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9 Strange Things Nobody’s Going to Tell You About Motherhood

August 21, 2019 by Mandy

Ah, motherhood. It’s glorious. It’s indescribable. It’s magical. And, oh yeah, it’s FULL of surprises — some that you’ll like, others that you won’t, and a few that will just leave you wondering what the heck is going on.

Here are 9 of the wonderful, woeful, and just plain strange things that await you in the land of motherhood:

You’re going to do a lot of singing. And I don’t mean belting out your best Mariah Carey or Christina Aguilera impersonation. I mean you’ll turn everyday, ordinary activities and processes into songs, like “today we’re going to take a bath — la la la — take a bath— yes yes yes.” Keep it up and you might be on American Idol!
You will become an EXPERT in both diaper procurement and diaper installation. Truly, this should be a specialized skill that you can put on your LinkedIn profile and resume, like electrical wiring or foundation repair.
You will discover a distinct difference between cleanliness and tidiness. Unless you happen to have one of those maids like they do on Downton Abbey, you will strive to achieve the former, but will totally ignore the latter — and that is perfectly fine. Being a perfectionist is great, but finding pragmatic solutions is more often the priority for new mothers.
You’ll empathize with other parents. You’ll look into their eyes, they’ll look into your eyes, and you’ll bond and understand each other on a deep, primal level. Often, the telepathic conversation goes like this: “When was the last time you slept more than four hours in a row? “I don’t know.” “Me neither.”
You’ll gain some new friends, and lose some old friends. It just happens, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
You’ll feel like starting a blog so that you don’t have to answer endless questions like “when are you going back to work?” or “what do you think about homeschooling?”
Your sex life will probably sex die. That’s OK. It’ll come back later when it’s time. You’ll have other interests and priorities.
You’ll never get bored, because no two days are the same. Actually, no two hours are the same.
You will be amazed, astonished and in awe — and words won’t be able to describe how you feel. (Ok, you might already expect this, but I wanted to end things on a positive note!)

How to Prepare Your Child for University

August 19, 2019 by Mandy

Source: Unsplash | Element5 Digital

Sending your child off to university is a major milestone in life. Ideally, they’ll graduate, land a good-paying job, and become independent. However, dropping out of school or failing to make the right choices can handicap them personally and professionally. Here are a few tips on how to prepare your child for university and make the most of their educational experience. We’ll also explain why these tips benefit your child, even when they may seem counterintuitive at times.

Step Back and Advise When Necessary

You aren’t raising a child to be a dependent creature forever. The goal is to raise a competent, capable and independent adult. If you haven’t stopped hovering, you need to do so now.

Do give your children input on the selection of a university and a course. Be available for questions on how to handle homework, difficult professors or disputes with peers. When your kids move into their accommodation, let them settle in. Let them know you’re available if they want to reach out to you, but don’t call, email or constantly demand check-ins with you. Remember that they may not be with you, but they are not alone. They have classmates, professors and others to reach out to for help.

Learn Everything You Can About Your Financial Options

First, talk to the student finance staff to learn everything you can. Determine how everything is going to be paid for. For example, learn how much it costs to live on campus versus at home and how much to expect to pay in living costs.

Furthermore, learn about scholarships, grants, and on-campus jobs. Anything you can do to reduce the cost of your child’s education reduces how much you have to pay or borrow. One major change on the horizon is the reintroduction of maintenance grants for poor students. Loan Pig has a nice piece on new student finance proposals that covers this and other Department of Education proposals that will affect the total cost of university. You can find out more at loanpig.co.uk.

Create a budget for the costs you have to pay. Talk to your child about how to live within that budget and how to track their spending. Then help them set up their own student bank account. Let them take charge of the budget but check back with them periodically. After all, this is a critical life skill they need to learn.

Offer Adulting Lessons

If you’ve been doing everything for your children up to this point, you may have to give them some quick lessons on life skills they need to successfully live on their own. A surprising number of college students don’t know how to make spaghetti, boil an egg or make a cake from a box of mix. Give them cooking lessons so they don’t blow their grocery budget on eating out. You can encourage them to make their own meals by helping them buy cooking utensils and cookery. You may need to teach them how to do their own laundry or properly clean things too.

Keep on Top of Deadlines

The university application process is complicated. There are deadlines for everything from applying to the university to accommodations. There are deadlines for paying for courses. This is only the start since there will be coursework deadlines throughout one’s academic career. Help your child get organised and to stay on top of their deadlines. This is another critical life skill as anyone fired for failing to finish a project on time can attest.

Conclusion

Parents need to help their children enter university and manage their studies. However, they need to do it the right way if they want their children to be able to stand on their own after graduation.

5 Reasons To Choose Homeschooling For Your Kids

July 19, 2019 by Mandy

Schooling is about more than just education. Your child’s schooling experience molds their personality and character. Unfortunately, there are many risks for your little one to contend with at school. Bullying is getting out of hand, peer pressure is unavoidable, and there is a general concern about the new curriculums and programs being adopted in public schools.

Unsurprisingly, more parents are turning to homeschooling as a solution to these problems. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should consider doing it too, according to scholars at My Homework Done.

1. More Flexible Schedule

Schools have rigid schedules. The kids have to be in at the set time, and the hours seem long at times. That is why family time is so limited during school days.

Homeschooling gives you more time with your kids as the schedule is flexible. You get to set the learning times, and you can always work around the schedule to accommodate other activities. That helps to create a stronger bond between you and your little one right into adulthood. The feeling is amazing and fulfilling.

2. Control the Curriculum

Parents are voicing concern about some of the new curriculums and programs being introduced in public schools. They feel that these programs are confusing their kids and piling pressure on them to fall in line with mainstream ideologies. That is one of the main reasons why many parents are switching to homeschooling.

The convenience of homeschooling is that you get to decide what your child learns. You can take away all the negative programs and even add some more positive ones of your own.

3. Personalize and Customize Learning

Learning in public and private schools is based on a one-size-fits-all model. All students are expected to keep up with the pace regardless of their learning capabilities. Unfortunately, the truth is that some kids have difficulty learning. They can still learn and excel, but it has to be in a different way.

If your kid has difficulty learning, you should consider homeschooling. You can study your child’s learning patterns and come up with a personalized learning system. This way, they can learn with ease, and over time, they will get past their learning difficulties.

You will also be saving your child a lot of ridicule as kids who perform poorly in school tend to be targets for bullying from other kids.

4. Better Grades

Students are considerably underperforming nowadays, compared to the past. There are fewer students eligible for higher education today. That is because the education system is failing – but homeschooling, on the other hand, is not.

Research, conducted by the National Home Education Research Institute, has revealed that home-educated kids perform better than public school kids in the standardized tests. The average home-educated child scores about 30 percentile point more than a public school student. The rates are even higher among minorities whose public schooling experience is challenging.

That means that home-educated kids have better chances of admission to a university. It also means that their employment and entrepreneurial prospects are better. You’ll get great returns from your effort!

5. It Is Healthier And Safer

Public schools are becoming crowded; therefore, there are growing concerns about students’ health. The ongoing measles scare has only served to magnify these concerns. There are also fears that school shootings are getting out of hand. There have been many incidents of violence in schools, and it has left dozens dead and many more traumatized. These, too, are some of the main reasons why more parents are switching to homeschooling.

The public school systems are crumbling. Parents who are concerned with their kids’ well-being, fortunately, have the option to home-educate them. It is more effective, safer, cheaper, healthier, and you get to spend more time with your little ones.

Tips To Finding The Right Pediatrician For Your Child

June 20, 2019 by Mandy

Finding the right doctor to care for your child is one of the most important decisions you are going to make as a child. Your pediatrician is the person who will take care of them every time they are sick. When it comes to keeping your child well, you want a doctor that makes not only you but your child feel comfortable.

Parents with kids, no matter how old they are, make a lot of trips to the pediatrician’s office whether it be for unplanned sick visits or for well check-ups. You need a pediatrician that doesn’t break the break, offers the affordable medical supply you need, has years of experience caring for children under their belt and comes highly recommended by other parents, and has a personality that keeps your child calm and comfortable during the entire visit. Below are a few things to look for when looking for a new pediatrician for your child!

1.) Check out their credentials and years of experience

A pediatrician who specializes in working with and treating children from the newborn stage to the older teen years has undergone special training in pediatric school after graduating from general medical school. When looking for a new pediatrician, make sure the ones that you are interested in are board-certified in pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics.

It is also wise to go to their office in person and do an interview of sorts, to get a feel for how deep their hands-on experience really goes. There is only so far that book knowledge can take a doctor. You want to find a pediatrician that has been working in pediatrics, especially for several years, and you may even want to look for a doctor that has experience in fields like urgent care, ERs, group practice, treating all ages, etc. as they can bring a different set of skills to the practice.

2.) Find out how the pediatrician stays current

Because of how advanced science is today, medicine and health care are able to change quite often and improve on ways they cure illnesses. Because medicine is able to change so often, it is vitally important for doctors to stay on top of the most recent cures and medical research so that they can provide the best, up-to-date care for your kids. Do an interview with prospective pediatricians and find out how they stay on top of research: for instance, do they go to conferences, do they attend seminars a few times a year, do they read accredited news, etc.

3.) The chemistry between parents and pediatrician matters

At most pediatric offices, you can go in and meet the doctors face to face and get to know them before settling with them and taking your child to get seen there. You want to take advantage of getting to know them because it allows you to meet the doctor in person and ask them questions that a website may not be able to answer. For instance, in a meet and greet you can ask the doctor things like how they approach healthcare, what their stance on vaccinations are, if they are a believer in medicating for everything, or if they prefer to let the body fight illnesses naturally, etc. When you know that you and a new pediatrician click and are on the same page about how you want your children to be taken care of, it will put you more at ease to go get your children taken care of there.

Most doctors acknowledge that every child is different and that every parent approaches the care and health of their child differently. For that reason, they want to get to know the parent so that they can get on the same page and give the child treatment that everyone is comfortable with.

4.) Take your child to meet the doctor and watch their interaction

Just as it is important for parent and doctor to click and be on the same page, it is equally as important for your child to feel comfortable with a potential new doctor. Allow your child to be with you when you meet with the doctor and pay attention to how they interact with the doctor. If they seem comfortable and relaxed, all of their credentials and experience meet your high standards, and the pediatrician does his or her best to stay on top of their game, you very well may have found the right new pediatrician to care for your child!

5 Great Reasons to Send Your Child to Private School

June 14, 2019 by Mandy

Education has a major role to play in protecting the future of the human race. Despite the learning crisis in the world, education remains the answer and should be entrusted to our children who are the future. Investing in a good education program should be in the best of your interest in your child’s growth.

But how do you determine that you have invested in the right school for your child to study in? Do you choose a public school or a private institution for your loved one?. Do you go to public schools which are cheap but crowded or opt for that private school that will offer special attention to your child although at a higher fee?

When choosing that perfect school, match the institution’s values with yours. By knowing the expectations of the institution you will be able to make that decision easy. Here is why investing in private school education can be a great experience for your child. Read on to learn more about the benefits of a private school.

Committed Teachers

Teachers in private institutions focus their undivided attention to promoting every student’s development. It’s easy for teachers to learn and understand their students’ shortcomings and help in eliminating them since private schools have a small number of students in one class. Private schools have a unique system in selecting highly qualified teachers who show passion, skill, and determination.

As a parent you want your child to get the same level of attention as the rest of the students. Private institutions will definitely achieve this for you. The teacher’s special attention is important in your child’s development and this is why private institution promotes having dedicated teachers. Noticeably you will begin to see the ability of your child to complete tasks with ease.

Teacher performance in private schools gets monitored so as to identify weaknesses and improve on them. This, in turn, leads to teachers putting in more effort in the classroom. It forces them to go the extra mile, to improve the overall performance of the class.

Safety and Security

No parent wants to put their children in harm’s way and the safety and security of your child should be a top priority. Especially with issues like kidnapping and other forms of insecurities, it’s primary that you ensure when you are not in arms reach of your child that you have the sense that they are safe wherever they are.

The number of students’ versus the number of adults will be a factor in ensuring security in learning institutions. Imagine if the number of student ratio for teachers is very high. This will raise some challenges in ensuring that the students’ security is manageable.

A lower number of students provides an easy way to track their whereabouts at all times and also offers a quick response time in case of emergencies. It is also easier to identify missing students in the classroom and contact their parents or guardians for inquiries. In public schools, the high number of students makes it a difficult and expensive affair.

Enough Resources

Resources that facilitate a better learning environment are very important for any educational institution. Private learning institutions are able to thrive in sourcing out the necessary utilities to help in smooth operations.

The enrollment and semester fees charged in private institutions go a long way in ensuring more resources are available for each and every student. Facilities in these schools are in plenty.

From well-equipped libraries to state of the art sports facilities and support for extracurricular activities such as music. These go a long way in nurturing and developing your child’s talents

Private schools are able to contribute part of these resources through a united front from the community, staff, alumni members and parents. This is aimed towards the overall welfare of the school. This is very vital to their overall development.

Uniform Programs and Extra-Curricular Activities

All work and no play makes Jack a dull bull right? Extra-curricular activities provide a much-needed break from classroom work for the students. Learning gets exhausting sometimes. They also provide motivation for the children to come to school and have fun while learning.

Uniformity in programs means that a student can even participate in other extracurricular activities. A balance needs to be there. Private schools try to make this possible all through the school calendar.

Extra-curricular activities also play the role of instilling a form of discipline which is paramount for your child’s development. Most private schools will try to uphold their values through the discipline students learn while participating in extracurricular activities.

Some of the talents they develop in school might end up being their source of livelihood in their adult life. Many talents get spotted at school level and get developed after graduation.

Small Class Count

Public schools have a tendency to have a higher number of students in a class. Imagine the level of discomfort a student feels in such an environment. The level of focus and attention is affected in such a set up as it forces the hand of the teacher.

A lower number of students per class also plays a major part in the development of student-teacher relationships. In an environment where the students and teachers don’t possess a personal but professional relationship, the students end up missing out.

In private school, the teachers are able to identify and target the weaknesses of the students, leading to better academic performance. This would not be the case if the class was too crowded to manage.

Private School Provides a Better Environment for Your Child’s Development

As you are making that decision on which institution you would like to enroll your child in, remember that their future is in your hands. Private school might be costly but comes with numerous benefits as compared to public school. It is up to you to make that decision on what type of school, education, and environment you want your child to grown in.

Check out our website to learn more about family values and to get more insights on private school education for your child.