I went to Florida with FIVE KIDS last week. My wife had to skip this trip because she had to coach a major swim tournament all week. My kids are 3, 10, 11, 13 and 15 years old. I took them through the airport and on the plane without incident and I trucked them off to the beach every day while we were there. One day at the beach, as we were packing up to go, a woman who was seated nearby with her daughter and TWO grandchildren came up to me and said I was the "best beach dad" she ever saw! She complimented me on my patience and my ability to juggle the needs of all the kids. Boy did that make me happy. I told her I have had lots of experience and I thanked her for her praise.
Experience is a key parenting tool. I remember when I was a wide eyed new parent. I didn't know what I was doing. I am amazed my oldest turned out so well! Every little thing from how to feed the kid to finding a child care nursery was a huge decision.
We have always been blessed with good Child care nursery choices. I would certainly NEVER leave my kids with someone who I wasn't comfortable with. Often times, good day care centers can be a good source of information, even if they are too far away to use for your own kids. Teddies Nurseries is a UK based Child care nursery that not only provides top notch care for kids 3 months to five years old, they also have a plethora of information on their website about parenting, child care and children's health. It certainly looks like the type of place I'd feel comfortable with and it has the information first time parents can use for lots of their kid's issues.
Child Care
Parenting Teens
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As you know I have five kids. I have one teenager now and will eventually have FOUR at the same time!
I am studying for my Master's Degree in Education and I will eventually be teaching teens, so I try to figure out as much about them as possible. I am fortunate to have experience coaching (younger)teens and I have a good rapport with them.
It is not always so easy with your own. The natural rebelliousness of teenagers can often times turn the parent/child relationship into an adversarial one. It is important for parents to be aware of what your kids are involved in, who their friends are and where they are at all times. Too many tragedies occur to teens who don't have the proper guidance, discipline and adult role models.
Unfortunately, even the most well intentioned parents can lose control. Teens can suffer from a variety of problems regardless of the quality of the parents. Finding good resources to help you in dealing with your teen is important, especially if you are the parent of a troubled teen. Parenting Teens is a great website with all sorts of resources for parents of troubled teens. Even if your teenager is well adjusted and "normal" its a good idea to flip through this site so you can recognize warning signs of trouble.
For parents who are losing control of their teen, there is a pretty extensive behavior modification program for troubled teens.
While no one source can offer all the answers for raising teens, a site like Parenting Teens is a good resource to have in your "library."
If you are the parent of a troubled teen, check the site out or give them a call.
