Welcome to Mom Tips

Help Your Teenager Handle Money

This is especially important for teenagers who will be heading off to college: If your child doesn´t have a checking account, open one now and help her learn how to write checks, use ATMs, and balance her account. Be sure to talk to your child about credit cards, since credit card companies target college students. Help them to understand interest, minimum monthly payments and the ramifications of a poor credit record.

Making Decisions Based on Values

To help your children make good decisions, talk with them about why values such as honesty, self-reliance, and responsibility are important. Teach your child how each decision builds on previous decisions as one´s character is formed, and how a good decision makes the next decision easier.

The Importance of Routines

Staying in a routine is the best way to keep things orderly, and to get everyone working together.

Arguments: When to Intervene

Stay out of school age children´s arguments as much as you can. By all means interrupt if their words deteriorate into actions that may harm themselves or others.

Potty Training Trick

Gather together 3 or 4 toys that can be water toys. They will become special "potty" toys that can only be played with while the child is sitting on the potty! Once the child is sitting on the potty fill a large bowl or small bucket with lukewarm or tepid water, place the new "potty" toys in the bowl and set the bowl of water in front of the child. When the child places his/her hands in the lukewarm water to play with the toys, if the child needs to go potty, the warm water will help to speed up the process.

Backyard Play

Week after week I watch my daughter and the neighbor girl playing with numerous toys scattered throughout the yard. Week after week this little girl would go home leaving the toys for my daughter to pick up. I finally had to set some ground rules...if you want to play with all the toys, you must also help put them away. Otherwise you will not get to play with them next time you come over. It has worked like a charm.

New Baby

Let your toddler help with the new baby as much as possible. This helps the older child feel less jealous, and is rewarding for the whole family!

Temper Tantrums

Tantrums are a normal part of your child's development and are often caused because they are frustrated at not being able to do something. You can't prevent all tantrums, so don't feel guilty about them. Often children have tantrums as a way of getting attention, but if you give in, it will only be an incentive for them to continue!

Enforce One rule

Make discipline rules "generic" so you can use in different settings. e.g. "Keep your feet off the furniture" Now if they jump on a bed, climb up on a counter, or stand on a chair or table, you have one rule to enforce.

Letting Go

A balancing act must be practiced by parents ... willingness to let them try and fail, and a non-judgmental, supportive environment. Next year at college, you won´t be there beside them. Let them learn while they are still under your roof.

Peer Pressure

Since peer pressure is so powerful, find organizations and groups that have healthy peers to influence your teenager. Take teens to church youth groups, community recreation programs, and police-sponsored activity leagues. (If you don´t have one in your area start one up!)

When to Go

Most people (kids included) wake up with a very full bladder in the morning. When potty training your child, make sure the first thing they do in the morning is to sit on the potty. They´ll get accustomed to using it, and will develop a habit of going when they wake up.

Getting Teens to Talk

Be completely accessible even though it is hard -- be ready to listen anytime and anywhere. Teens want to talk at odd times. Also, use questions sparingly.

The Birds & The Bees Talk

Research what you don´t know or are unsure about. Be open to questions from your teen. Try not to come across in an authoritarian manner. Try to talk with your teen in a place where you won´t be disturbed and where they feel comfortable.

Effective Use of Consequences

When natural consequences don´t seem to work for your child it´s probably because the "consequence" is not important. For example, if you tell your adolescent, "I won´t wash any of your clothes that aren´t in the clothes hamper," will not work effectively for a child who doesn´t care whether he wears clean or dirty clothes. Use whatever your child nags you about (staying up later, for example) to your advantage.

Testing Their Values

Parents assume, sometimes mistakenly, that children have "absorbed" values even though they may be rarely or never discussed. You can test your child´s understanding by discussing some common situations; for example, "What would you do if the person ahead of you in line at the theater dropped a dollar bill?"

One on One

Every member of your family needs a relationship with you. It is important to spend time with each member separately. Get to know your children as individuals. That may mean taking your daughter to the mall, or your son on a fishing trip. Remember to take your spouse on a date, too!

Newborn Jaundice

Yellow/jaundiced baby? Newborn´s livers are not fully functioning when born. Give your baby his own photo therapy (what hospitals do with fancy machines) by stripping him, covering his eyes, placing him beside a sunny window and let him "sunbathe" for 10 - 20 minutes. Watch for sunburn if it is mid-afternoon.

Snacks after dinner

Don´t sabotage your own efforts at nighttime toilet training. Stop all drinks and food at least one hour before bedtime. If bedwetting or wet diapers result,