Parenting | Working Woman

Two Jobs and Time for the Kids

Of American households containing two parents and at least one child, most are operating on more than one paycheck. The most likely situation is with both parents working outside the home. It can be very difficult to see how parents can spend 10 or more hours every day working and commuting, doing the shopping, preparing meals, doing laundry, cleaning, and still have any time left to spend with their children. It is undoubtedly difficult, but parents facing this situation should take heart–it is not impossible.

Parents who have a sincere wish to spend quality time with their children will likely find a number of ways to do so. For instance, most parents make the half-hour before bedtime a special time of reading, cuddling and talking to their children. Additionally, weekends and days off are typically planned for special outings or events that are centered around the child’s interests. Even the simplest of activities around the house can involve spending time with the children. For instance, most children love the opportunity to help mom and dad prepare meals. You can find ways to turn household chores and laundry into a game, which will also encourage your children to participate.

Sometimes the most important thing in your day will be to take an hour, turn off your cell phone and sprawl out in the floor of your child’s room, playing with toys, dolls and blocks. Your children will probably treasure these times with you far more than the luxuries you could provide by working more hours. Building a solid relationship with your children, even when you are overworked and pressed for time, is a priority and should be treated as such. Take unconventional opportunities to connect with your child, such as chatting during car trips and engaging them in conversation during meals. These years will fly by quicker than you can believe, so taking every moment you can is encouraged.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting, Working Moms Tagged With: Child, Family, Housekeeping, Parent

Protecting Your Computer From Your Kids

Wondering how to let your kids explore the wonders of the Internet without risking them clicking on a Trojan or accidentally downloading a virus? Here are some tips on how to make sure your computer is safe.

Install antivirus software. You should already have an antivirus program installed on your computer, but if you need added incentive to protect your computer, imagining your child clicking away at all of the links to viruses should convince you. Putting this software, such as the PC Tools antivirus, on your computer will protect your computer from any viruses. When your children are first beginning to use the computer, having this software already installed will protect your computer from your children’s unwitting clicks to a destructive Trojan or virus.

Supervise your child. There are more than enough places for your child to get into trouble when online. Making sure that you watch your children when they are on the computer will allow you to show them how to browse the Internet safely and will ensure that they are learning how use the computer. This is especially necessary when your children are just learning to use the computer, as you can prevent them from going to a inappropriate web page or from clicking on an untrustworthy site.

Teach your child. Once you have your computer protected and are supervising your children in their Internet browsing, be sure to teach them basic computer skills and warn them about heading onto unknown websites. This will allow your children to understand how to navigate the web at a young age and will give you the peace of mind to let them explore without you watching them.

The Internet has incredible amounts of knowledge and entertainment that will not only entertain your kids, but help them grow and learn. Make sure you can allow your children access to this wide array of knowledge with the proper protection on your computer.

Filed Under: Parenting, Resources Tagged With: antivirus

Latchkey Kids

With most two-parent families having both adults working outside the home, and the surge in the number of single-parent families, latchkey kids are more prevalent in America than ever. The reasons are numerous, including difficulty in finding after-school care, cost of babysitting and daycare centers, no public after school programs and kids’ insistence that they can take care of themselves for a few hours. For those who live in rural areas or in suburban communities, they may be right.

Only a few states have laws defining the age that a child can be left alone for a few hours; most states give only a recommendation. However, the deciding factor in most cases pertains to the maturity level of the child in question and how many children are in the home. Only children are much less likely to get into mischief than those with siblings, and many are quite responsible and self-sufficient. Setting ground rules and allowing the child to stay home by himself for quick outings will help parents and children learn what to expect from a latchkey experience.

Children should be taught to lock up after entering their home and never answer the front door, regardless of who might be ringing the bell. Any adult who has the authority to enter the home and assume control of the child should have a house key. Children can also be taught how to read a caller I.D. box, and only answer those calls initiated by a parent. Keeping snacks and drinks that do not have to be prepared ensures that the child will not need to use a stove top or microwave oven. Also, asking your child to complete all homework before moving on to anything else will do much to keep him or her occupied and out of trouble. Parents can also ask a neighbor or other relative to check in the child, should they be delayed in returning home themselves.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Parent, Single-parent

Single Parenting Easier With a Nanny

Single parenting is never an easy task, but many women, and more than a few men, are able to accomplish it. They are rarely doing it alone, however. Some will have help from family members, or the other, non-residing parent. Others have help in the form of a nanny. A nanny is an in-home child care provider. She may or may not be offered room and board as part of her compensation. Likewise, her duties may include more than just chaperoning the children. She may cook, run errands, ferry the children to and from school, extracurricular and social activities, or even perform some household chores. Hiring a Nanny to help with child care an other needs can be the answer to a number of problems for single parents.

Finding a nanny is typically no easy chore. You will need to make sure that you select a candidate with a good background and similar values. Additionally, you want to make sure that your nanny and your children have the possibility of building a good rapport. Children who are unhappy with their child care providers are much more difficult to control, and may even end up resentful of you for sticking them with someone they do not like. Finally, you will need to make sure that the nanny you select is willing to work for a salary you can afford.

Before you begin interviewing nannies, it is a good idea to anticipate questions and make a comprehensive list of answers. For instance, what days can the nanny plan on having off to herself? Does the salary include room and board, and if so, will you have any restrictions on her personal time while in your home? Are visitors in her off-hours allowed? Will you ever need her to remain in charge of the children overnight? What time does her day begin, and when will her workday end? You will be much more effective in interviewing if you have these answers prepared in advance.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Childcare, Nanny

A New Design for Home Schooling: The Rise of Online Education

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Pay attention. This is extremely important. The reason? It involves the welfare of your children. If you’re a parent considering the options of the future regarding the education of your child, leading him or her into a well-adjusted adult life, you might want to read some of this….

Online education is on the rise, friends. That’s the way the digital age looks these days. Naturally, you have to stay well informed and updated on the new information. The fact is more and more students are pursuing online degrees at an alarming rate, and all because of their convenience, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. Moreover, recognize the real possibility that if your child attends an online school, you have the added benefit of keeping your soon-to-be college freshman at home, saving money on dealing with a dorm room or apartment (provided your kid actually wants to stay!).

There’s something profound, though, about the concept of online degrees in that not only does it benefit the high school graduate, it can in fact benefit the parent even more than income-wise. For instance: K12.com brings quality to home schooling on a level you thought you could never imagine. Effectively, a parent can bring an online school right into the home, optimizing any home schooling curriculum to the point where a parent almost doesn’t have to stress. Imagine the benefits now when dealing with online degrees. Amazing, isn’t it?

If you’re interested in having your high school senior graduate pursue an online degree, there are resources in which to do research. One in particular is eLearners.com, providing an up-to-date comprehensive list of online universities and degrees. Now is the time to appreciate the inclusive power of online education for all ages. Tap into it. One day your son or daughter may thank you later in life for helping you make one of the most important decisions of his or her life.

Filed Under: Parenting, Resources Tagged With: E-learning, online degrees, Student

Securing Your Children’s Future With Life Insurance

If your family depends on you financially, purchasing life insurance is an important way to secure their future. Death is an uncomfortable subject for many people and unless faced with a serious illness or old age, the possibility of death may not be on your mind. However, if you financially support your children or are responsible for other family members, you want to be sure that your loved ones are well taken care of in the event of an unthinkable occurrence. Once you have mentally prepared for this possibility, you can easily find affordable life insurance using online insurance quotes.

Determining if you Need Life Insurance

The importance of life insurance cannot be stressed enough if you financially support your family. If you and your spouse both need to work to pay the monthly bills and you have dependents relying on you for food and shelter, then life insurance is necessary. Even with one spouse left behind, his or her income may not be enough to cover all expenses. While working, he or she will have to pay for someone to care for the children, unless you have family willing to pitch in.

Another consideration for purchasing life insurance is the large number of costs associated with managing burial and funeral services. If your family does not have savings and would not have the money to pay for such unexpected expenses, you can protect them by purchasing life insurance.

Using Online Insurance Quotes to Make a Decision

Online insurance quotes make it easy to purchase life insurance. You can easily compare life insurance prices while at home and make this very important decision. After purchasing life insurance, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that the future of your children and other loved ones are secure. Should something happen to you, they will not struggle financially and will have the resources they need to live healthy lives.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: Family (biology), Insurance, Life insurance

Do You Still Need a Sitter?

A question that has plagued both new and experienced parents is when a child is old enough to be left alone for short and extended periods of time. The answer is a complicated equation involving state laws, the maturity level of the child in question and the length of time the parent will be away. Other variables may also factor in, such as whether one lives in a suburban or inner city area, if the child has siblings he will need to be in charge of and whether the parent will be gone during the day or evening.

Most states do not have an established age for when children can be left briefly without a sitter or child care provider, choosing to offer simple guidelines instead. The laws are not usually an issue, until and unless the unthinkable should happen while your child is taking care of himself. For this reason, it is usually best to make individual judgments based on the child’s level of responsibility. Many children are more than capable of taking care of themselves for a couple of hours by the time they reach age 12 or so. Kids in the junior high school range can often let themselves into the home after school and be content until a parent is able to return from his or her job. For this to work, however, there will need to be strict rules set for the child. It is of utmost importance that the child understand the rules that are set, as well as the reasons for doing so.

Most parents will not consider allowing a child to say home alone in evenings until they are in high school. By the age of 14, most teens are responsible enough to keep themselves entertained and even to sit for younger children. Of course, special considerations should be made for families with many children, as this may be more than a young teen can handle on her own. Unchaperoned overnights are rarely a good idea for children of any age.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Childcare, Parent

Read to Your Little Ones

Parents, Educators and Psychologists all agree, to promote literacy and encourage a love of reading in your children, you must begin reading to them as early as possible. Experts have said that no other variable has as much influence on a child’s early school success, and early school success is much more likely to mean success in the later years, as well. Parents can begin reading to their children from birth; even if your toddler does not seem to be listening, or does not appear to be interested, he will benefit from hearing you read to him. Most teachers agree that 20 minutes per day is the minimum amount of time that parents should spend reading to their children.

As children get older, they will often imitate your reading, even going so far as to drag their fingers across the page while reciting their favorite story. Allowing them to do this is a great way to encourage them to make the connection between the sounds they hear, the meanings of the words, and the printed words on the page. Most educators believe that all three of these components must be present in order for true literacy to be achieved.

Children who are read to are typically reading themselves as early as age three or four. When your child is first learning to read, take turns with him, you reading on page and him reading the next. Should he get stuck on a basic word, try to let him puzzle the words out on his own, before jumping in to rescue him. Conversely, words that are completely foreign to him should be introduced as they are encountered. This will keep the child from becoming frustrated, or from seeing the reading activity as a chore to be endured. Instead, he will likely develop a love of reading that can last his entire lifetime and ensure his future success.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Literacy, Teacher

Choosing a Daycare

For working parents, few decisions are as important as the choosing of child care options for their young children. For school age children, before and after school care are just as important as full-day care. Parents should look for facilities that are clean, tidy and well-kept. They should also make sure that child care professionals are licensed or certified, as per state regulations, and that extensive background checks were performed by the facility before hiring. Day care facilities should be more than just safe, however; they should also be engaging for the child.

If at all possible, ask for a trial period with your day care facility, when you can drop by unexpectedly. Is your child bored, or occupied? Is he playing with other children or parked in front of a television? What snacks has he been offered? Are your requests concerning food choices and activities being honored? These questions should be answered to your satisfaction before you commit to any day care facility or provider. Another important consideration concerns the operation of the facility in situations like bad weather, holidays, or child illness. Keep in mind that if the day care agrees to keep your child while he is contagious, then they are also agreeing to keep other children who may infect yours.

The final considerations include proximity to your home and workplace and the cost of the care provided. Some larger before and after school facilities may offer transportation to and from the child’s school. Day care fees will also vary widely among different communities, and even within the same center for special needs children, those still bottle-feeding, and kids who are not yet potty trained. Average costs can range from $400 to $800 or more; some parents may be better off financially by changing work schedules, arranging to telecommute, or even getting by on only one income. If none of these are options, you may try applying for assistance from your local social services agency.

Filed Under: Parenting, Teenage Tagged With: Childcare, Day care, Parent

Teach Your Children Financial Responsibility

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Children often mimic their parents, so you want to make sure that you’re setting a good example. One area where that’s vital is financial responsibility. If you’re not financially responsible, why should your children be? You need to tell them about the value of it, but you need to show them, as well. If you do both, they’ll be a lot more likely to learn the value of money and how to handle it properly. There are all kinds of ways in which a person can fall into debt and get into trouble, so you’ll want to show your children that it’s important to budget and to think carefully about the kinds of purchases that are being made. Saving money and investing it are also good lessons.

Of course, even the best-laid plans can sometimes go astray. If that happens to you, you’ll want to be sure that you know what to do next. If you find yourself in a serious financial bind and you don’t have a way to dig yourself out, you may need to see a debt consolidation service. They can help you figure out a way to get out of debt by reducing your interest rate and consolidating your bills into one low payment. Then, you just make the payment to the service and the service pays your creditors. That way, you get your debts paid and don’t have to worry about missing a payment.

If you do need to see a consolidation service, be sure to take your children with you. Show them the value of not ending up in that kind of position, but also show them that it sometimes happens and that there are people who can help you. If you don’t take a careful look at the people and agencies that can help you when you need it, you won’t know who to turn to when you have a problem.

Filed Under: Finance, Parenting, Teenage Tagged With: Credit card, Debt, Debt consolidation