You're trying to catch up on some sleep on a quiet Saturday morning when you hear the shrill scream of a child, who seems upset with the fact that another child is pointing at him or her, and has done so for the past three minutes. You turn over and hope that they will resolve it without your intervention? but that's unlikely, given their past. The screams get louder, and now it's two children instead of one. A few seconds later, one stops screaming and the other starts crying. You hear the pattern of foot steps running across the hall, and climbing the steps....

To read farther

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society." - Theodore Roosevelt, U. S. President Teddy Roosevelt hit the mark with his words. To educate a child in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and not about living is to raise a menace to society. How do we as parents, teachers, and mentors help children build character? Below you will notice the five character-building goals to instill in your children. Using questions as practical tools is an easy and excellent way to promote those goals and build character too....

To read farther

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." - Johann von Goethe Home. Family. Backyard cookouts. A table laden with more than we can eat on Thanksgiving day. These things ground us, offer us stability, and give us an environment where we can learn, explore, grow, and even self-actualize. Yet for 210 million children, these basic human needs will never be met because most of these children will come of age in an institution, never knowing a family, never experiencing the warmth, joy and acceptance of a home environment....

To read farther

Information is gold when you are adopted. Every tiny piece is precious, whether it's a photo or quote from the orphanage staff. LifeBooks help put all the information pieces together in a way that helps your child make sense of, and ultimately feel good, about his/her history. People often ask me, "What is a LifeBook?" I will respond, "It's the best gift you can ever give an adopted child." A LifeBook is a record of an adoptee's life that uses words, photos, your child's artwork, computer graphics, and memorabilia....

To read farther

Childhood friendships are as special as they are a necessary part of growing up. While some of our children will maintain these friendships into adulthood, many will not. Kids move away or they find other friends with more current interests and grow apart. Whatever form a childhood friendship is taking, know that these relationships are vital to your child's well-being and growth as a human being. Your child may have one very special friend from the time they are in diapers or they might have a gaggle of giggling girl friends or a thunderstorm of wild boy friends....

To read farther

Choosing to leave your child with a caregiver is one of the most important decisions you will make. When hiring a caregiver or nanny for your child, there are several important steps you need to take to minimize potential risks of hiring someone who will not be a good fit for your child and family. When interviewing your caregiver, remember you're interviewing them for one of the most important jobs in your world - caring for your child. Taking care of children is not easy - you want to select a caregiver with a positive, nurturing attitude who will efficiently take care of your child and provide stimulating learning opportunities along the way....

To read farther

Chaim Ginott was a schoolteacher whose ideas and observations helped to bring about a near revolution in the way teachers interact with their young charges. He later practiced as a psychologist. The phone rang, he relates in one of his books, early on a Monday following Thanksgiving weekend. The woman on the line was clearly very agitated. "Try and figure this out, if you can!" she pleaded. "There we were in the car, the whole family. We drove four hundred miles, from Pittsburgh to New York....

To read farther

In dealing with children with autism spectrum disorders, its all about relationship. These children are within a realm where they feel and respond much differently than others. There has been much focus on trying to eliminate certain behaviors or to evoke particular responses in children which actually become rote and repetitive for them without context. One of the goals in aiding these children should be in helping them find meaning. In order to do this we must be willing to not look at the child as broken, unable to respond, or even unable to communicate....

To read farther

In the movie, Finding Nemo, Nemo's father, Marlyn asks the sea turtle, "Dude, how do you know when they are ready?" This is an interesting question that many parents would like to know. How DO you know when your children are ready to take on tasks for themselves? The only way to know if your children are ready for something is to test them. In the movie you may remember Nemo being in the fish tank and becoming stuck in the air tube, all of the other fish wanted to rescue Nemo from a certain death....

To read farther

Congratulations on your new baby! You have just brought yourbaby home and are pretty excited about everything. Perhapsyou don't even mind the fact that getting a good night'ssleep is getting tougher by the day. Getting into a routine This is not easy, but rest assured, it will happen. By theend of the first month, new parents discover that their babylets them slip into a comfortable (but exhausting) routine. If this is your first baby, you probably feel totallyamateurish. Relax, let your baby's cues guide you and verysoon you will be a seasoned pro!...

To read farther

As I sit here and reflect on the past two days and really the past two months, I am flooded with memories of the past and present. All of these thoughts run through my head and I feel so angry and resentful. Let me say I have been mad in the past few years but in complete honesty I haven't been quite this angry and at this point I don't know how to begin the healing process. I am back down that road of self - awareness and concern. See this is the thing, I become angry about my raw deal and the way I have been treated but then it doesn't end there, this is what people don't get about me....

To read farther

Anyone can splurge on a formal dinner or a pricey bottle of perfume, but it takes creativity and forethought to be truly romantic. The key lies in personalizing your celebration. Here are ten ideas to fuel your own creativity: 1. Empty a box of chocolates. Then cut out 50 to 100 hearts from lace doilies, construction paper, or fabric. On each cutout, record something about your mate that you love. Be specific, "The way you smell when you come to bed at night," "The way you take care of me when I'm sick," "Your recipe for pancakes"....

To read farther