Raising Children - Parenting And Child Development

Raising children in today's world can be a tough job, but the rewards are certainly worth it. Few parents wouldn't agree that their kids, no matter what age they are, are the most important thing in their lives, and usually the part of their lives that brings them the most happiness. Today's parents have to have a long term game plan from the very beginning. In the United States at least, from the moment newborn babies enter the world, their parents are probably already thinking about the cost of raising children, and how best they can help them develop for the next 20-something years - preparing them for the challenges of school, college and finally the workplace. So just what are the current approaches to raising children that parents need to think about?

Child Development

Child development is not just the physical process of growing from an infant to a toddler, a child to an adolescent, and finally becoming a physically and sexually mature adult. No, child development is the word used to describe all the other development processes on that path - emotional, mental, educational, social, etc. When a baby is born, his parents may spend the first couple of years watching out for signs that he is achieving the expected developmental milestones - sitting up for the first time, crawling and walking, eating solid foods, learning to talk etc. As the years go by, this moves on to toilet training, starting school, learning to read and write. By the high school stage, parents want their kids to be well adjusted socially and have friends, but also to want to spend quality time with family and manage their studies successfully. It's vital that teenagers learn to handle these life challenges, because if they don't master the basics of an adult existence now, they may struggle at college and in the workplace when they're out on their own. Parents could be forgiven for thinking that there's just too much to balance and "worry" about - in today's world, it's ok to need a little help when it comes to supporting your child's development.­­­

Information On Raising Children

There are a number of experts in different areas that you can consult when it comes to raising children. In the early days, your child's pediatrician should be your first point of call for all development-related issues, from breastfeeding to sleeping routines to baby illnesses. When your child starts preschool or kindergarten (and indeed throughout his school career) you can talk to his teacher if you are concerned about his progress academically or his relationships with other students. If your child has particular issues at school (such as a learning disability), the school psychologist or a child psychologist may be able to help. Of course, you can always turn to your own parents, family, and friends with kids for advice and tips on coping with the day-to-day adventure that is raising children.

Resources

Call into any bookstore or search online and you'll find tons of raising children books aimed at making parenting in today's world easier. Some of these are written by parents based on firsthand experience, and others by childcare experts with lots of qualifications to their name. You'll find specialized books for particular parenting situations - single parents, grandparents raising children, disciplining children, caring for sick children, and punishing children when they're naughty. Of course, almost everything that you can find in these books, you can find (probably for free) on the internet too.

One inspiring parenting "resource" you'll find online are sites with plenty of quotes about raising children. Some of them are humorous, some are sentimental, but a lot of them talk about situations that most parents can relate to. If you're low on energy one day, or the kids have been misbehaving, or your teenager has just slammed the bedroom door on you again, these quotes can be a great source of inspiration, and can help you to maintain a rational perspective on the situation.

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