Parenting - The Female View

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Being a stay at home mom can be great, as you can spend loads of time watching your children grow up, setting new traditions, and helping our children with every obstacle that they encounter. The problem is, being a stay at home mom is tough. You still have other things that you need to do, like laundry, meals, dusting, caring for pets, errands, and just about anything else that may be needed throughout the day and for the house.

Stay at moms must be a multi-tasking guru. You have tons to do and just a few hours to get it done. Below, are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. Create and implement a schedule of daily routines, whether it includes making meals, packing lunches, laundry, special activities with the kids, whatever. Write it down, and try to stick to it.
2. Outsource duties that you can't complete. If your children are old enough to help, have them help you out. Have duties that your husband can help you with when he's home from work and on weekends. You can't do everything.
3. Keep in contact with your friends. Try to find a local mom's group, so that you can have interaction with other adults. You'll be able to get out of the house, and you can even set up play-dates for your children.
4. Schedule time off. Granted, you can't take time off being a mother and a wife, but you can take time for yourself. Have your husband stay home Saturday afternoon twice a month so that you can go to the movies with your girls, hiking, art galleries, etc. Schedule time so that you can have a break.

You want to keep organized. Everything has a place. Just make sure to keep things light. You don't want to be known as a Nazi mom.

Also, keep in mind that some of the mother's groups can be competitive. You don't want to be a part of one of these. You want to be able to enjoy your children, not brag that you are able to have your house spotless, dinner on the table, children perfectly groomed and participating in 4 activities each, and 20 volunteer organizations that you help out. You can't do everything, and you don't want to push yourself over the limit. It's good to set goals and expectations of yourself, but don't overdo it. You have to sleep sometime...

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Parenting

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Parenting Tips for a Divorced Mom

July 6th 2010 19:00

Divorce is hard, and it can be hard to cope as an adult, but when there are children involved, you can't think about yourself. You have to think about the kids.

First off, when in the middle of your divorce, you want to keep your children out of it. There's no, 'daddy's is a bad man, you want to live me me" kind of talk. You want your children to love and respect their father. Now, each situation is different, but in general, you don't want to bad-mouth your children's father.

You want to make sure that when you and your soon to be ex-husband are setting up the divorce agreement, you keep in mind the children. You want to consider who's home will be best and how you will set up partial custody. Keep in mind insurance, college tuition, college housing, cars, cell phone bills, and any other future expense. Even if the children are very young, you don't want to exclude potential expenses based on the current age of the children. You will have them eventually, and you can't be expected to pay for everything.

Try to keep civil when your children are around. They see and hear everything. Call your ex when you're going to be late, and expect the same in return. Have everything ready when they're going to be picked up. It's easier on the kids if you are more calm and collect.

If you are the one paying the child support, make sure that you pay regularly and on time. You are punishing your children, not your ex, when you don't pay. If you don't have the money at the moment, explain the situation to your ex, and try to pay what you can. Don't neglect your children, as it's no longer a fight between you and your ex.

Be honest with your ex. Keep them informed as to what is happening with the children in school, with friends, etc. You want everything to be open and honest.

Try to make sure that you and your ex keep the same rules, bed time, allowances, etc. You don't want it to be, "Dad pays more for less chores" or "I can stay up all night and eat cookies before dinner over there." It is not a competition between you and your ex; it is a duty for you to raise your children to the best of your ability, which can't be properly done if you are constantly fighting and scheming to get your kids to like you better, so to speak. Everything needs to be equal and the same at both houses.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Parenting

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Tips for a Single Mom

June 17th 2010 23:28

It's hard enough being a parent, but it's even harder to be a single parent. For women, sometimes it comes natural, but it's always going ot be work without having the extra hands and eyes.

If you have the perfect child, you probably won't need any of the following tips and advice that I'm about to share for raising children as a single mom. Otherwise, keep reading.

* Create traditions with your children and spend time with them.
* Always keep your child's best interest in mind.
* Trust your instincts. (No one can tell you how to raise your children, but yourself)
* Keep organized.
* Watch your budget, especially when it comes to healthcare, food, and supplies.
* Talk to your children. You don't want to be a friend and not a mom, but you want to have an open relationship.
* Never badmouth their father (whether the dad is in the child's life or not).

The most important thing to remember is that you need to trust yourself. You want to remember that these are your kids. Love them. Spend time with them. Raise them to be good people. Single moms can raise children to be healthy, well-rounded adults, just like couples can.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Parenting

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Side Effects of Internal Uterine Devices

October 7th 2009 15:07

Internal Uterine Devices, or IUD, is an internal birth control option. There are only a few brands of IUDs, and you'll find that more women and doctors will prefer oral contraceptive over internal due to the slightly elevated risks and side effects associated with intraunterine devices.

When you go in for your placement appointment, your cervix will be dilated in order to properly measure the uterus in order to insert the IUD, which can be very uncomfortable and in some cases painful.

If the IUD isn't inserted properly, you are at higher risk for bacteria in your uterus. The insertion process can also increase the risk for pelvic inflammatory disease within the first 20 days. If you are at a high risk of endocarditis, youll want to make sure that you are prescribed antibiotics before having the IUD inserted to help decrease the risk of infection to your heart valves.

After having the IUD inserted, you can have heavier and/or more painful periods, especially after the first few months. In many cases, menstrual discomfort is the most common reason to have the device removed.

Intrautinerine devices do not protect against STDs or pelvic inflammatory disease, like some of the other hormonal contraceptives can.

Other complications or concerns with internal uterine devices can include:

* Complications with uterine perforation
* The strings can sometimes be felt by men during intercourse.
* Higher percent of ectopic pregnancies while using IUD than with other forms of contraceptives. The risk of an ectopic pregnancy is about 3-4%.
* Increases risk of miscarriage during the second trimester if you become pregnant while using the device and do not have it removed. (Odds of becoming pregnant is about 1%)
* Increases risk of premature delivery if pregnant and you still have the IUD in place.
* Associated with infections associated with miscarriage if you keep the device in place while pregnant.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Health, Parenting

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Raising a Child is Expensive

August 17th 2009 18:33

It's always been expensive to raise a child, but have you ever sat down and really looked at what all you've spent or will have to spend? Well, studies show that the average middle-income family spends about $221,000 to raise a child through age 17, which means that doesn't count college expenses.

Families that earn more, spend more...

Families with more income spend more money on child-related costs, the report said. A two-parent family that earns less than $57,000 annually will spend about $160,000 on a child from birth through high school. Those with an income between $57,000 and $99,000 spend about $221,000 and those with higher incomes are expected to spend roughly $367,000 through age 17.

The same studies show that single parents making less than $57,000 and spend about 7% less when compared to two parent households.

Although, children come with their benefits, they're plain expensive to raise, which is why so many cases, couples carefully plan when they are going to have their first child, and most of their children thereafter. Those couples who didn't plan their first, will generally plan the rest.

You'll also find that raising a child is the highest in urban northeast location and lowest in urban south and rural locations, so keep in mind where you live as to what you'll probably end up spending when raising even just one child.

Over time, as more studies have been performed, it's been found that it costs more now to raise a young child than it ever has.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Parenting

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Prevent SIDS in Sleeping Babies

May 20th 2009 13:15

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is probably one of the scariest concerns with new moms because it's not 100% understood, but over the past 15 years, SIDS has been reduced by at least 50%. New moms should highly consider following as many of the practices that can reduce the risk of SIDS as possible. Just keep in mind that about one in every five SIDS cases occurs when the child is in the care of someone other than the parent, so keep in mind that you give your child's caregivers all the important tips and risk reducers that you can in order to keep your baby safe when you are not around.

Buy a Good Mattress By using an extra firm or super firm crib mattress, the risk of SIDS is 5 times lower than if you use a soft mattress. A baby's airways can be easily blocked if his face sinks into a soft surface. Also remember to remove any pillows, stuffed animals, crib bumpers, or any other soft objects which could block the baby's face while he sleeps

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