Parenting Articles:
Being What We Want to See
By: Norma Schmidt
My parents had just come home from a farmer's market and noticed an extra bag of peaches.
"You have to take these back," my mom told my dad. "WE HAVE KIDS. We can't keep something we didn't pay for."
My mother was putting her finger on an essential truth: Kids absorb the values they see adults putting into action.
Ever notice how quickly kids spot any inconsistency between what we say and what we do? Long before kids can spell "hypocrisy," they notice when our actions fall short of our words.
"Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you," author Robert Fulghum says.
Kids need to see us "walking the talk."
IN FACT, WE TEACH KIDS BEST WHEN WE PRACTICE "BEING WHAT WE WANT TO SEE" IN THEM.
If you volunteer in your child's school, you might have noticed that savvy teachers practice "being what they want to see" in their students.
These teachers encourage respect by speaking respectfully to their students, even when correcting them. They teach self-control by sticking to "indoor voices" in the classroom, especially in situations that could provoke angry shouting.
"Being what we want to see" isn't always easy - though perhaps it's easier with other people's children!
At home one day, I found myself shouting "STOP YELLING!" at the top of my lungs. I caught the inconsistency between my words and behavior about two seconds before my child commented on it.
OUR EXAMPLE POWERFULLY INFLUENCES OUR CHILDREN'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
If we vent our anger through yelling, put-downs or sarcasm, that's how our kids will learn to handle their anger.
I once heard a preschool teacher say that by listening to the children, she could tell exactly how their mothers spoke to their husbands!
If we respond to unpleasant situations with kindness, self-control and respect, then our kids will learn that.
Not all at once, and not perfectly. But surely.
And that extra bag of peaches?
Soon after my dad left to return them, the phone rang.
"We stopped by, but you weren't home," my grandmother said. "Did you get the bag of peaches we left you?"
We all shared a big laugh when my dad got home. And more than 35 years later, whenever a clerk makes an error in my favor, I remember the peaches.
Author Bio
Norma Schmidt, M.A., M.Div., is a parent of two and a former Lutheran minister with experience as a pastor and a cancer center chaplain. She gives workshops on parenting and on living with illness. To get her free report, "61 Great Ways to Teach Kids About Money," visit www.ParentCafeOnline.com/pages/53/index.htm
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content
Toy Articles:
Playing the Judge: The Who, What and Why behind the best known toy awards
By: Heather Rhoades
Parents today want toys that are both fun and educational for their children. Toy manufacturers want toys that are big hits with both kids and parents. Enter in the Toy Awards. There are several awards given each year for Best of Breed toys, but they all judge toys on different criteria. Some may judge from a kids point of view, while others may be from an educators point of view, while others judge toys based on an adults view of what a kid would like. We have listed some of the best known toy awards and how those awards judge toys.
Family Fun Toy Award
This toy award is given out by the Family Fun magazine, which is a magazine for parents with children. The Family Fun Toy Award is broken into categories for both age and style of toy, plus a Top Ten list which includes all the toys together. Family Fun Toy Award only judges toys that have been introduced by toy makers for the upcoming year.
Family Fun Toy Award is judged solely by children and goes through two rounds of voting. The first round is with a group of 100 - 200 children conducted at a research firm. The toys that are voted as the children's favorites then go onto round two. Round two consists of a group of 1000-1500 children at day-care centers trying and voting for their favorite toys.
All the votes are then tabulated and the results are published in the Family Fun magazine and on the Family Fun website.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Awards
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Awards is also referred to as the Oppenheim Awards. This award is given out by the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio which is an independent consumer review company run by a mother and daughter team with a background in child development. The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio not only gives out the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Awards but also releases their reviews of all the toys they have judged. The award is broken down into developmental stages as well as categories. The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Awards only judge toys that have been introduced by toy makers for the upcoming year.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Awards is judged by both adults and children. There are two rounds that determine the winners. The first round is done by a panel of Oppenheim experts who look at the quality and safety of a toy as well as the developmental appropriateness of a toy. If the toy passes the first round, it is then sent to the second round, which is tester families who then try the toy for several weeks. The toy is then rated by both the parents and the children.
All of the reviews are combined and the winners are determined. The results of the reviews are then published in the annual Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and are announced on the NBC's Today Show.
Dr. Toy Award
This awards is given out by the Dr. Toy website. Dr. Toy is actually Dr. Stevanne Auerbach, the director for Institute for Childhood Resources. The award is broken down into toy style categories with a Best of Best category. The Dr. Toy Awards judge toys that are submitted by toy manufacturers and are deemed suitable for possibly being a Dr. Toy Award winning toy.
Dr. Toy Award is judged by adults. If the toy is accepted to be judged, it is reviewed by members of the Institute for Childhood Resources and "Dr. Toy". The reviewers are looking for toys that will help develop a healthy play atmosphere for children.
The results are then re-reviewed and the final determination of who the winners are is made. The results are published on the Dr. Toy Website.
Great American Toy Test
This award is given out by KTVU, Channel 2 of San Francisco, CA. It is held annually. The award is broken down into toy style categories with a Best of Best category. The Great American Toy Test judges toys that are submitted by toy makers.
Great American Toy Test is judged by both children and adults. The toys are shipped to day-care and latchkey centers all over the United States where children play with the toys while being observed by their teachers and care takers. The toys are then reviewed by both children and adults for a wide range of standards including short- & long-term interest, quality and fun.
The results are combined and the results are announced on a KTVU news broadcast and published on the KTVU website.
T.O.T.Y. Award
T.O.T.Y. Award stands for, quite simply, the Toy of The Year Award. This award is given out by the Toy Industry Association. This award is broken down into toy style categories with a top award given to one toy. T.O.T.Y. Award judges all toys that are being sold in North America during that year's judging.
T.O.T.Y. Award is judged by adults. The adults are members of the Toy Industry Association. The toys can be nominated for final voting by either Toy Industry Association members without a fee or any non-member who is willing to pay the $50 nomination fee. The nominated toys are then voted on by all members of the Toy Industry Association.
The results of the final vote are tabulated and the winners are announced at the annual T.O.T.Y. Awards Ceremony, where the winners will be inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. The results are also published on the Toy Industry Association website.
The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval is given out by The National Parenting Center. The award is broken down into toy style categories and by developmental stages. The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval judges all toys that have been introduced by toy makers for the upcoming year that are submitted to The National Parenting Center.
The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval is judged by both adults and children at a testing facility run by The National Parenting Center. Toys are judged on gathered information, observation of play interaction and playing with the toy. The results are created from both statistical data from surveys about the toy and tester comments.
The final results are published by The National Parenting Center in both publications and on their website.
Now that you know a little more about how different toy awards are given and judged, you will be better able to choose which of these awards will help you choose the right toy for your child.
Author Bio
Heather Rhoades is a mother of three boys and owner of the OneOnFun website. To help you search for the right toy for your child, visit OneOnFun.com and the OneOnFun Toy Search Engine
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content
Furniture Articles:
Baby Crib Advice and Tips
By: Martin Smith
Congratulations! You have just learned that you are having a baby. Whether this is your first or not you need to look at cribs. Do you have one already? Is it an antique? A second hand crib whether antique or not needs to be carefully looked at. This is for the safety of your new baby.
The screws, bolts, and/or other fasteners should all be in place. Are they loose? Will the position of the mattress hold under your baby's weight? It is imperative that this be tested before you put your baby in the crib. Take something that approximates the weight of your baby at about 4 months old. Bounce it off the mattress to be certain it will hold its position. If it doesn't it could cause serious injury to your baby or worse.
When setting up the nursery (if it isn't already up) consider very carefully where you will place the crib. If you place the crib near a window and you have Venetian blinds, either shorten the cords or anchor them somewhere that your baby can't reach and get a hold of them. If it all possible avoid placing the crib near the window. As your baby grows into a toddler and s/he attempts to climb out of the crib; s/he could possibly fall which could cause serious injury to your baby.
Blankets and your baby are not necessarily a good mix. With the incidents of SIDS today, you want to be sure to do everything that could possibly put your infant at risk. It is more advisable to put your baby to bed in a sleeper. If you absolutely have to have a blanket on the baby, tuck it tightly around and under the foot of the mattress with your baby's feet touching the footboard. Also you don't want to put the blanket any higher on the baby than up to his chest as that will help prevent him from slipping under the blankets and suffocating.
Bumper pads are a great concept but unless they are secured properly, there is a risk of your baby slipping between the mattress and the bumpers and possibly suffocating. If you use them they should be anchored in at least eight places one at each corner of the crib and at least two spaced evenly on each of the sides. There should be a total of 16 ties in all, for the top and bottom.
Mobiles are a nice addition and look adorable but... the caution here is that if you use a mobile as soon as your baby starts to sit up on his own the mobile should be taken down to prevent your baby from getting tangled in it. Also make sure that it has no small removable parts that your baby could choke on.
If your crib is second hand no matter whether you had for a previous child or you got it from someone else check out the mattress carefully. Make sure there are no cracks or holes in the mattress covering. Make sure too that the mattress properly fits in the crib. Here again, your child could slip between the mattress and the sidebars or the end boards and suffocate. The mattress should fit snugly in the crib. Now the sheets you use in your baby's crib should also fit properly and not slip and slide. Sheet anchors are available that hook on the sheet under the mattress and keep it in place.
The position of the mattress is imperative for your child's safety. Most parents put the mattress at the highest position when the baby first comes home because it is so much easier to change him in that position. As your baby becomes more active you will want to lower the mattress accordingly. Once your baby is able to pull up to a standing position put the mattress in the lowest possible position and to be sure your baby is safe, measure the distance between the top of the side bar and the mattress. In the lowest position the distance of the top of the side bar should be no more than 26 inches above the mattress. If your child's head is over the side bar or they climb out of the crib, it maybe time to move your child to a regular bed. Some cribs are convertible into beds tat will grow with your child.
The crib itself should be looked over for things that might put your baby at risk. Have you seen those cribs that have ornate designs carved into the end boards? They are beautiful but they pose a danger to your child. Your child could get his head or arm and leg caught and sustain an injury. The simpler the design of the crib the safer your child may be.
Since approximately 1974 federal safety guidelines for cribs state that the slats should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. This is to prevent your baby from getting his head stuck between the slats. This could cause injury to your baby but it would necessitate the removal of some of the slats and that alone would.
Author Bio
Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of Baby Crib Bedding and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.
