Parenting Tips

The companionship of a pet is a unique experience. For many people, a pet can become a member of the family, and for children, having a pet can provide many benefits. Adding a feathered or furry friend to your family can be a wonderful thing, but there are various factors that you should consider before adoption:

• Do I have enough time to commit to caring for an animal or bird?
• What kind of pet best fits my family’s lifestyle?
• Do I have enough money to care for a pet, including for such expenses as food, toys, visits to the veterinarian, and vaccinations?

To help you determine the answers, do some homework. Resources are available at libraries, bookstores, and online, and by talking with local vets, animal shelters, and friends.

What are some benefits of having a pet?

What better way to celebrate the “holiday of love” than by spending time with the people you love!

The following fun and simple crafts and activities for Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful way to share quality time with your kids. Afterward, be sure to head to our Facebook page to share photos of your children’s creations and of your little ones.

Unfortunately, temper tantrums tend to be a fact of life when you are a parent of a toddler. Your child could be completely happy one minute, and in the next minute have a virtual total meltdown.

While tantrums can often test a parent’s patience, consider your child’s situation. Tantrums can be caused by a number of factors, such as the inability of your child to communicate what he or she is feeling, because he or she doesn’t yet know the words; trying to assert independence, which is completely natural for toddlers; or feeling hungry, tired, over stimulated or simply bored.

Tantrums are inevitable, so here are some tips for handling a toddler’s tantrums without losing your cool.

Organizing your personal schedule can be challenging by itself. Add to that the schedules of multiple children and any number of their activities, and you could spend days trying to keep track of everything that needs to get done.

The key to managing multiple schedules is having the right tools and the right mindset. Here are six tips and tactics for time management for parents:

According to 2015 statistics from the United States Census Bureau, about 80 percent of American children have at least one brother or sister. A sibling relationship is the longest relationship that most siblings will have in their lives, so it’s only natural that siblings can have a huge impact and influence on each other.

The extent of sibling influence can vary greatly from family to family and person to person, and older brothers and sisters can pass down much more than the clothes and toys that they’ve outgrown.

Here are some ways that parents can teach older brothers and sisters how to be good older siblings and encourage good sibling relationships: