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Parenting Tips |
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Tips
for Parenting a preteen
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Be honest and
open with your preteen when talking about your
values, beliefs and ideas.
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Say
"Here is what I think about..." and briefly explain your
views.
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Help your preteen
to make responsible choices by talking about their options.
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Tell your preteen
if you are disappointed or upset with his or her behavior.
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Give
your preteen opportunities to try new activities and learn
new skills.
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Express
your support and encouragement as they try something new.
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Praise,
hug, encourage and say "I love you."
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Recognize
that your preteen's life may be very different from your own
adolescence.
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Your
preteen deserves guidance, expectations for achievement, and
a fair balance between rules and freedom.
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Tips to teach sharing
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Set a good example. To teach sharing, you must share.
If you’re snacking, offer some. Share with others and draw
attention to it, for example, “Thanks for sharing your
popcorn, Grandma.”
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Set a good example –
part 2. When your child shares with you, accept it with
a big “Thank you!” Seeing your joy will encourage her to
share more often. Rejecting her may cause her to stop
offering.
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Show respect.
Your child’s things are his. Just because he’s small or
didn’t buy them, they’re still his. If you want to borrow
something, be sure to ask and say thank you when finished.
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Teach sharing.
Make sure your child knows sharing a toy doesn’t mean it’s
gone forever. Before a play date, have your child pick a
couple things he’d rather not share. Put them away until the
friend leaves.
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It’s OK not to share.
Sometimes there are things your child isn’t ready to give
up. Was it a special gift? Is it new? Forcing her to share
when she’s not ready could make her resentful instead of
generous. Ask why she doesn’t want to share.
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Tips for peaceful bedtimes
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Set a time
for bedtime. Try to have
bedtime at the same time every night. Be as consistent as you
can and offer gentle reminders as bedtime nears.
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Establish a
bedtime routine. And try to do the same routine each night. Take a bath, read a
book, talk about the day, name the best part of the day or any
other quiet activity that signals the bedtime routine has begun.
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Use a
special bedtime comfort.
Have a
special pillow, blanket, stuffed animal, soft music or night
light that’s especially for bedtime use.
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If
possible, give choices for the routine.
“Would you
like to sleep with your bear or bunny tonight?” “Which book
would you like to read tonight?”
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Remember to
watch the clock. Don’t start
longer games, books or movies before bed as it may cause
arguments about wanting to finish them. Also, keep more physical
activities for earlier in the evening and quieter activities for
closer to bedtime.
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Tips to avoid
arguments
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Give your
child choices. This works
at most ages! For example, say, “You have to wear socks, but you
can pick the red ones or the blue ones.” Be sure to use choices
you can live with and then praise them when they pick, “Good
choice!”
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Tell your
child what to expect.
“We’re
going to two stores today, but not the toy store.” “You have 10
more minutes to play, then we need to go.”
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Model the
behavior you’d like to see.
Do not
argue with your child. Remain calm and do not yell.
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Have a
routine. This will
help children know what to expect. Bedtime is after one book,
homework is done before TV, etc. Be sure the rules are clear and
consistent.
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Explain
your reasons. But don’t
expect young children to fully understand. Making good decisions
takes years of practice and children need a good role model.
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Tips for better parenting
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Take time out
for your child. Even a few minutes reading or playing
with a toy will mean a lot if the child has your full
attention.
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Set rules.
Ground rules help eliminate arguments and teach limits. For
example: Homework has to be finished before watching TV.
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Be positive.
Praise children for good behavior - this will encourage them
to repeat the good behavior. Children tend to repeat the
actions that get them attention.
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Be firm and
consistent. Yes means yes and no means no every time.
Understanding this will help your child to know what to
expect from you. Remember, it's natural for a child to try
to stretch the limits - it's part of the growing process.
It's your job to be fair, firm and consistent.
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Use positive
discipline. Criticize the behavior and not the person.
For example, say, "I'm upset that you hit your friend"
instead of "You're a bad gi rl for hitting your friend."
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Tips for shopping
with children
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Let
your child know what to expect.
For example, say, "We are going to the grocery for five
things, then to the bank and our last stop will be the gas
station."
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Eat
before you leave.
This will keep everyone's energy levels high and help avoid
temptation.
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Try
to avoid crowds.
Shopping in the early morning is a good way to avoid most
crowds.
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Take
shorter trips.
Marathon shopping will tire and stress both you and your
child.
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Establish limits.
It's hard to say "no" to a child but remember, you're
helping him learn to set limits.
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Know
when it can wait.
If it's not something you absolutely need, shop another time
when you're both rested and well.
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Tips for reading with your child
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Start reading early. Even the youngest baby will enjoy
the sound of your voice and the rhythm of a story. If you
haven’t started yet, it’s never too late.
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Choose appropriate books. Babies and young children
enjoy short books that rhyme, have lots of pictures, have
lots of repetition, tell a funny story, or are about a
child’s favorite animal, activity or show.
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Pick
a special time to read. Such as bedtime, after supper,
before bath or after nap time. Try to read everyday.
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Keep
it fun! Let the child choose which book to read, use
funny voices or tell stories together about the pictures.
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Let
your child “read” to you. They may remember the story or
tell a new one. There’s no wrong way for a child to “read”
to you!
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Tips to
tame tantrums
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Remain calm. Try a distraction with something your child
enjoys. Be firm but calm. If you get loud, your child may
just get louder.
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If
possible, give choices. For example, “You have to take a
nap, but you can choose your snack when you get up - granola
bar, cereal or grapes!”
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Ignore a tantrum. If you are able, it is a good
technique. Try not to give in and do not punish during a
tantrum as everyone’s emotions are running high.
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Don’t take it personally. Children become frustrated and
overwhelmed, too, but are less able to explain their anger.
Be ready to try new techniques as children are always
changing and growing.
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Anticipate problems. Be ready and prepare your child for
what to expect and what choices they’ll have. When everyone
is calm, talk about problem times and what each of you can
do.
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Have tips to share?
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The 2013
Believe in the Blue campaign is brought to you by:

For more information
on how you can help prevent child abuse, please contact the National
Exchange Club at
800-924-2643 or info@nationalexchangeclub.org

Provided
by a generous grant from the American Legion Child Welfare
Foundation.
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