- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Perfect Parenting Keys
An Excerpt from Perfect Parenting
By Elizabeth Pantley
Another way to approach this problem is to ask helpful questions and direct the child into coming up with solutions on his own. Therefore you might ask, "I notice that your homework is scattered all over your room. Do you think it might be easier to keep track of if you create a 'homework place'? How can I help you solve this problem?"
Yet another example of this approach is to take the time to discuss the issue with your child and ask for his ideas. "I know the mess in your room doesn't bother you, but I find it difficult to change your bed or put away your clothes. Can you help me come up with some solutions?" As you can see, any of these techniques provide the parent with a variety of ways to encourage the child to become involved in solving the problem.
Key #7: Use rules and routines.
Chores, homework, mealtime, bedtime, getting out the door in the morning. These are the things life is made of. If you have very specific rules and routines you will find that things flow. If you don't - chaos. It's well worth the time to establish family priorities, rules and schedules for the usual daily routines.
The first part of this key takes more than a few minutes of thought. You'll need to sit down and take time to ponder your daily activities. You'll need to make some decisions about priorities and what's most important in your family. Once you've done this, create charts to cover the steps involved in each major task, such as the morning routine, the after school routine, or the bedtime routine. Purchase and post a large family calendar to show all the family activities and commitments. (This helps the adults in the family stay organized just as much as it helps the kids!)
