HaltonParents

How to encourage children to say thank you

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Andrea Scott RN

My daughter used to be that child who didn’t say thank you when she received a present. It wasn’t so much that she forgot to say thank you; she outright refused to say thank you.

But wait – before you judge her parents’ parenting skills, ahem, mine – my daughter is also fiercely shy and slow to warm up, even with people she loves and sees regularly. To her, saying thank you invites even more attention to her, and she just can’t handle it. It’s even worse when her Mommy or Daddy pressure her in front of her waiting audience. Trust me, I’ve tried it and it didn’t end well! Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged children, Christmas, gifts, give thanks, gratitude, Holidays, how to teach manners, manners, preschoolers, say thank you | Leave a comment

7 ways to avoid the “me, me, me” trap at home

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Carolyn Wilkie, RN

As the holidays approach, teaching our children the whole “me to we” concept can become a challenge. It’s that time of year when wants can magically become needs and despite our best parenting intentions, it’s a trap we all fall into.

While we can blame social media, clever marketing and tired parents for feeding this hungry cycle, it really is in our power to stop it, or at least slow it down. Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Teen, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Teen Brain, Teens, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged avoiding entitlement, connecting kids to society, creating empathy, entitled kids, grandparents, how to avoid raising a spoiled child, Mental Health | Leave a comment

Parent self-care: The benefits of taking some “me time”

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Sarah Flynn RN

Five reasons you should eat an avocado a day! This headline appeared on my Facebook feed last week and got me thinking, not about avocados but my overall eating habits and self-care since I became a parent. What do I really eat in a day (I don’t think high chair scraps count as a meal) and how do I promote self-health, wellness and balance? We are an active family and I am very aware of the meals and snacks I prepare…for my children. However, when I think about it, the quality of my breakfast and lunch are sub-par to say the least, and I feel like I ask myself more often than not “have you drank any water today?!” Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged eating right, feeling good, happiness, health, Mental Health, Physical Health, self-care, wellness | 2 Comments

6 easy ways to save money over the holidays and reduce stress

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Andrea Scott RN

I find it so easy to overspend for the holidays. At first it’s gift-shopping – the ads and the music and the general festiveness of it all really puts me in the mood to splurge on my family and friends. Every year it’s the same: I set a budget for spending on gifts, but I almost always go over it because of a few people that I’d forgotten when I made my list. Even worse, I always, always, always forget to factor in how much it costs to host or attend other people’s gatherings where I usually bring a potluck dish and a small gift of thanks. By the time January rolls around, I find myself wondering just where all the money on my credit card was spent! Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged Christmas, entertain for less, financial stress, gifts for kids, holiday season, holiday stress, Holidays, Mental Health, parents, preschoolers, save money, spending money | Leave a comment

The truth about teens and alcohol

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

We’ve all been through our teen years and had to deal with peer pressure and alcohol. Back then, no one warned me about the risks of alcohol, binge drinking and alcohol poisoning – not my parents, not my school and not my friends. I can’t say for certain if this knowledge would have influenced my decisions much at that age, but I would like to think so.

As a parent, I want to talk to my kids openly about the effects of alcohol. First and foremost, I want my teen to delay drinking alcohol for as long as possible. I am not delusional, I get the teen years. But as a public health nurse, I can’t hide that I know about the effects of alcohol on the developing teen brain. So my number one goal as a parent is to help my teen to delay, delay, delay! Continue reading →