Parenting Advice

by Marie

The best piece of parenting advice I was ever given may sound silly until you think about it . It was simply think before you say no .
I know what you are thinking , that sounds like it will lead to spoiling your kids but in fact the reverse is true .
Are you saying no because it is easier , like no to getting the paints out because it is messy and you do not want the hassle .
When you think about it may well decide a happy stimulated child is worth the mess.Or are you saying no because it is nearly teatime in which case just tell them why , not just say no out of hand .
This does not mean you should always say yes of course , for example living in a rural area as we do then my daughter's request to have a paper round at thirteen was rejected as the route was down unlit streets.
She accepted that I was worried for her safety ( that did not stop her sulking though ) . A compromise was reached however when a round became available for an after school round where their is street lighting and she was allowed to take this on .

Parenting Advice

by Julie

When I had my first child, I was days away from turning 22 years old, and only knew about babies from babysitting in my teen years.
Some of my friends had kids, but I wasn't around them 24/7 to know how to handle every little situation.
Once my son was born, the advice started flying at me like crazy! Selfprolaimed childrearing experts practically came out of the woodwork. However, the best piece of advice that someone gave actually came in two parts. The first was to go with my gut feeling and to trust my own judgement. No matter what the situation, I would somehow know what to do, how to handle it, or at least how to get started in the right direction. This was such a wise piece of advice and one that has proven true over and over again!

The second part was to pick my battles carefully and that anything short of death can be fixed. This too has proven to be so true! I have learned that I can't solve every problem, nor can I control every situation completely.
So I have learned to choose which things I make a big deal out of and which I have to just let go. By doing this, it has showed me that no matter what happens, anything short of death can truly be fixed! It may take a while, or a bit of deep breathing and work, but it's possible