Stress and Single Parent

single parenthood has become more and more common in society and Being a single parent is not easy. It is like doing two jobs in one sitting. Single parenting requires you to be an understanding mother or a tough and a providing father all at the same time. Stress and single parenting, therefore, works together, giving single mom and dad a terrible headache every single  day.

Stress and single parenting are the usual topics in self-help books in parenting. Psychologists believe that raising children and even just a child is a very stressful task that requires ample management of emotional, behavioral and spiritual aspect of a single parent. Without the proper guide from self-help books, counsellors, group therapy, a single parent will deteriorate emotionally due to stress.

So how could you manage stress and single parenting? Psychologists say that in order for a parent to manage both stress and single parenting, he or she should enumerate things that brings him or her the stressors.

The universal stressors in single parenting for a female parent is how she could manage her household while she works her way to earn a living for 8 to 9 hours during the day. Self-help books on how to manage stress and single parenting gives single moms a good advice.

Firstly, if their job requires them to be out of the house in the usual office hours, she could hire a nanny during those times that she is away. But if she wants to have a quality time with her child or children, it would be for the best if she would leave her day job and establish a work from home business or job.

Yes, believe it or don't, many people, single parent or not, who earn a living through the internet not for selling goods but for offering and selling a service.

If you are a fast typist, you can offer typing services through 'telecommuting.' It is a secretarial job that doesn't require a single parent to be 'on-site' or at the place where the office is located.

Some employers, especially those who are always on the go, hire 'virtual assistant' to help them with clerical or typing or secretarial jobs. Employers simply email the typing or research job to their virtual assistant with the instructions on how to do it and when to submit it, and the virtual assistant shall submit to the employer the typing and research job at the time the employer has specified.

The virtual assistant will be paid online via Paypal or Online Checks, every 15th and 30th of the month, or as agreed by both parties.

This way you can manage both stress and single parenting. Even if your two children are howling at each other, you can pacify them while you are waiting for the next job that your virtual boss will give you. Working online or telecommuting is one of the best ways that you can manage stress and single parenting.

As for single dads, the problem that they usually face is how to keep in-tune with his child or children's feelings and emotional needs. This is the most usual cause of stress with a male doing the single parenting.

Of course, unlike a single mom, not all single dads want to work at home. They feel that this is not a very manly job. To psychologists, however, single dads doesn't have that much liberty to think this way.

Single parenting is totally different to regular parenting (a household with a mother and a father). A single parent must adjust to the usual  activities expected of a 'regular' parent. So, a single dad must accept the fact that he can't be just like 'any other dad' and work his bottom from sunrise till night.

A single dad needs to be at the side of his children, like a mother. If he can't accept this fact, he cannot possibly manage stress and single parenting.

Healthy Eating For Children

Getting children to eat can be a battle all on its own. Then add eating healthy and most parents throw their hands up in the air declaring it to be next to impossible.

This mini e-book is designed with those parents in mind. Here you will learn tips for helping your children to eat and to eat healthy. It is not as impossible as you might think. The best way to develop healthy eating habits is to start when they are toddlers. The common sense rule of: start as you mean to go on. However, for those of us who realize too late the impact of junk food and unhealthy eating has had on our children, read on.

Two requirements For Healthy Eating

The number one requirement for your children to eat healthy is to ensure that there are healthy foods in the house. That means fridge, freezer and cupboards are stocked with healthy food choices. I won't go so far as to say remove all of the junk food, but then again if you really want your children eating healthy removing the junk food means removing the option of eating unhealthy at least at home!

The second requirement for your children to eat healthy is for you to set the example. Our children today no longer tolerate the rule of do as I say, not as I do. That style of parenting went out a long time ago. If you continue to try this style of parenting don't be surprised when your children follow your example.

7 Tips For Healthy Eating

Tip #1

Involve your children in meal planning. This works especially well for picky eaters. Giving your children choice often eliminates mealtime struggles. This does not mean that your children determine what the household will eat for every meal. Rather it means that they are a contributing member of the family and that their opinions are important. This sends a very strong message to children. I highly recommend that your child be allowed to choose one dinner per week for the family.

Tip#2

Involve your children in meal preparation. Children are much more likely to eat something that they have prepared. Being involved in meal preparation can be as simple as gathering items needed from the fridge and cupboards. They can measure ingredients, peel vegetables, grate cheese, pour sauces or preheat the oven.

Tip #3

Use child friendly recipes. Child friendly recipes usually have no more than three to five steps and involve common foods found in most households. There are many websites that dedicate a recipe section to child friendly recipes. Simply do a web search on child or kid friendly healthy recipes and your choices are endless. Chatelaine's website you can actually search for healthy kid friendly recipes by entering the information into their drop box.

Tip #4

On your dinning room or kitchen table keep a basket with ready to eat fruit. Oranges, Banana's and washed apples. You would be surprised how often foods even healthy ones are eaten when you walk past them and don't have to go looking.

Tip #5

In your fridge keep a ready to eat (washed and cut up) try of: baby carrots, celery sticks and cauliflower and broccoli florets with dip. Keep your dip healthy by making your own. Better yet let your children make the dip. All you need to purchase is a container of lite sour cream and add one pouch of onion soup mix, stir together and place in the fridge covered with your veggies. For a quick dip try using your favourite salad dressings ranch or cucumber salad dressing are my families favourite for dipping veggies. You can always put this on the table with dinner. Many children who do not like cooked veggies love them raw!

Tip #6

In your fridge keep a ready to eat fruit tray. Peal a couple of oranges and break into slices, grapes red and green, pineapple wedges and kiwi. Make the tray up with fruits that will be eaten and will not turn brown once cut up. They key for many kids is adding a fruit dip which is very easy to make. Purchase a container of cool whip lite and let it defrost. Add a package of your favourite crystal lite (single serving). My children love their dip made with the strawberry, orange banana crystal lite. Mix and serve. You will watch the fruit disappear!

Tip #7

Mix in veggies where they can't see them. When my children were younger and the thought of veggies was enough for a temper tantrum at dinner, I learned to be creative. Whenever I made pasta for dinner or used a pasta sauce for topping veal, chicken etc. I added veggies. In my blender I pureed, green pepper, red pepper, onion, mushroom, garlic and anything else I happened to have on hand and added it to a can of pasta sauce. They declared it the best pasta sauce ever!

If you are worried that your children are not getting enough vitamins and minerals naturally through their diet make sure to consult your family doctor. They may recommend taking a multi-vitamin supplement. You can also use vitamin supplements called greens in your cooking, follow directions and add to your cooking. Always consult a doctor before having your children take a multi-vitamin or cooking with vitamin and mineral supplements. This is not meant to be medical advice.

As a Child & Youth Worker having worked with young children, children, teens and adults along with their families to assist them in reaching their full potential. I have worked in children's mental health, with dual diagnosed individuals, children and teens in conflict with the law and many families wishing to imporve their relationships. When left my position as a Program Director in Children's Services, my husband and I opened Brighter Futures. We consult to Children's Aid Societies, Families and work with children who struggle with behavioural issues. We are currently focusing on Parental Education which we believe to be the right of every child. We offer parenting courses, parental coaching and much, much more!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/843128

Family Reunion Gifts

Family reunion gifts are fun to buy, fun to give, and fun to receive, and are often given as a token or gesture of love and loyalty. A good family reunion gift should be thoughtful and personal. Family reunions are a time to re-affirm ties within the family and reconnect to one's family heritage. It is the time when all generations of the family get together, recalling the memories of years gone by and discussing new ideas. The best way to express feelings for each other is by sharing and giving gifts, which serve as a token of your love and care.

When considering gifts for a family reunion there are many different things to choose from to make the occasion memorable: t-shirts, key chains, or maybe presenting the eldest member with a plaque to mark the event. Signing a ceramic guest book platter is a great idea, with various members sharing jokes, poems, or quotes on the platter. Then you can take a family photograph on the reunion day, put it in a beautiful frame and present it to all the members. Specially designed t-shirts or caps, with a special logo or a picture of the oldest family members, are another idea.

You can choose a pen stand with the family name engraved on it. For kids, the best gifts would be chocolates, toys or cookies. For adults, giving personalized bags or wallets could be a good idea. The gift ideas are endless, but the main thing that matters is the emotional and sentimental value attached to the gift.

Children Socks

Many types of children’s socks with sytle. For example Ankle socks, knee socks, and tights are available for both boys and girls. Other types of socks include slipper socks and decorated socks.

Socks for girls include socks with trims of lace, buttons, bows, ribbons, and fake fur yarns.  Although the decorations are generally attached to the  cuff of the socks, there are designs that are printed in the sock it self.

For decorated socks have themes such as sports, animals, floral prints, stars and funny picture. Socks can represent the interests of the wear with things such as soccer ball beads, baseball type beads or basketball beads. The only limits to this is your imagination.

Materials for children’s socks include cotton, nylon, wool, natural yarns and synthetic yarns. There are soft yarns such as baby and sport yarns as well as various thickness of worsted weight yarn from two to four ply.

Children’s socks are made in a number of ways. They are mass produced,  being made on circular knitting machines like adult socks are. They can be hand knitted. They can also be hand crocheted as well. Some people actually make socks out of different types of fabrics as well.

Children’s socks can also be recreated by cutting of the foot of the worn socks and or knitting new feet. They can also be made by using the feet of socks and hand knitting or crocheting new top pieces. Trim can be hand crocheted, hand knitted, or sewn on to cuffs of plain socks to make them more fun to wear.

Healthy Home

All the cultures of the world promote family life. A family is the most important demographic unit from more than one aspect. The culture and society of a nation is very much affected by the way the families live in that country. Family life is important. People become what they become because of what the family life teaches them. A family unit is capable of teaching a person more than any other group of people in his life. There are certain steps which should be taken to ensure the stability of relations and stronger ties among the members of a family. You should avoid all such practices which can create problems in your family life. In a family the kids live with their parents. Most often than not the people of a family share their surname with each other. The way family members behave with each other affects the way a culture or a society flourishes. All these factors lead us to the conclusion that family unit is a very important unit. We also should assess our family members and talk to them about making the family ties even stronger. We must create understanding between the members of the family. If the people belonging to a family understand each other, the ties of the family will automatically be stronger.

Building a home is important. If you want to improve the quality of family life you are spending you have to pay all due attention towards these things. These steps are minor steps, but these steps result in a much better level of understanding between the members of a family, and as a result the family becomes more strongly tied to each other.

If you want to become closer to your family you must know and learn to create a habit of eating together. The experience the kids get by traveling and vacation brings them closer to their parents.

If you spend more time with your family members you will be able to create a better level of understanding with them.