Prayer for the dads

Lord, may Your abundant blessings rest forever on the head and shoulders of these amazing dads as they work to be the special persons You created them to be for You and their families.
Amen.

Teens with Adhd need understanding

Teens with ADHD have a very difficult life. This condition is one that you may not even realize that your child has. In many cases, the symptoms are so few that you do not see that it is there. In fact, they know it is, but you do not. ADHD is a learning disability and a behavior disability that causes many more problems than just a temper tantrum when they are five years old. ADHD teens face many problems throughout their childhoods and well into their adult lives. What should be done for teens with ADHD?
Here are some things you, as parents, can do for your teens with ADHD.

Get them tested for the condition. If your child struggles with remaining focused, seems to be smart but fails tests, or struggles with some of the simplest of things but excels in those that are more difficult, he may have this condition. Talk to their doctor about how to get the test and find out.



Medication. Medication is available to help children with ADHD. Before you questions if your child needs it, determine what the benefits of taking it would be. For some children, it can give them self-control, self-worth and help them to finally feel good about what they are doing. For others, it does not provide a noticeable benefit.

Give them time. Many ADHD teens will do well if they are given enough time to finish tasks and problems. For that reason, it is essential to clue your child’s school in on your child’s problem. They can provide extra help and encouragement for them.

Take the time to understand what it is like to be a teen with ADHD. Unless you have this condition yourself, you need to realize that it is hard. It is not their fault they cannot pay attention. It is not their fault that they do not understand what they teacher is saying. And, it is not their fault that these things frustrate them so much so that they explode. Take the time to really understand them.
ADHD teens need extra learning help and they need emotional support. The teen years are already hard to deal with. Teens with ADHD have it just that much harder as it is.

About Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity, what was once shocking and disturbing has now become a fact of life, as adult obesity increased childhood obesity is growing and rapidly increasing. With bad eating habits and fatty diet and some hereditary influence some kids are doomed to battle childhood obesity late into their twenties, childhood obesity has become a wide spread phenomena and the risks involved in childhood obesity are becoming clearer with time.

The numbers present a sad reality, one of five children is considered overweight, and this tendency only increases with time, childhood obesity is increasing in different ethnic groups, in both genders and all across the world, North America and Western Europe are leading the charts in regards to childhood obesity, but other regions of the world are not to far behind.

Some expert claim that if something is not done to stop childhood obesity immediately we will witness a whole generation becoming twice as heavy as its parents and grandparents were, with this gain of weight other health risks are becoming more and more evident and have a huge effect on larger groups.

It is clear that we have an epidemic of obesity in our country, and that, as we get used to seeing more overweight people at work, in school and on the streets, we are accepting this condition as reality, rather than working to change the situation.

For this increase in childhood obesity we can blame our way of life first, the car has replaced a lot of walking which was very important for our hearts and muscle mass, most of us spend most of our free time in front of the television or the computer, and most of the time we are in front of these appliances we also indulge in eating fatty food such as pizza and ice cream. Junk food has become an acceptable meal, what was once considered a last option for children meal has become the default in choosing our kids meals.

Let’s consider the dangers of obesity, and bear in mind that we usually think of adults when we talk about these risks, which makes this even worst. Too little exercise!

And too much of the wrong kind of food is associated with Type II diabetes, all sorts of heart disease and blood pressure problems, joint problems related to weight bearing, self-esteem and confidence issues, high cholesterol, mental problems such as depression and sleep disruption, unstable mental stamina, pulmonary problems. The research in this field points to one clear fact, if you are obese as a child you start a far higher chance to be an obese adult, so childhood obesity is not some childhood problematic phase that goes away after some time, childhood obesity can lead to a very problematic adulthood.

What can be done to prevent childhood obesity and how can we stop this dangerous tendency? First thing we could do right away is to stop using our cars so much and walk a little more, any kind of physical exercise is good for young children, we are not talking about gym and pushups, even an enjoyable basketball game, 45 minutes three times a week can do wonders, and the great thing about kids is that they enjoy playing – they sometimes just need a little encouragement to get them going. This alone can start you off in your battle against childhood obesity. Take childhood obesity seriously, it is not something that will go away, exercise and healthy eating are vital for a young body to develop well and to enjoy longevity and healthy life. Good luck fighting – and beating childhood obesity.

How To Develop Your Children's Analytical Skills Using A Deck Of Cards

One of the most investigated subjects currently is children’s mind development and analytical skills. More and more studies are being made and more lessons, programs and games are being developed in order to boost early stages of growth and increase existing skills.

There are more options and possibilities now than ever, starting with different educational facilities suited for different levels of development, and carrying on with special TV shows, books and games. These games are especially built to work on the growing and developing areas in a child’s mind.

These skills can be developed in all kinds of different ways and not necessarily in a structural program or a special kindergarten. It can also be done in the simple and fun way of gaming. Considering the fact that there are hundreds of mind developing games for children, in this article, we will focus on card games

 

Card games can come in different shapes and sizes and at different difficulty levels. The most basic card game is the card memory game. The game is played with half a deck or less spread on the table, while each card is facing down. Each player, on his turn, chooses to peek at one card at a time in order to eventually form couple or groups (based on what was decided earlier to be a group). This game helps to develop the child’s memory skills and his ability to divide logically the symbols into groups.

Another game similar to the memory game, but one that focuses and handles a completely different area of your childs brain is the group game. At this game, the deck of cards is divided to the number of player so all the players receive an equal amount of cards. Each player on his turn form groups (based on what was decided earlier to be a group) and place them on the table. The players’ goal at this game is to get rid of their entire cards by adding them to the groups already exists on the table. The players have the total freedom to change the position of the cards on the table as long as none of them gets left out of a group.

This game is more complicated then the other card games and therefore it contributes more to the child’s growth more. The game teaches the players to make decisions based on optional following moves and to solve problems using their giving cards, which is in this case literally speaking. The game is highly recommended for children and adults as one, for it is competitive and suspenseful as much as it is friendly and fun.

Another popular game that most kids enjoy is war. But do not let them play it the usual way where the stronger card beats the weaker one. Instead, set different rules for each round. You can determine such things as that a two of clubs and a six of hearts beat any cards. You could even make it more challenging by setting a range of cards as jokers.

The variety of these kinds of games is relatively big and it is growing more and more as people are constantly looking for new games to play. As for the kids, the may be participating for a whole different reason, but the outcomes are the same.

4 Parenting Styles

Every grandmother and grandfather will tell you hilarious stories of their children when they were first born. And for every funny and touching story they have, they will be able to tell you another for every hardship they encountered. Parenting is something that is done in many different ways by each parent. The following are four general styles employed by parents.

Authority: Authoritarian parents rule on just that: authority. Commands are given to children that they must follow regardless of the circumstances. If these commands are not followed, harsh punishment will ensue. These parents do not welcome feedback from their children. In fact, it is met with severe punishment. The children tend to be quiet and unhappy. They have more of a fear than a love for their parents. Male children have trouble dealing with anger and female children have trouble facing adversity due to their heavily structured life where nothing ever changes.

Indulgent: Indulgent parents tend to be described as lenient. They allow immature and childish behavior. These parents expect the children to learn from their mistakes and to fend for themselves in most times of need. These parents tend to be democratic and allow for feedback from there children on issues. They will hear both sides of an argument and usually make a compromise. Indulgent parents usually avoid confrontation with their children by all means, but do tend to be more involved and emotionally closer to their children.

Authoritative: Authoritative parents are a combination of the two styles previously mentioned. They are the happy medium. While expecting proper behavior from their children, they welcome feedback and questioning on certain issues. They’re able to demand things of their children but are also able to respond to what they’re child says, questions and requests. These children tend to be the happiest, most confident and self assured of all the mentioned parenting styles. It is very difficult to be a purely authoritative parent.

Passive: Passive parenting is being completely uninvolved. These parents may never be home due to immaturity, work or the like. These children are usually raised by grandparents, older siblings, babysitters or themselves. There is no parental involvement at all.

We wish you many happy stories!

How do you become a better Father?

Who do you want your children to remember you as?

Parenting can be wonderful and rewarding

Parenting can be wonderful and rewarding, but it can also be difficult and unpleasant. Most parents experience moments (or months or years) of feeling overwhelmed. There’s a lot of information out there about what we “should” do to raise “good” kids.

In reality, there are no guaranteed methods for ensuring we and our children will be happy, healthy, and successful in life. There is, however, plenty of research showing that parents can make a significant, positive difference through a number of simple approaches.

Since the 1950s, Search Institute researchers have studied the effects of various influences in young people’s lives. They’ve found that the 40 Developmental Assets clearly relate to good things — like doing well in school, serving others, engaging in the community, and forming healthy habits.

It’s important for grown-ups to help young people experience these things, but parents can’t do it alone. However, there are nine specific parenting strategies that help. Focusing on these nine research-based strategies provides guidance and direction in the uncertain world of parenting. And that’s something parents can feel good about.

Below are our 9 Parenting Strategies based on the Developmental Assets research. Download, print, and share the strategies, and refer to them often in your parenting journey