off on vacation.
Clean the houses of trusted neighbors.
Sell lemonade on a hot summer's day. See How to Make Lemonade, How to Open a Lemonade Stand
Wash cars and bikes for money. Be sure to do a good job.
Sell unwanted items, or make items especially for selling.
- Set-up a bake sale. Have your parents help you cook!
- Take your unwanted clothes to a consignment shop. Make sure they're clean and in good condition.
- If you have been collecting LEGOs or action figures and don't play with them anymore, sell them on websites such as eBay. Make sure you get your parents help and that you know what they're worth. Set a reasonable price and be honest about the condition. For example, if your toy doesn't have a scratch on it, you can say it is in good condition. However if it has bite marks on it, don't set it to good condition. If your toy hasn't even been opened yet, do not open it: collectors pay even more money for them if they are New In Box.
Recycle! - Cans and newspapers are recyclable! Ask your parents if they would help you to bring unclaimed recyclables to the nearest recycling plant and give you the money. Not only is this good for the environment, it's good for your piggy bank!
Shovel snow off of neighbor's driveways, but be careful that you don't slip on the ice and that you have proper equipment. You can do the same in the Fall too! Rake leaves for fellow neighbors.
Use your strengths. If you are a very good artist, offer to do some portraits for people you know, or sell your artwork.
House-sit for a neighbor when they're on vacation. Just water their plants and clean. It's fun and profitable.
Save all of your birthday money!
Don't spend too much of your money on candy and treats. Try to only take a small amount of money out for those.
Make dog treats and sell them. But be sure to get your parents help in making them. Don't try to make them on your own.
Sell chocolate bars at the park or to your family and friends. Bring your parents with you to be safe.
Make money out of farm animal produce, such as chicken eggs or cows milk.
Ask your principal if you can sell stuff at school. Kids LOVE buying stuff from other kids, especially treats!
Most of all, have fun and keep a positive attitude. That will keep job offers coming!

Tips

Charge reasonable prices: not too low and not too high. Think about how much it would usually be and reduce the cost appropriately. Then tell the person who will be paying you about this comparison and they should realize what a bargain you have produced. Remember to account for the time you worked and the cost of your materials.
It's a good idea to sell at noon when the town/city is busy. More people can buy from you and defend you from bad people.
Ask for help when you need it.
Return money if you promised to do a job but couldn't get the job done. Honesty is the best policy and will really impress your customers.
Decorate your area to make it look more pleasing to your customers.
Be willing to work for little pay.
Give free samples to your friends to spread word of your services. You should do this before you start your business, unless the item is to be consumed.
Put up sale signs in your shop, for example, Buy One Get One Free, 2 for $10, etc. Be sure you can afford the loss or make up for it with other sales.
Ask around to see what jobs are open first. If the town already has tons of dog walkers and car washers, try something else.
Know that not everybody wants what you're offering, so be patient, and if they decline your services, be polite and move forward!
Be polite with customers. Don't force them into doing things they don't want to do!
Try your best and always leave them wanting to come back again for more. Repeat business is the best kind!
Make sure you have your parents' permission for any job you do.
Always be polite and don't lie.
Ask your friends to help. You'll have to split the profits but it will be more fun and the time will fly by. Be sure to let the client know that you are bringing a friend.
Know that you're still a kid. You don't need to start saving for retirement now. Try to enjoy the non-work world while you can, one day you'll miss it!
Be creative. Don't think that you're limited to things like car washes.
Try to get as much business as possible by advertising!
Remember to have fun and ask for payment!
Help rake leaves for other people.
If you travel to school on a bus with lots of other schoolchildren, you could buy sweets in bulk and sell them for a reasonable price there.
Mowing lawns and yard work are great ways to provide a service that many people do not enjoy performing on their own.
Always make sure to thank customers for their business and their time even if they didn't buy anything.

Warnings

Avoid selling things without permission at school, this could cause big trouble. Some schools don't even allow you to sell things. Check your school rules to see what you can or can't do.
Don't take a job if you don't know what you're doing, you could earn a bad reputation.
Be honest. If you lie, you could get in trouble.
Have an adult with you to help you.
Make sure you ask your parent or guardian before starting to work.
Avoid dangerous neighborhoods and neighbors.
Be careful talking to strangers; preferably talk to strangers only in the presence of an adult guardian. Some strangers want to go into your house or invite you to go into theirs. Never accept these invitations and always have a parent watching you.
Don't tamper with the people's food or any of the objects that you are selling.
If an item is used you must reduce the price, especially if it comes with no manual, has scratches and if you put it in a random case. It might not be in the same condition it used to be.
Remember, if you are selling anything, don't expect that you'll make the money that you wanted.
Don't do anything dangerous, like climbing roofs to clean gutters or trimming tree limbs.
Be careful where you do things. Make sure you are in a safe place with an older relative. And make sure you have permission to do what you are doing where you are doing it.
Do not take things that don't belong to you and then sell them. Remember that stealing is a crime and you could get in a lot of trouble and embarrass your parents.

Taking A Vacation With Kids

2011-06-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought that it couldn’t get any more stressful to think of ways to keep kids entertained when traveling long hours in airplanes, you even have to consider other passengers who might feel that the children are being too disruptive or noisy! While flying with kids can seem difficult, it needn't be -- by following the suggestions below, you can definitely find fool-proof ways to keep the kids happy, parents stress-free and other passengers contented.

Steps

Plan the time of the flight. There is never an ideal time to fly long haul, but if you fly through the night, there is more of a chance that your child will sleep through at least some of the journey. This will make the journey -- as well as the time that you need to keep your child occupied -- seem a lot shorter.
Use the in-flight entertainment, but don't rely on it alone. Many larger airlines have in-flight entertainment such as films, music and even children's channels. However, there are times when it might be broken or unsuitable. The wearing of the headphones might also irritate your child.
Bring an array of entertainment materials for your child. During the times that in-flight entertainment just won't cut it, you should always have alternative sources of entertainment on hand. Bring along items such as:
- Portable video game consoles
- An MP3 player, plus music and audio books
- An electronic book that can be used softly
- Coloring books, activity books and blank drawing paper - Do not forget the pencils and crayons!
- Stickers - These are useful for making designs on blank pages while drawing.
- Magnetic games - Buy the travel-size game kits available from many toy stores, service stations and airport gift stores.
- Books to read together
- Flash-cards and other learning items
- Kid's puzzle books - Sudoku, crosswords, find-a-word, mad-libs, jokes, etc.
- Print off some games to play on paper, such as tic-tac-toe, mazes or dot-to-dots. There are many such print-outs available on kids' sites online.
- A couple of your child's favorite toys which are portable enough, such as stuffed animals or dolls
Reward your child for good behavior. Surprise and reward your child for his patience on long journeys. Wrap up a new toy and present him with it after he has proven that he has been well-behaved enough -- it's a shameless bribery, but it may work.
Bring some snacks. Snacks can keep your children satisfied, which may encourage napping. Choose foods that aren’t packed with sugar and that won’t melt or crumble apart. Licorice, cracker sandwiches, cereal and granola bars are good bets. Try preparing these snacks in unique ways. Young kids will love cereal pieces strung onto yarn to form an edible necklace.
Ensure variety in your child's activities. Children hate being restricted. Once they're strapped in, they can't pick up toys they've dropped, or move about and look around as much as they want to. A child on a long-haul flight is a time bomb of energy. Vary activities as much as possible. Alternate between playing music, giving out snacks, playing with toys and reading books.
Have the kids become vacation planners. Contact the tourism board or local chamber of commerce of your destination before leaving for your trip. Request travel brochures and tourist information. Arrange these in a folder for ease of viewing during the flight. Let the kids flip through the fliers and magazines while in flight to further prepare them and boost their enthusiasm. Give kids as young as eight a calculator and a budget. Then, let them work out a simple, affordable itinerary. Before coming back home, toss or recycle the pamphlets to lighten the load.
Create a photo project. Prior to the return flight, take your digital camera’s memory stick to a drug store and pop it into a do-it-yourself photo center. Request one-hour prints. Then, purchase a small scrapbook for each child and let them record their memories with special pens while they stick down photos with double-sided tape. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what they thought were the important moments of their family vacation.
Take a few minutes to review basic safety strategies with your kids. You do have a captive audience, after all. The excitement of new places can be overwhelming. Remind young ones what to do if they get separated from you, who they can trust and about safety in numbers. It’s also a good idea to have the kids help you make out a safety card that they can keep with them. The card can remind them of everything from the name of the hotel that they are staying in, to the first names of mom and dad.
Consider renting electronic gadgets. If traveling within a single country, it may be possible to rent electronic gadgets for the time that you will be in the air. Some entertainment companies rent DVD players, movies and headphones for use on vacation and during flights.
Enjoy your flight!

Tips

The most important thing to remember when traveling with kids is to think ahead and minimize the hassles that you might encounter. This includes considering the documentation that children will need when traveling both internationally and domestically. Also, be sure to check on the status of your flight before leaving for the airport to avoid a lengthy wait.
Keep in mind the shrinking aisle space and have your kids bring their own backpacks, instead of a rolling carry-on which can slow them down. Young ones will be proud of all the responsibility that comes with toting their own luggage. Don’t forget to add luggage tags to backpacks too, just in case they get left behind.
This is a great time to introduce books, flashcards and other learning materials tailored to your child’s age. If you have school-age children, ask their teacher what he or she suggests. Many teachers will happily provide their students with homework material for the time that they are away from the classroom -- for example, sums, spelling and writing.

Warnings

Have your child under the age of 3 sit in his or her own seat in an FAA-approved child safety seat, not on your lap. It's more expensive, but safer. A lap child might impede your ability to brace and may not have access to an oxygen mask in the unlikely event of an emergency.
Avoid toys with little pieces. Fetching little pieces from across various parts of the aircraft is not only impractical, but will likely result in embarrassment for you and loud noise from an upset child. Little pieces or small toys are also easy for small children to throw, and they can land in other passengers' food or faces.
Remember to check your country's transport authority website for the latest restrictions for carry-ons. There are now restrictions in place on the amount and type of liquids or gels able to be carried past security. Exceptions are sometimes made for children and babies, allowing them to carry on bottles, juice boxes and sippy-cups. Make sure that you declare these items before going through security and that you place them in their own quart-size zip-top bag. It is recommended that you only pack the amount of juice, milk or breast-milk that you will need for the flight. Larger amounts can be checked with your luggage.

Love Your Children

2011-03-13T01:09:00.001-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Love Your Children: "'If a child is given love, he becomes loving ... If he's helped when he needs help, he becomes helpful. And if he has been truly valued at h..."

Human Nature

2011-03-13T01:09:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Human Nature: "You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and wh..."

How A Parent Loves Their Child

2011-03-13T01:08:00.001-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: How A Parent Loves Their Child: "'Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.'&nb..."

Memories

2011-03-13T01:08:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Memories: "'When you have brought up kids, there are memories you store directly in your tear ducts.' Robert Brault"

Bright Future

2011-03-13T01:02:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Bright Future: "'When I look into the future, it's so bright it burns my eyes.' Oprah Winfrey"

Placement Of Burdens

2011-03-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Placement Of Burdens: "'God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight.' Reggie White"

Lose Weight Fast

2011-02-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Bright Future

2011-02-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Bright Future: "'When I look into the future, it's so bright it burns my eyes.' Oprah Winfrey"

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: God Has Big Plans

2011-02-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: God Has Big Plans: "What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine."

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Choose To Do Great Things

2011-02-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Choose To Do Great Things: "Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have."

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Evolution

2011-02-28T08:28:00.001-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Evolution: "'The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.' Oprah Winfrey"

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Think Like A Queen

2011-02-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Think Like A Queen: "Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness."

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Fear vs. Power

2011-02-28T02:30:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Fear vs. Power: "'The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free.' Oprah Winfrey"

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Change Your Attitude

2011-02-28T02:24:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Change Your Attitude: "The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude."

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Positive Influences

2011-02-28T02:20:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Positive Influences: "Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher."

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Integrity

2011-02-28T02:14:00.000-08:00

Inspirational Quotes For Parents: Integrity: "'Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.' Oprah Winfrey"

Tips On Teaching Kids About Money

2011-02-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

As kids grow, they tend to become more thoughtful about money, and it's a process to teach them how to save more, shop wisely and earn money through small jobs. The current economic troubles provide a fitting time to school our kids on personal finance, according to Eric Tyson, author of Personal Finance for Dummies. If you're feeling guilty because you can't buy your child that video game system he desperately wants for Christmas, or you're asking him to choose between playing recreation basketball or taking karate lessons this winter, Eric Tyson has one word for you. Don't. In fact, he says, now is the perfect time to teach your kids some valuable financial lessons and learn that budgeting is how the world really works.

Steps

Expose your kids to the realities. "Kids are surprisingly aware of what's going on in the world," says Tyson. "And if they don't know that times are a little bit tough and Mom & Dad are having to watch their spending, it's time to tell them. Sheltering kids from financial realities does them no favors." A good grasp of personal finance is one of the most valuable life skills a person can have. And while previous generations may have been raised with the constant admonishment that "money doesn't grow on trees!" too many of today's parents neglect that lesson. It's time to change that—and the economic crisis we're in now provides a great incentive for doing so.
Tell kids the truth. Kids are perceptive. If you've been acting anxious and on edge lately, they've noticed. Rather than let them wonder why Mom and Dad are working so much lately or constantly talking about money, explain (on their level) what's going on in the family's financial world. This might mean explaining why vacations have to be cut back, why there will be fewer toys under the tree etc.
Explain to them how much things cost. Some parents are surprised to find out that their kids don't have a very good grasp on what things cost because they have been sheltering them from this always. A great hands-on way to open their eyes is to take them on a "money tour" around the house. For example, kids might not understand that hot water costs more than cold water, or that bumping up the heat results in higher power bills. This exercise will teach them how they can conserve and thus help the family save money. You can also pile up all of the bills for the month and have them look at the amount on each one. Show them what the family's cost of living is and again reiterate the areas where they can play a part in reducing the costs.
Realize that kids learn what they live. It may sound like common sense, but you—Mom and Dad—are your kids' most influential teachers. When you ring up a barge-load of credit card debt, take out exorbitant mortgages or car loans, and fail to save anything, that's what your kids come to see as normal. If you are modeling unhealthy financial habits, you can't realistically expect your kids to "do as I say, not as I do."
Deprogram them. Kids are constantly bombarded with information about expensive things, whether it's the fancy sports car they like, the wardrobe of their favorite athlete or actor or the many appeals to luxury in the 40,000 commercials that the American Academy of Pediatrics estimates the average American child sees each year. What they aren't bombarded with is knowledge on how to manage money effectively. And while schools are increasingly incorporating money issues into the existing curriculum, the broader concepts of personal financial management still aren't taught. Frightening though it may be, some schools rely on free "educational" materials from the likes of VISA and MasterCard!
Start an allowance. An allowance is a great teaching tool. You don't have to break child labor laws to find great ways to help your kids earn their allowance rather than just have it handed over to them. A well-implemented allowance program can mimic many money matters that adults face every day throughout their lives. From recognizing the need to earn the green stuff to learning how to responsibly and intelligently spend, save, and invest their allowance, children can gain a solid financial footing from a young age.
Start them saving and investing early. It's never too early to start saving, and the sooner you can instill the importance of saving money into your kids the better. After they start earning an allowance, have your kids save a significant portion (up to half) of their allowance money toward longer-term goals, such as college (just be careful about putting money in children's names as doing so can harm college financial aid awards). Tyson recommends that children reserve about one-third of their weekly take for savings. As they accumulate more significant savings over time, you can introduce the concept of investing.
Reduce their exposure to ads. The primary path to reduced exposure to ads is to cut down on TV time. When kids are in front of the tube, have them watch prerecorded material. You can direct the television viewing of younger children, in particular, toward videos and DVDs. And for older kids, if you use digital video recorders (DVRs), such as TIVO, you can easily zap ads. But when an ad does sneak under the radar and set the kids to begging, address it. Explain to your kids that there's never a good time for frivolous impulse spending—but it's especially harmful when money is tight.
Find entertaining ways to teach good money habits. You'll probably face an uphill battle when teaching kids about personal finance. That's why it's so important to find entertaining ways to instill good financial habits in them. For younger kids Tyson recommends age-appropriate books like The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies. For late-elementary-school-aged kids, Quest for the Pillars of Wealth by J.J. Pritchard is a chapter book that teaches the major personal finance concepts through an engaging adventure story. You could also get them a subscription to Zillions, a kids' magazine from the publishers of Consumer Reports, which covers money and buying topics. Consider playing the board games Monopoly and Life to teach more money skills as well.
Teach them how to shop wisely. Family shopping trips, whether for groceries or something else, are likely to be your kids' first encounter with spending. They'll see you make decisions based on what the family needs, maybe see the occasional coupon used, and will observe how you pay. These trips are a great time to teach them lessons about money and the value of product research and comparison shopping.
Introduce the right and wrong ways to use credit and debit cards. Those plastic cards in your wallet offer a convenient way to conduct purchases in stores, by phone, and over the Internet. Unfortunately, credit cards offer temptation for overspending and carrying debt from month to month. Teach your kids the difference between a credit and debit card, explaining that debit cards are connected to your checking account and thus prevent you from overspending as you can on a credit card. Make credit card usage the exception, not the rule.
Encourage older kids to get a job. An allowance doesn't have to be the only way for your kids to earn money. Your child's initial exposure to the work-for-pay world can start with something as simple as a lemonade stand. Depending on age, he or she might do yard work for neighbors or offer babysitting services. And the fact that we're in a recession makes it all the more appropriate for older kids to "help out" by getting a part-time job—especially to fund unnecessary purchases like DVDs or cool clothing.

Divorce: How To Maintain Sanity And Raise Balanced Kids

2011-02-22T11:16:00.001-08:00

Parenting is a challenging proposition no matter what the situation, but when a divorce is taking place, parenting becomes an obstacle course. Not only are you dealing with your personal tragedy and are attempting to keep your life moving forward, but in addition to dealing with your crisis you can only guess how your child is being affected, especially when the divorce is less than amicable.

Making matters worse is the new parenting arrangement that forces the parties to the divorce to suddenly become master communicators about parenting, school issues, and of course the visitation schedule. In some cases the joint custody agreements that now make up the majority of shared parenting requests during divorces are extremely complex and complicated, determining the when and where of parenting down to the second.

If you find that you are in this maelstrom of chaos, sit back and go back to the basics. Here to help you is the divorcing parent's guide to parenting in a simple do and don't listing.

The Do's

Maintain and open door policy with your children and make yourself available at all times to talk about the separation of living quarters between you and your spouse. Your children need to understand that they had no role in your decision to divorce and that they are not to blame for anything that happened.
Children will need to work through the grief that comes from losing the family. This might cause the typical stages of grief, including bargaining, reasoning and anger. You may find that you are the target for these emotions. Remain calm, even if your children express anger, and remember that you are the adult in the room. While you do not need to justify yourself to your children, you should answer their questions factually, in an age appropriate manner.
Stabilize the upheaval your children are experiencing. This is not the time to move them to a new school or daycare center, but instead it is the time to keep everything exactly the same, even if you need to drive out of your way to pick up your children.
Set up a support network. Your children's teachers, caregivers, and other adults should know that you are divorcing and on the lookout for odd behaviors. This may also help them to make themselves available if your children need to open up to someone other than you.
Involve your children in your plans. If you are thinking of moving, enlist your children's help in the process. Give them a lot of warning ahead of time so they can get used to the idea. Anything that presents a change to their already upside down home environment should be discussed well ahead of the event.
Listen closely to what your children tell you. No matter how small the matter may appear to you, to your child they may be of greatest significance, especially now that their living situation has changed completely.
Come up with new family traditions and way of doing things. This provides a sense of continuity and also a sense of belonging.

Here are the Don'ts

Refrain from speaking in negative terms about your former spouse. Remember that she or he is still your child's other parent, and no matter what you think about the person, your child still loves them dearly! Forcing your child to take sides will backfire on you, even if initially they side with you.
Avoid using your children as messengers to your former spouse. If you have something to pass on, contact your former spouse or their attorney directly, but do not make your kids pass notes or carry verbal information back and forth. If it is a bad message, your children will be on the receiving end of the frustration!

Word to Live by
Truth be told, there is no easy way out of a divorce. Help yourself and your children to adjust to the new way of life with the help of a mental health specialist. In some cases it may take a bit of time for obvious behavioral outbursts to take place, but even if they are slow in coming, they are nonetheless virtually inevitable.

Remember that both you and your child are adjusting to the new living quarter, the environment, and the absence of the other parent. Individual and also family counseling may help everyone to move on.