New Year’s Pledge to be a Better Parent

By Caron B. Goode

While having breakfast with friends at a restaurant one Saturday morning, I noticed a thirty-something father sharing a meal with his son, about three years old. As he waited for his food, the boy became restless and moved around on his side of the booth. Then he slid under the table and sat on the floor. This action seemed to embarrass his father who kept demanding, "Get up. Don't do that. Get up now." When the boy didn't respond to these orders, the father started kicking him to urge him to come out from under the table. The father's large foot struck his son squarely at the base of the spine with considerable force. Read on...

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The ABC television show, "Wife Swap" is looking for new families to be featured on their television show. Each episode of "Wife Swap" features two moms, from separate/contrasting families, who switch homes for a week. Each mom gets the opportunity to teach another family about her own ways of life, while simultaneously experiencing a household completely different than hers. Each family selected to appear on the show receives $20,000. Interested candidates can e-mail Danielle L. Burrows, or can contact her at 212.404.1473. In either case, be prepared to share one or two characteristics of your family that are unique (perhaps a parenting philosophy, jobs, hobbies, family traditions, etc.).

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Teaching With the Masters

By Shauna Smith Duty

Two-year-old Junie sticks both fingers in her ears and closes her eyes. Then she makes noises with her tongue. Devon, a three-year-old, steps into a puddle and watches mud ooze over his white tennis shoes. Then he jumps. Mud splashes onto his clothes and face. Immature? Yes. However, as these children explore their world they soak up information at an unbelievable rate. Did you know that a child's brain has two times the neural circuits of an adult's brain? Junie discovers new sounds with her experiment, and Devon learns how mud feels, moves, and changes the color of surfaces. This is exploration. This is creative learning. Read on...

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A Fathers New Year

By Mark Brandenburg

It is a time in our history when it’s increasingly difficult to feel optimistic about the state of the world. And it’s a time of the year when we are flooded by the memories of the years past, and by the hope of a better year to come.
There is no better time than now to reflect on our life. And there is no better time to examine the state of our important relationships.  Read on...

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Homeopathic Remedies

By Andrea Candee

Q: Is there a home remedy for coughs so I can avoid the chemicals and alcohol found in over-the-counter cough syrups?
A: Here are two of my favorites (excerpted from my book, Gentle Healing for Baby and Child...A Parent's Guide (Simon & Schuster). The first is prepared and consumed right away, while the second may be prepared and stored in your refrigerator all winter long! Read on...

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You can work from home in a new profession of parent coaching in six months. Complete training, certification, and licensing provided by The Academy for Coaching Parents Call Dr. Caron Goode at 817-847-8758 for a complete information package or see http://www.acpi.biz. Space limited. Applications now being accepted.

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Bedtime Resistance Remedy

By Brenda Nixon

If you haven't been frazzled by a preschooler who resists going to bed, you're probably not a parent. My younger daughter, Laura, was the Queen of Stall. I defined bedtime as being in bed - with both legs - and lights out. Laura defined it as time to begin getting ready for going to bed. And while getting ready she'd suddenly get an attack of janitoritis and clean her room, neatly fold clothes that had lain under the bed for days, or organize her stuffed animals. Read On...

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When Breastfeeding Babies Go on Strike

By Anna Stewart

He lay on my belly, wet and squirming. My just-born baby snorted and lay quietly. Then he started to scoot up my belly. His mouth was open and his head bobbed back and forth. He was not thinking, he was doing. My baby was looking for my breast. For the first time in his life, he was hungry.

I had never nursed before and neither had he. It is a natural process but most of us need a little help the first time. With a healthy, alert baby and a motivated mom, breastfeeding is usually very successful. But what do you do if your baby decides to stop nursing? What if your baby goes on strike? Read on...

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Coaching Families Through New Year’s Loneliness

By Elaine K. Williams

In the New Year, many celebrate new beginnings or a new resolve for self-improvement. For others, it is a time of loneliness, sadness, and grief. The overwhelming feeling of loneliness is not just about adults, children experience it also.

A friend of mine who has adopted four children told me how difficult this time of the year is for her four adopted children. Their minds wander to their biological parents, and why they gave them up for adoption. Read on...