Your Kids Know More than You Do: 3 Things to Learn from Them
Kids nowadays are growing up in a world surrounded by technology. There’s no doubt that this affects the way they think and learn. You may think too much technology is bad for kids, but they will tell you it improves their lives. Here are three major things your kids know about technology that you need to learn and embrace.
You Have Access to Information at Your Fingertips, Use It
Have you ever had a question and were left wondering the answer? This is something kids never have to experience because the Internet is readily available on smartphones, tablets, and computers. You can find the answer to anything on the Internet, whether you want to know a baseball player’s batting average or find out how far away Oklahoma is. Kids will teach you that you should be less concerned about learning facts and more concerned about learning how to find the facts. After all, there’s no reason to memorize something if you can look it up in a few short seconds. As soon as a kid can read, the Internet is a virtual playground of information.
Staying Connected with Friends is Easy Thanks to Social Networking
Do you ever wonder what you best friend from high school is up to nowadays? Kids never have to lose touch with friends because they can stay connected thanks to social networks. You can reconnect with old friends, too. This is something that wasn’t possible only a decade ago because you had to make time for a phone call or send letters through snail mail.
Connecting with friends on the Internet doesn’t make them any less of friends. Kids are more social than ever thanks to social networking and this is something you need to learn, too. According to the Washington Post, the average Facebook user has 245 friends. However, kids will have ten times that many by the time they are adults. Imagine what possibilities and connections that opens up when looking for jobs.
Technology Doesn’t Complicate Your Life, It Improves It
All the latest tech news shows that kids know how to use technology to improve their lives. This goes far beyond simply looking up information on the Internet. Kids use technology to stay fit, find jobs, connect with people, get directions, be entertained, and so much more. Most of this is done through smartphone and tablet apps. In the past, only the most tech-savvy individuals carried around pocket PCs and electronic schedulers. Now, you see smartphones and tablets in almost every kid’s hand.
Many adults are scared of technology, especially people over the age of 55. They think using it will just complicate their lives. Yes, there is a bit of a learning curve, but if you can get past that, your life will be so much better. This is something you can learn from kids. They use technology every day to improve their lives.
Jessica Salt is a freelance writer who loves what she does. She covers everything from tech news to DIY and everything in between. When she’s not glued to her computer, you can find her outside riding her bike or making a mess in the kitchen. You can follow her and her work on Twitter @thejessicasalt.
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Best costumes for kids and mom and dad costumes for the family.
How to Build Communication Bridges with Your Teen
Raising a child doesn’t come with a book of instructions. If it did, the task would be much easier. Facing the teenage years with your son or daughter is not something most parents look forward to. This article will help you take the experience one day at a time and learn how to bridge the communication gap.
As your child goes from toddler to youngster to tween to teenager, something in what you say gets lost in translation. They can give you that blank stare as if the words that are coming out of your mouth sound like the unseen teacher in the Charlie Brown cartoons.
It’s not easy to improve the communication bridges with a teen but it’s important to try to get through as these years and the choices they make now will have a vital impact on their future.
Here are a few tips to help you get started:
1. Watch your body language. How you move says a lot about you. When a person is tired, they tend to slump. When angered, your jaw muscles tighten and your eyes narrow into slits. Believe it or not, teenagers are good at interpreting body language. Yours will betray you when you are talking to them. Keep it open and honest. Avoid sitting with your arms crossed, eyes looking away from them or squirming in your seat.
2. Make eye contact. When you don’t look at the person you are talking to it says that you are either hiding something or you are not at all interested in what they have to say. Your teenager will shut down emotionally when they suspect that you are not “tuned in” to them. Sit comfortably and give your teen undivided attention with consistent eye contact. It lets them know that you care.
3. Keep your emotions in check. Remember back to when you were a teenager. Some of the things you said to your parents were aimed at freaking them out. Teenagers will push your buttons if they can. Don’t go overboard and get upset. Their target is the situations they know make you mad. Instead, take a deep breath and ignore the taunt. Do the opposite of what they expect because really, they want you to see through their ploy and find out the real problem.
4. Ask them about their day. This technique works with spouses also. Even if your teen only grunts or says the obligatory, “It was okay,” ask anyway. Your show of caring will go a long way to convince them that you are interested in the things that they do and how they feel.
5. Be honest with them. If you don’t understand the situation they are talking about then say so. Kids know when you are being insincere. Discuss the situation until you get an idea of where they are coming from. Your teen won’t mind explaining as long as they know you are listening.
6. Allow them their privacy. This one is tricky and since you know your child better than anyone else, you can draw the line. Teens value their time alone. While the policy in your home may be that there are no locks on the doors, always show respect by knocking before entering. If they don’t want to be pressed about a situation in school, wait until they are ready (if it’s not urgent) and then talk about it.
Parenting a teenager takes a tough skin, a willingness to be vulnerable and lots of love. You will make mistakes but whatever you do, don’t ever stop talking.
by Napping for Babies – How and Why?
It’s natural for babies to set their own sleeping patterns when they are first born, but as they get older needs change. The amount of sleep needed for a baby to grow in both brain and body development varies, but is essential and will happen without much help.
From the moment your baby is born to approximately five years of age, naps are an important part of allowing the body to recuperate and be able to properly grow and learn. After a while, you will almost immediately be able to tell if your baby needs a nap by his or her fussiness.
Infants
It may seem like an infant is always sleeping, which is probably right! On average, an infant will have two to four hour naps throughout the day, especially after a feeding and the changing of a diaper. Infants are very tired as their little bodies are growing and adjusting to this new world.
Given this average that goes around the clock, an infant may need up to eight naps during the day hours totaling approximately 16 hours of sleep. Babies will have few spurts of time that they are awake, but it will be minimal during those first six to eight weeks.
Three to Four Months Old
As your baby grows, he or she will become more alert and awake for longer periods of time, but will require around 15 hours of sleep per day. This means that your baby will take between three to five naps per day that may evenly be spread throughout the day.
At this point, you may want to encourage the longer wake periods during the day and naps that are no longer than two to three hours each, in order for your baby to start to sleep through the night. This is the critical stage of beginning to teach your baby about day and night sleeping.
Six Months Old
At six months old, your baby has probably already begun to eat baby cereal and will start to take only two naps per day – one in the mid-morning and one in the mid-afternoon. At this age, babies need an average of 14 hours of sleep to continue with their growth and development.
This age also marks the point that your baby should definitely be sleeping through the night. This is also the time that you want to introduce a napping routine. Have a set schedule and time for your baby to take both the morning and afternoon naps. A schedule, if followed, will most likely give your baby not only the sleep he or she needs, but a routine that can be counted on.
Nine to Twelve Months Old
Once your baby reaches nine months of age, you will notice that he or she no longer needs the morning nap and is full of energy until after lunch. At this age it is very common for a baby to only take one nap in the afternoon.
On average, a baby between the nine and 12 month age will sleep approximately 13 to 14 hours per day. Babies are usually sleeping through the night if you stick with a routine where they know when it is nap time and when it is time to sleep for the night.
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