Getting a good night’s sleep is something that every new parent craves for. It can be difficult in the first year to get continuous hours of sleep due to a baby’s feeding schedule. As important it is for an adult to get sleep in order to function properly and stay healthy, it is even more important for young children. Research has shown that in the first year, babies need 14 – 18 hours of sleep per day. The goal is to get them down for 10 hours per night and the rest of the time can be made up during daytime naps. Toddlers generally need 13 hours per day. That’s 10 at night and 3 broken up into morning and afternoon naps. Elementary and Middle School aged kid’s need 10 -11 hours of sleep per night and by High School it’s around 8.5 – 9.5 hours.

However, with modern lifestyles in which parents have to work late and kids stay up to wait for them or have after-school activities that run past dinnertime, kids are generally sleeping less. There are many benefits for parents who ensure that there children are getting enough sleep.

First of all, a good night’s sleep helps to diminish temper tantrums in young children. A sleep-deprived child (like an adult) has more trouble controlling his angers and frustrations. This contributes to increased sensitivity, stubbornness, explosive anger issues and impatience. A child who doesn’t get the sleep he needs might display ADHD like behavior, making him appear more wired with a lack of focus. This translates to inattentiveness in a classroom setting, chatting with classmates instead of listening to the teacher and a basic lack of composure.

To stay healthy physically, your child needs a good night sleep. During sleep, the body replaces chemicals and generally sorts out and stores information. It’s time for the brain to rest and create order of all the things they experienced during the day. Additionally, research experts have proven that kids grow when they sleep. The human growth hormone is a chemical that triggers growth. It’s produced in bursts throughout the day but is mainly released during sleep. Lack of enough sleep can also affect the immune system causing more colds to take hold.

Here are some quick tips to help you get your child down for a sound sleep each night:

1) Establish a place where your child can sleep well - Decide where you think your baby will sleep best. Preferably a quiet, dark place that is temperature controlled.

2) Develop a sleeping style that works for you – Some parents like to keep babies in the master bedroom for the first year, especially if the mother is nursing so they don’t have to go far to feed them at night.

3) Get rid of any physical discomforts - Blocked nose, teething pain, soiled diapers, airborne irritants, noise and even irritating bedding or sleepwear can cause your child not to sleep comfortably for longer hours. Find out what the problem is and eliminate it.

4) Ensure your baby sleeps with a full tummy - Part of the reason your child might be waking up at night is because of an empty tummy. Before sleep ensure your child is not hungry.

5) Establish a predictable and consistent nighttime routine - This works to condition the kid that it is time to sleep. Routines such as night baths, nursing, rocking, bedtime stories and other comforting techniques can work. Find a routine that works and stick with it.

For more parenting advice, take www.parentclassonline. Classes are available from the comfort of your own home, on any web-based electronic device. They range in length from 4 – 16 hours and can be taken at any time that is convenient. You can log-in and out as many times as is necessary to complete the class and the computer will hold your last spot. Classes are full of skills to create better, more confident parents.

Has your child been acting up lately? Are you concerned that her behavior has taken a turn for the worse? Do you feel like you need some sound advice on how to react to and redirect this behavior? These feelings are widely felt by parents everywhere. The first thing to evaluate is your relationship with the child. The question to ask yourself, is have you been showing the child enough attention and love prior to this new behavior developing. Every child needs a few essential things to grow up strong, healthy, and happy. It is crucial that a child not only receive nutritious food and visits to the doctor, but that they are feeling loved. A child that grows up in this environment will be secure and able to adapt to the normal transitions and situations in everyday life. However, often times a parent feels like they are giving as much positive attention and warmth to a child as possible, and the child still starts behaving badly. It is most likely a phase. The following are a quick list of tips to put in place when this behavior arises:

1) Take a look at the bad behavior
Time to do a little detective work. Start off with exactly when your child started behaving badly. Did something happen? Was there any kind of change that happened in the house? There was a reason your child started to behave in a way that is not normal, and as a parent it is up to you to find out the trigger was.

2) Try using a chart
Many parents find the use of a reward system to encourage their child to not only do chores, but to behave properly provides relief. If your child does not seem enthusiastic about this chart, try changing it up a bit and come up with rewards that will really get your child's interest like a toy they want or a place they want to go.

3) Not everything has to be a huge deal
Sometimes parents can be sticklers and fight with their kids about every little thing. Stop and take a moment to think about this. Do you really want to be constantly at war with your child? You have to draw the line somewhere, and if you are constantly arguing with your child, this really has a negative effect. Pick and choose your battles and let some things slide so your energy is focused on the really big behavioral issues that need to be worked out.

4) Use the time out method
Time out is a pretty effective way to curb bad behavior, especially in younger children. Choose a nice quiet secluded spot and place a chair there. Whenever your child is misbehaving, just sit them in the time out chair. If your child is doing something they enjoy, then having to stop and go into a time out can really be an effective way to get the message across that their behavior is unacceptable. For older kids, the bedroom with no access to electronics can be used instead.

5) Be consistent
Any time you say something to your child regarding discipline, it is imperative that you follow through with it. If you say you are going to take something away or put the child in time out if they keep their behavior up, then you need to follow through with it or your child know it’s an idle threat that they don’t have to worry about.

Children need a lot more than a roof over their heads in order to grow up happy, healthy, confident and well-balanced. They need boundaries to learn what acceptable behavior entails. For more parenting advice, take a parenting class online. They are low in cost, easily accessible from most web-based devices and will give you a wealth of knowledge to help in raising your children.

Gathering the family together at dinnertime continues to be a healthy plan.  The idea of family dinners might bring back memories of our own chaotic family meals during childhood or an episode of The Brady Bunch and much eye-rolling, but they do still contribute to a balanced, healthy home life for our kids.  In today’s world, we are busy rushing around to numerous after-school activities throughout the week.  Why does it always seem like the classes our kids want to take are scheduled right smack in the middle of dinner time?  While having dinner at the dinner table with everyone assembled, every night of the week might be a thing of the past, it’s important to aim for at least a few nights out of the seven, for a variety of reasons. 

First of all, health is a concern.  Childhood obesity rates have reached an all time high and have more than tripled in the last 30 years.  Specifically, the percentage of American children aged 6–11 years who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.  This puts these kids at a higher risk of developing health risks later in life, like heart disease.  Our commuting lifestyle and lack of time to make healthy dinners contributes to these numbers.  When we are driving from one activity to the next during the afternoon and evening hours, we are more inclined to grab dinner from a fast-food establishment.  This inexpensive, quick fix is generally full of fat, salt and sugar.  Isn’t it ironic that after spending the first 6 years feeding our kids healthy baby food, and making sure their meals are well-balanced, we then sign them up for ballet, AYSO or baseball and nix the whole thing?  Research shows that when families eat dinner together, they tend to eat more vegetables and fruits and fewer fried foods and soda.

Furthermore, eating together gives everyone in the family a relaxed time to regroup and find out what is happening in each other’s lives.   You and the kids will talk more, they will talk to each other and issues will come up that may otherwise be overlooked or suppressed.  With direct attention from parents in an open atmosphere, children will feel more important and confident.  It gives them a forum to talk about their accomplishments and obstacles, and important things going on at school, with their friends, or even in the home. 

According to Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2004, frequent family meals are associated with a lower risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs; with a lower incidence of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts; and with better grades in 11 to 18 year olds.  And, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University says that kids who eat most often with their parents are 40% more likely to say they get mainly A’s and B’s in school than kids who have two or fewer family dinners a week.

So don’t give up on the importance of the family meal and its long-term benefits.  For more techniques and advice on how to raise healthy, balanced children, try taking an online parenting course.  High quality courses, filled with today’s most current parenting techniques are available at the touch of a button from any Internet based computer, anywhere in the country.   They are interesting, informative and a good tool to use as your kids progress through different stages of childhood. 

The quality of relationship you have with your child as he enters the teen years can make all the difference in what path he will choose to take.  Making the transition from childhood to becoming a young adult can be difficult for everyone involved.  Up until this point, the parent may have cultivated friendships for the child, chosen the appropriate after-school activities for them to participate in, and reviewed and helped with homework each day.  Suddenly, your teenager doesn’t want you involved in any of this.  It becomes a dilemma and sometimes a problem, as parents want to hold on to the control that they’ve had since birth, but the adolescent is ready for more independence.   All the hours and hard work you’ve put into building your child’s character is now ready to be put into action. 

It is normal for conflicts to arise, but this is the time to let them start spreading their wings, with a set of boundaries and rules.  Setting guidelines will help them understand that you care about them, that you are still the authority and will reduce the risk of them getting involved in dangerous behaviors like drinking and drugs.  Some tips to get you started are as follows: 

1) Start by sitting down and having a clear discussion about what the rules are and what the punishments will be if they are not followed.

2) Let them be involved in setting rules for themselves.  This way they are more likely to follow the rules.   It gives them a sense of empowerment and maturity and the feeling that you respect their decisions.

3) Be sure to set a curfew.  Listen to them and let them help to decide.  Negotiate with them so they feel a part of the process.  

4) Try to be home with your teen whenever possible.  This reduces the opportunity to engage in inappropriate behavior. 

5) Talk with and listen to your teen.  Put away your phone, step away from the computer, turn off the TV and focus on what they are saying.  It’s important that they feel you are 100% available and open to discuss anything on their mind. 

6) Try to get to know their friends.  Middle school is a time when parents are not as involved on campus.  It’s more difficult to keep track of whom your child is hanging out with.  Whenever possible, open your home and have your child bring friends over.  Try to get to know their parents so your teen knows that there is more than one set of eyes on them. 

7) Most of all let them know that you care.  Just because they are no longer little, doesn’t mean we have to stop the hugs and warm thoughts.  Tell your teenager you love them.

To learn more about how to be a good parent, take online parenting classes.  They are a great way to learn more skills and techniques for raising a healthy, happy teenager.  They are easily accessible online from any Internet based computer and can be taken in the comfort of your own home.  Once you purchase a class, you can login and out as many times as you’d like to learn the material.  Late at night, early in the morning, whatever time best suits your schedule.  Nothing needs to be printed out.  All the information is right there in front of you on the computer screen.  You can take the course with your spouse, so you are both on the same page about new strategies.  They are extremely beneficial to help take the stress out of what can be a challenging transitional time!

Divorce is an extremely difficult decision for any couple to make.  It usually comes after years of trying to make the relationship work and both partners are probably a point of exhaustion, high-stress and possibly depression that things could not be worked out.  It the relationship has become unbearable, than divorce is often the best decision for everyone involved.  When kids are involved everything becomes exponentially more emotional but after all the dust settles, if handled correctly, it will ultimately be the best decision for them as well.  Even if the couple has tried hard to keep their quarrels hidden from the children, kids are intuitive and smart and usually know there are serious problems in the marriage.  However, no matter how much they may suspect, finally breaking the news is never easy.  Clinical research shows that there are ways to discuss the situation that are best for the kids.  They are as follows:

Both of You Should Explain Together

To start with, it is best when both parents are present to explain their decision. When the both of you explain to the kids that "mom and dad will be living apart from each other", make sure to tell them  "mom and dad will remain friends".  This initial conversation will be emotionally exhausting, but it is important that the children understand that you are both on the same page and have come to this conclusion together.

Emphasize It Has Nothing To Do With Their Behavior

It is very important to tell your children that the divorce has nothing to do with their actions.   Even if you think this idea would never cross their minds, explain it is not because of their behavior.  Sometimes children internalize the feelings of guilt throughout a lifetime, so get that off the table immediately.  Tell your children that the decision to divorce is because mommy and daddy have problems that can’t be solved within the marriage and the best way for you to remain friends is to live apart from each other. Give them assurance that your love for them will remain and you will both continue to be there for them.

How To Deal With Their Curiosity

Your children will naturally be curious about what exactly has caused this decision.  It is not be healthy to discuss the details with them. It is too much information for a young mind and might create more anxiety and fear. Keep it simple. Tell them that when they are adults, they will understand more. Right now, it is best for them not to be too emotionally distracted.

Who Will Be With The Kids 

After the divorce, parenting will continue to be a responsibility that the both of you will share. Explain to the kids that one parent will live apart from them. However, the parent who is not with them all the time will still spend time with them.  It is helpful if you can give them an idea of what the schedule might look like so they can immediately understand that they will frequently see each parent.

Stay Calm and Be Attentive

This talk is a very emotional time for both you and the kids. Remember, be very solid and steady emotionally. When the kids ask you the tough questions, never insult the other parent. If you do that, it will stick into the heads of your children and they will carry it with them until they are adults. It will be a traumatic experience for them too. Avoid crying and never lash out at your partner.  You and your partner must stick to just one version of the story. You should also be very attentive to the questions and the emotions of your children. When the children see that you are calm, collected, and confident with your decision, they will draw strength from you.

It would also be helpful if you take online co-parenting classes. Telling your children about the divorce is merely the beginning of a long co-parenting journey. There will be more obstacles that you need to overcome along the way. Gaining more insight on how you should deal with parenting after living apart from your spouse and what behavior and reaction to expect from the kids, will empower you.