Archives for 2019

Teachers do so much for our children. It’s so important to thank them for it. Want to show a little gratitude to your kids’ teachers? Here’s a list of simple ways to help them feel as amazing as they are!

Printables – Help your child show his or her appreciation in a special way with these free downloadable printables:
Thank You Teacher Printable

 

Gift Cards – Everyone can use a gift card — especially teachers! Show your appreciation by giving them gift of whatever they want.
Amazon Thank You Gift Cards

Gift Baskets – This is a great gift from the whole class. You can fill it with anything- gum, supplies, wipes, etc. Ask your kids for ideas too; they know their teacher best.
Gift Basket

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Get crafty – This craft features EOS lip balm and is a sweet token of appreciation for any student. Personalize it by adding the teacher’s name on top and your child’s name at the bottom.
Lip Balm Teacher Gift

 

Tons of Puns – Here’s a fun list of gift ideas that involve some clever word play to you can use as a tags on your gift tokens of appreciation.
50 Sayings for Teacher Gifts

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Boys and girls have always been attracted to one another, but the age attraction begins varies tremendously from one person to another. For some, those feelings of attraction start in the later years of their life, which is when they step into online sites to find their perfect match, for others it begins in elementary school. And for a few others, it’s not until high school.

Although the age gap varies, when a child of 9- or 10-years-old begins to show romantic interest in another, parents need to be proactive in communicating and establishing guidelines. Here are some tips to help:

Set the stage

Take your preteen’s relationships seriously. Attractions are normal and will only increase as children grow. Remember the way he or she views and conducts relationships now paves the way for future dating relationships.

Get their view

Ask your child how he or she defines “dating,” “going out” or “having a boyfriend/girlfriend.” Then share your views. Reinforce the need to always respect others and oneself.

Keep the line of communication open

If the relationship has gelled, continue dialoguing so you know how it is progressing. Ask open-ended questions in a casual way: “What do you like about this boy?” “What do you have in common?” “How does he treat you?” “Who are his friends?” “How do you feel about them?” “Do you feel respected by this person?” This gets your child thinking about what is important in a relationship.

Establish & discuss relationship boundaries

These could include not being alone with the boy/girlfriend, having parental supervision at home, not being allowed in each other’s bedrooms, no touching, staying in group settings and having a curfew, to name a few. Equally important is to help your preteens understand why these boundaries are there so they begin to develop an internal compass.

Set expectations in other realms of life

Remind your preteen the importance of remaining focused on academics and extra-curricular activities, as well as maintaining current friendships. Set guidelines about phone and Internet use too.

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Monitor media exposure

The messages young people receive from music, TV, movies, books and magazines are laden with love, sex and relationships. Make sure these messages line up with your family’s values. If you see or hear something questionable with their media, use it as an opportunity to discuss your values in a non-confrontational way. Realize your preteen may question your values, particularly if they don’t line up with media messages or their friends’ values. This is normal and means they are questioning, but not necessarily rejecting, what you embrace.

Know their friends

They have a tremendous influence on the way your child thinks, talks and acts. Open your home and encourage your preteen to invite his or her friends over so you know them and see how they interact.

Discuss dress

Share with your preteen that the way we dress sends a message to others. Clothing should be modest and should not have provocative messages written on it. Set the standard by being a good role model in the way you dress.

Honor privacy to a point

Reserve the right to inspect your preteen’s backpack or room if he or she becomes secretive or begins to show other signs that concern you.

Allow expression of emotions

Don’t minimize your preteen’s feelings, no matter how trivial they may seem. This is particularly true for boys who may think they need to suppress it. At the same time, teach him or her to make decisions based on careful thought, not heartfelt emotions.

Lend emotional support

Most preteen relationships are short lived. When the relationship ends, your child may or may not be hurt, but your sensitivity and empathy toward the situation will build a healthy trust and bond between you.

Know when it is time to intervene

If the relationship moves beyond innocent, the preteen becomes obsessive or you begin to see unhealthy behaviors, contact your school counselor or other professional for advice.

By Denise Yearian, former editor of two parenting magazines and the mother of three children and four grandchildren.

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Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer, a time when pool-owners and pool-goers alike get ready for a summer of splashing in the water. Unfortunately, it’s also the time when you hear about tragic drownings. As such, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and PoolSafely.gov are reminding parents to take every possible precaution to ensure the safety of their children in the water by taking the following Pool Safely Pledge.

I pledge that I will…
• Designate a water watcher every single time children in my care are in or near the water.
• Make sure my kids know how to swim.
• As a parent or guardian, learn CPR.
• Always remove portable pool ladders when not in use.
• Ensure all permanent pools have a proper fence and gate and safer drain covers.

You can submit your pledge here.

For more information from the CPSC on recent statistics involving drownings and water injuries involving children, click here.

In a world where mass shootings have become chillingly commonplace, parents are naturally hesitant to let their teens venture off to concerts and other crowded public places with friends.

Like many families the shock and horror of what happened at a recent concert in Las Vegas and a few month ago in Manchester have been a major topic of conversation in our house. We are music fans and concert-goers and these senseless attacks hit us hard. The images of people running, injured and scared and frantic, are devastating. So we talk. We talk not only about the news as it comes in, but also about “now what?”

My daughter, Hannah, and I want a share a bit about what those conversations are like.

Eric: My first inclination is that you’re not going to a show without me. Ever. Like never. But that’s really not possible. Or likely. Or fair. Or right. I know that going to shows with your friends, at your age, is the best. I remember those shows. So we have to figure it out.

Hannah: I’m going to a show with my friend in a couple of weeks. We only bought two tickets. Let’s figure it out.

And so we came up with a plan, an action plan. We’re calling it “14 ways your 14 year-old daughter can go to show with her 14 year-old friend.” If you have things to add to it, we don’t mind if you change the title.

1. My parents are putting a data plan on my phone so that I don’t have to rely on access to Wifi if I need it to reach them.
2. I’ll keep a fully-charged extra battery (and cord) in my purse.
3. We will have a confirmed meeting place inside the venue where my parents can access without a ticket.
4. We will have a secondary meeting place outside the venue in case of emergency.
5. We’re going to look at a map of the venue and we will choose and use venue entrances that are not the “main” ones because it will be less crowded and easier to meet up.
6. I will keep a contact card with emergency contact information inside my iPhone case and an ID card with my name and contact information for my parents will be in my pocket or purse in case I lose my phone. At 14, I don’t have a driver’s licence.
7. I will make sure that I have phone numbers in my contacts for all of my family (ie., grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.).
8. My parents will have the phone numbers for my friend that I’m going to the show with and their parents and vice versa.
9. I will always have a 20-dollar bill for emergency ONLY in my purse. (A concert t-shirt is not an emergency, says my Dad. But looking at his t-shirt collection, you would think otherwise).
10. We will hang back in our seats after the show ends and let the crowd thin out a bit. Even 10 minutes will be thousands of people less leaving at the same time.
11. My parents will be having dinner across the street and I’ll know where they are. 5 minutes away.
12. We will stick together. When one of us goes to the bathroom or to get a drink, we both go. Always. No exceptions.
13. We will check in throughout the show – the first time will be when I get to my seat and again when the show is over.
14. I will ask venue staff if I need help or directions.

A PS from Eric (aka Dad):

And because I have the benefit of having more concert-going experience and knowledge than most, there a couple of things that I want to add, as a parent:

• Many venues for shows that are attended by this age group have designated spaces inside for parents/guardians to hang out. If the venue has this, I’m there.

• I will only buy her tickets for seats – not general admission or floors. In a chaotic situation, that space could get dangerous and I know that she’s safer in a seat in the stands. Picture it, you know what I mean.

• Because I’m sometimes on social media, I might follow the tweets from reporters who are live-tweeting the show. Just keeping an eye on it.

This is what feels right for us, for now. It could change. We’ve all seen how fast our comfort zones can change. Only you know, what yours is and it will be right for you.

With love and strength to Manchester, Ariana Grande and her team.

 

By Eric Alper, publicist and music commentator, and his daughter Hannah. Read more about them at www.thatericalper.com

 

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