Putting Your Child To Bed
Are you glad for the chance to put your child to bed? Is this a great time for you and your kids or is it serious business? Is it a time in your day you look forward to, or do you have to grit your teeth to face the struggle? Bedtime is a terrific opportunity for us and our children. Spending just a few minutes with each of our children at bedtime can offer us the chance to really connect with them in ways that during the day, which is often hectic, it is much more difficult. I love bedtime. Not just the expectation of peace and quiet after they're asleep, but the opportunities for meaningful conversations that so often arise. When bedtime rolls around, my kids will do anything to stay up later. A function of this is everything that they said or did that hasn't come up during the day will come out. A lot of times this is when the most insightful questions, problems they may be facing, or just funny things that happened to them pop up. This is a great opportunity for me to hear about many important aspects of their lives that I might otherwise miss. It's also the perfect time to discuss these things in a quiet private setting. It gives me the chance to do some real parenting. I can take these opportunities to teach them about life, about God's purpose, and about their purpose. On every birthday my girls try to negotiate a new (later) bedtime. They aren't always successful but when I'm deciding on a bedtime I always make it a half-hour earlier than they really need to be in bed. Then I tell them they can read for a half-hour before finally turning out the light. This accomplishes two goals. They think they're getting away with something, and more importantly, it allows me time with each of them. I don't feel rushed, or that I'm keeping them up too late. Some nights we can take up to half of their reading time talking about their day. We need to remember not to use this time as a reminder of poor behavior that may have happened during the day. There are plenty of other opportunities for that. This is a time to clean the slate for the day, to listen, and set an optimistic tone for the new day. It is a time for forgiveness and for soothing hurts. You children will feel safe and secure in your love, and you will feel at peace as well. Since my girls were very young we have said our nightly prayers together. This is another opportunity to teach our children about God, his love, and his place in our lives. I also give each of my girls a blessing every night. This is so important to them that when they are away they call at night to receive their blessing over the phone. This is the blessing I use: "Oh gracious and heavenly Father, I thank you for my daughter/son (first, middle, and last name) whom I love more than anything. Please send your angels down from heaven to watch over her/him tonight, until tomorrow. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen. I understand the pressures of today's world. Two jobs, working late, meetings, and important household tasks. It is sometimes difficult to be there at bedtime for your children. We all have to make our own choices about this. Please ask yourself if the choice to be at your children's side during these short, precious, and critically important moments is the right one? As parents we have a profound effect on our children in those last moments of the day. I know the last thing I want my girls to remember before they drift off to sleep is how much I love them, and how much they love me! Russell Turner, USA
info@mychildhasdiabetes.com
http://www.mychildhasdiabetes.com
Russell Turner is the father of a 10 year old diabetic daughter. After she was diagnosed he soon discovered he could find all sorts of medical information on the internet. What he couldn't find was how to prepare his child and family for living with this disease. He started his own website for parents of newly diagnosed diabetic children - http://www.mychildhasdiabetes.com
Related News
New car technology to aid parenting skills - Great Dad
Give mom some parenting books - BlueRidgeNow.com
The Parenting Vote - New York Times
New York Times |
The Parenting VoteNew York Times, United States -18 hours agoBy Lisa Belkin Ask people with children what most shapes their worldview, and being a parent would likely be high on the list. ... |
Who claims the family policy agenda? - San Francisco Chronicle
Who claims the family policy agenda?San Francisco Chronicle, USA -Oct 9, 2008High rates of poverty, divorce, single parenthood and social isolation exaggerate the typical strains of parenting. As a result, the United States has one ... |
Your parenting happy place - San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle |
Your parenting happy placeSan Francisco Chronicle, USA -Oct 9, 2008When the bad times come, one thing I do to keep from getting out-of-control upset is remember one of my parenting happy places. I have maybe five or six of ... |
Parenting video series begins this Sunday - Charles City Press
Parenting video series begins this SundayCharles City Press, United States -20 hours agoA great parenting resource is being offered to interested families in Charles City. The first five segments of the video series, “Shepherding a Child’s ... |
Listen to your teens - Edmonton Sun
Listen to your teensEdmonton Sun, Canada -4 hours agoAs teens struggle to separate, parents need to adjust and fine-tune parenting style and attitudes to meet their teens' changing needs. ... |
DHS to drop ban on foster parenting by unwed couples - Arkansas News
Parenting imperfect: Sad moments help us appreciate joys - Oneonta Daily Star
Toy Tips and Parenting Hints Magazine and Saige Nicole’s Baby Boutique - PRarticle.com (press release)
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Keep the Little Ones Safe, Follow Pool Safety Guidelines
Pool safety should be on the minds of every parent out there. If you are lucky enough to own an above ground pool or inground pool, you know there are certain safety precautions you must take to protect your children and the children of your friends and neighbors. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 300 children under age 5 die and 2000 more children under age 5 visit hospital emergency rooms for submersion injuries every year. That's staggering. Some of the Sun Belt states list drowning as the leading cause of accidental death in the home of children under 5. These accidents usually occur in pools that are owned by their own family. These accidents happen quickly and a child can drowned in the time it takes to answer the phone. Usually the child that is in trouble is silent as there is no splashing around alerting anyone that they are in trouble. Medical costs are staggering and if the severely injured sustain brain damage, the expenses are even higher. Because of the dangers of a pool in your backyard, most cities require specific guidelines be followed for safety. As a homeowner and pool owner there are things you can do to prevent these accidents.
Who Are Your Kids Talking To Online?
Studies have shown that:
Adolescence - Clues and Advice
Be sure to respect the intellectual changes that mark adolescence. Adolescent thinking can and should reflect: abstract notions, the relationships of things to each other and people to each other, multiple responses to the same condition or question and the idea of thinking itself.
A Legacy For Dakota
Have you heard the song; "I Hope You Dance"? It is by Lee Ann Womak. I love that song. When I hear it, it always reminds me of my son, Dakota.
It is an older song, but I still hear it occasionally.
Some of the things she sings about, are wishes every mother has for her child.
Personal Honor
There are moments in a parent's or grandparent's life, when they receive validation for the way they are living, or, have lived, that life. These moments are usually quiet ones, with no fanfare celebrating the occasion. Yet, the importance of these moments has no equal. To those of us who have given of our time, our love, our care, ourselves, they are of far greater private, personal significance, than can be stated.
What You Can Learn About Life From Your Children
You can learn a lot from children.The best part of all is the advice is priceless.
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?
Q. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Visiting the Library
Libraries offer more than books. They are places of learning
and discovery for everyone. Ask at the library about
getting a library card in your child's name and, if you don't
already have one, get a card for yourself.
Where Is Your Homework, Lisa?
Is Homework Really That Important?
A Quiz for Parents: What Are They REALLY Learning?
Picture this. Your child comes home with a special assignment from school. He's very excited about it and puts in a lot of time to perfect it. He's thrilled with the result and can't wait to take it to school.
School Issues: When Should an ADHD Child Be Held Back In School?
This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't mean to suggest that my comments here are the definitive thoughts on the subject. For a parent to even consider the issue, things have to be pretty problematic at school. So, even though these thoughts may be inadequate to cover your individual situation, I will share them with you anyway...
Parenting Your Teenager: 3 More Dangerous Myths
MYTH: If you have not parented as well as you would have liked up until now, it's too late to try anything different.
What is Incest?
Incest is sexual activity, ranging from fondling to intercourse, between family members who aren't married to one another. State laws vary regarding the type of sexual activity and also on what constitutes the type of kinship that indicates incest rather than just sexual abuse.
Five Ways To Build Super-Strong Relationships With Your Children
One of the questions I ask in parenting presentations is "How do you show your children you love them?"
Homeschooling --- A Superior Education For Your Child
Home-schooling provides children with a superior education. Parents can quickly teach most kids the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic using excellent, creative, learn-to-read, or learn-math books, programs, or computer learning software. Once children become proficient readers, they can then study subjects they love in greater depth. If a child needs help on a special subject, parents can occasionally call in a tutor.
Book Review: How to Get Your Child to Love Reading
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived when author Esm Raji Codell was staring at a shriveled potato that was sprouting eyes. She wondered, " . . . if I had a potato, nothing but a potato, how could I teach a classroom full of children? Well, I could cut a potato in half. (I can use the paring knife from my own kitchen, right?) We could review fractions. With one half, I could cut a design and do potato prints. We could plant the eyes from the other half of the potato (it can have eyes, right?) and grow more potatoes, charting their growth." The ideas cascade: writing a story about a potato, making a book of potato recipes or potato poems, making potato stamps of all the letters, teaching reading, getting books from the library about potatoes, talking about the Irish potato famine, writing letters to executives about potato chips or Mr. Potato Head.
Help My Preteen/Teenager is Driving Me Nuts!
Do you feel like someone has abducted your sweet, innocent child and replaced them with a monster? Are you confused that somehow you have gone from knowing everything as a parent, to knowing absolutely nothing? Welcome to being a parent of a preteen/teenager. It is a brave new world. Being a preteen/teenager is difficult and being a parent of one is difficult as well. In this article, I will address just a few of the many "normal" aspects of adolescence and how to survive as a parent.
Building Self Confidence
Several similar terms describe the central attribute of a character that decides on the strength of personality and the degree of inner freedom:
Public-school Teachers Know Best --- They Send Their Kids To Private Schools
A study done by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that nationwide, public-school teachers are almost twice as likely as other parents to send their children to a private school. The study also found that more than one in five public-school teachers send their kids to private schools.
Raise Your Child to Be a Leader Not a Follower
Your child's leadership skills begin at the family dinner table. In this day of working moms and fast food eating, sitting down together for dinner is sometimes neglected. However, it is often the foundation of family life and should become a treasured tradition.
|
