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Funny Questions To Ask Kids
By: Devon Bernthal
Tags: Kids, Parenting Tips, Parenting Advice, Parenting, Family

If you’re looking for ways to entertain your kids and add laughter to your family, these funny questions for kids are perfect.

There seems to be more time being spent at home lately because of health issues worldwide, which means more time spent entertaining your kids. While some kids are going to school in person, others are stuck virtual learning from home. Either way, more stress is put on us moms to entertain our kids and create a happy family.

One of the best ways to keep your kids happy and entertained is to ask them a funny question. Any funny question will do. The goal is to take their mind off the tantrum they are throwing, their stress over virtual learning, or their boredom.

I use these questions with my younger two daughters that are ten and five years old. When they start to get crabby about something like not being able to go to a friend’s house or having to help clean up around the house, I’ll ask them a funny question. It almost immediately changes their mindset. Granted, it doesn’t always work, and I don’t always have the clarity of mind to ask the question. But if I ask them, it almost always works.

Because it can be challenging to think of a funny question when you’re in the chaos, I’ve put together a list for you. I’ve even included some printable cards that you can keep on hand. You can even reverse the game if your kids are old enough to read and have them ask you a question.

I also want to mention that these questions are great for long car rides or family dinner time to spark conversation.

Funny Questions For Kids

If you could be one animal, what would it be?

What would you do if you saw me standing on my head?

Which superhero do you think is the best dancer?

What do you think a giraffe eats for dessert?

If you could fly, where would you go?

Do you think unicorns have to clean their rooms?

If clouds were cotton candy, what flavor would they be?

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

What do you think a hippo’s voice would sound like?

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

If you could put anything on top of your pizza, what would it be?

Would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?

What does a fox say, and what does it mean?

Would you rather be a hero or a villain?

What would your superhero name be?

Would you rather have noodles for hair or crayons for teeth?

If you had a parrot, what would you teach it to say?

When the zoo closes, what do you think the animals do?

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to funny questions you can ask your kids. Hopefully, this list has gotten you thinking about more questions you would add.

Let me know what questions you would add in the comments!

Written by: Devon
Things to Look for When Moving to a New Home
By: Annette Rugolo
Tags: Vortex, Child Habit, Teenagers, Dowsing, Parenting Advice

When making a move to a new home, it is important to watch for any changes in your child’s sleeping habits or behavior.

One parent learned this when they moved their family into a new home. Within months, their 15-year-old daughter, an honor student, lost interest in her studies, changed the group of friends she was hanging out with and even changed her looks. She had always been someone who was fun loving and a bright light as she entered a room. Within months, she dyed her hair black and began wearing black lipstick, heavy dark eyeliner and nail polish. All of her clothes were black. She became sullen and depressed.

When her mom called me to see if I could check in to see why there was this sudden change in her daughter, I asked if they had recently moved. It turned out they had moved 18 months before and the changes began taking place about a month after the move.

Although the pictures below are not the actual pictures of the young girl, they do demonstrate the drastic change in looks, behavior and attitude that they saw in their daughter in just six months.

Anytime there is that kind of drastic change after a move, I always check the energy of the bedroom the child is sleeping in. In this case, the daughter ended up sleeping in a room with a negative vortex.

There are several types of negative vortexes but the one she was sleeping next to had created a field of dense, dark energy. When this type of energy field exists, the person sleeping in or next to it will begin to be affected by this energy and they start seeing the world as dark and dismal. They then begin reflecting the energy they sleep as they express it through their clothes, their appearance and their choices.

Once the mother understood that this was happening, they asked me to cure the negative vortex (a very simple process) and within days, their daughter began making different choices. Within a few weeks, she was back with her old friends, her interest in school returned and their bright, joyful daughter was with them once again.

The changes that happen after a move are not always this drastic and there are other indicators to watch for. Anyone in the family can have this same kind of reaction when sleeping in a negative field of energy.

Note: To clarify, I am not saying that everyone who dresses ‘goth’ is sleeping in a negative energy field. This was simply this young women’s indicator to her parents that something outside of herself was changing her personality and affecting her choices and decisions.
Parents are a celestial body. Parents are a celestial body.
By: Helen Star
Tags: Parenting Advice, Parenthood, Parents

Parents are a celestial body.

In healthy circumstances, a child orbits the parent and over time the orbit widens. They grow and fly further and further out into space. When the growing satellite of the child is tired of spinning out, exhausted by the depth and darkness of outer space, they return to orbit. To find the silent constance of their celestial body. And, after basking in the impossible warmth they calm to predictable rotation. At least for a while. At least, until the thrust of adventure sends them back out for more.

The true gift of parental love is its constancy. That love is not earned. The love and constancy of a being parent is the promise made at birth and before. It’s the pact you make with a part of yourself before they are physically separated from you and hurled into existence.

The gravitational pull of the parent on a child is forever. Even when that child searches space and finds a relentless void. Even when the child strains and fights to break free of the orbit.

The families that survive life’s indignities and insults and still thrive are not the ones bound by modern social dictats on form. They are the ones that; despite everything, in spite of everything, the child grows, matures, learns and if society is lucky, after a long, healthy and loving life, they die knowing that their own magical and transcendent celestial body never faltered and never fell below the horizon.

Even when beset by forces that create black holes, their celestial body was constant. Parental love remains in the sky, as timeless as the sun. As predictable as the moon. Selfless and unending throughout the brutality of parenthood.
Why parents choose Homeschooling
By: Keturah Bartholomew
Tags: Homeschooling, Parenting Tips, Parenting Teenagers, Parenting Advice, Parenting

Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

This article is one that relates to me in particular. As a Homeschool parent, I thought it would be fitting to share some of the findings that have personally impacted me.

Parents like myself have choosen to homeschool for a number of reasons. According to research conducted in the USA, the number of students that are homeschooled have doubled in the last decade. We will explore 3 of the most common reasons that parents make this decision.

1.Making a change from a negative school environment.

The National Household Education Survey (NHES), which is conducted every four years by the U.S Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has presented statistics that reflect that this is the most common reason that parents choose to homeschool. A number of parents are concerned about factors such as bullying and school violence. These factors can negatively impact the mindset of a child and their personal development.

A negative school environment adversely affects the mental health of the child and as a result, there will be challenges with low self-esteem, depression, concentration, and the ability to produce satisfactory grades.

2.Get Higher Quality Education

Another reason that has sparked the interest of parents who are determined to invest in their children’s education is the fact that homeschooling allows the parent to provide personalized instructions and take control over what their children are learning.

Surveys conducted by the NHES has shown that parents are dissatisfied with the academic instruction that their children are receiving, especially because it is difficult for the teachers to provide one-on-one assistance in a crowded classroom. Homeschool parents can provide additional material and resources which will ensure that the child masters the course material before transitioning into another.

Lately, there have been statistics that are revealing how homeschooled children are scoring higher on state and federal standardized tests.

3.Tailored Social Interactions

With Bullying and peer pressure on the rise, many parents are joining the Homeschool movement which enables them to choose the social circles that support their value systems.

Because of the flexibility that Homeschooling offers, homeschool parents are not limited to a specific learning environment such as the home but they also have the options of enrollment in various clubs.

This promotes healthy emotional and psychological development of the child and children can develop healthy social skills in controlled environments.

Please feel free to share in the comments some of the benefits that you have discovered if you also fit the category of a homeschool parent.
10 Best Winter Safety Tips For Kids To Keep Them Warm And Healthy
By: Tango Family
Tags: Healthcare, Kids Activities, Baby Care, Parenting Advice, Parenting

10 Best Winter Safety Tips For Kids To Keep Them Warm And Healthy Tango Family Feb 20·3 min read

Winters are exceptional and attractive to everyone. The cold breeze, snow, chocolate, soup, hot drinks, and snowmen are the major attractions in the winters for kids. Along with the fun, there are many health threats for kids in winters. It is necessary to focus on winter safety tips for kids.

You cannot restrict the kids from playing outside, going to school, and having fun. Therefore, it is best to let them enjoy every bit of it but with precautions. Here are some winter safety tips for kids that help you in keeping them safe and healthy throughout winters.

1. Cover them in layers

Among the winter safety tips for kids, the very first thing to care about is the clothing. Make sure to cover your kids in layers. Make them wear clothes in at least three layers or a layer more than an adult.

The winter safety tips for kids demand you to keep these layers loose and manageable. The clothes should not be undersized as they restrict movement and cause trouble. More specifically the shoes need to be of the right size and easy to walk. The cold weather safety tips for kids direct to choose alternatives instead of scarves, that have fewer chances of strangling.

2. Buy winter clothes with precautions

In winters, there is a war between cotton and wool. Following the winter safety tips for kids, make sure to pick up the wool clothing instead of cotton. Wool tends to get warm rapidly and does not absorb water in comparison to cotton.

Read: Why it is important to have empathy for kids?

Be careful with the sizes as well. The winter safety tips for kids ask you to buy clothes as per layers so kids will feel comfortable in there.

3. Do not take the sun for granted

In winters, sunlight is even more dangerous. Snow reflects the UV rays with more intensity. Do not take it lightly and protect the child’s skin with sunblock. Sunblock is not the only summer essential but also works great in winters too.

Even child specialists provide cold weather safety tips for kids and insist on the use of sunblock on the exposed areas in winters.

Read: How To Break An Infant’s Fever: A Quick Guide

5. Sensitize kids about cold

Making kids understand the feeling of cold and time to take action when feeling cold is one of the essential winter safety tips for kids. Many kids do not bother if they are cold and wet. They keep on playing and eventually have frostbite or other damage.

As per winter safety tips for kids enable your kids to react immediately if they are cold and wet. Keep observing them, and in any case bring them inside, change clothes and keep them warm.

To read complete article click here.
Pregnancy Pillow — You Should Try Sleeping With Pillows
By: Dr Sufis Parenting
Tags: Parenting Advice, Parenting, Pregnancy

The Best Pregnancy Pillow to Help You Sleep More Comfortably. When you are expecting you need a whole lot of energy. After all, inside that beautiful bump, you are growing a baby.

But just when you need the most rest, it can be difficult to get through — especially in the second and third trimesters, when finding the perfect sleeping position becomes more a challenge. Snuggling up to a pillow during pregnancy will make all the difference.

Why you need a pregnancy pillow when you are expecting?

For your sleep system, your rising belly means two things: restricted choices in comfortable sleeping positions, and new pressure points for positions that are actually safe for sleep.

Unfortunately, during pregnancy, side sleeping is best for both sleepers in the back and stomach.

Stomach sleeping is off the table for obvious reasons-it’s not particularly relaxing to sleep on a beach ball that kicks. But sleeping in the back is also discouraged, as it can compress a vital vein that carries blood to your infant.

Which means side sleeping is the only option when you’re pregnant, but your rising bump will also place increased pressure on your hips and back — and this is where a pregnant body pillow comes in handy.

Some pillows support various positions on your body; some on your back, some on your feet, some just on your belly and some on all of the above. Using one will make you more relaxed at night when going to bed and help prevent morning aches and pains.

What to look for in a pregnancy pillow

That will depend on your choices, but when selecting a maternity body pillow, there are a few things to consider.

Size: Pregnancy pillows will range from a wedge that is no larger than a normal pillow all the way up to a U-shaped body pillow that embraces you at the front and back.

How much space is up to you (and perhaps your partner) to give up in bed, but it’s certainly something to think about before you buy it.

Shape: Most pillows bend to tuck under your head and between your knees, while others run your body in parallel. Many pregnancy body pillows still have a dip which will cradle your bump Another option can make more sense, depending on where you’re experiencing discomfort.

Another thing to consider: if you regularly adjust the side you are sleeping on during the night (and plan to continue to do so, even as your bump makes it difficult), you could opt for a U-shaped pillow that you won’t have to readjust every time you move.

Material: If you are running warm, you may prefer a cotton cover to one made of polyester, which is less breathable.

Below, the best body pillows during pregnancy to help you (finally) catch some zzz.

Here are Best Pregnancy Pillow You Can Try
Latest Articles from Genes2Teens — 23rd August 2021
Tags: Parenting Advice, Parenting, Pregnancy

Has your little one become mobile? Then it’s the best time to batten down the hatches and buy a baby gate to keep them secure.

read more Baby gate: Why you need one at home

Many women feel concerned about the prospect of having an episiotomy during childbirth, so understanding the facts can help you feel prepared in case this common procedure is required.

read more Episiotomy: Healing from incision or tear of perineum during childbirth

Getting your child to take medicine is never an easy task. Here are some easy tips for making this enterprise stress-free and smooth-running.

read more Tips for getting your toddler to take medicine

Let your kids play and get dirty. Facing exposure to germs helps reduce their risk of illnesses and allergies later in life. Here’s more from an expert.

read more When I am asked what I do for a living, the phrase “I’m an allergist” is almost immediately followed by “So, where are all of these allergies coming from?”

This book helps parents relax by providing them with factual information to guide their parenting decisions and offering guidance on the decision-making process.

read more Book review: Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool

Have you lost muscle strength after giving birth or tend to leak urine when coughing or sneezing? If so, learn how pelvic floor trainers help.

read more Best pelvic floor trainers: Devices for strengthening your pelvic floor

Parents already have plenty to worry about. Take a moment to reconsider what you’re about to say to them about their parenting choices or their kids.

read more Things that need not be said to new parents

Research shows that marijuana usage during teen years impairs thinking, memory, learning functions, and is associated with the risk of some mental illnesses.

read more How marijuana use affects the teen brain

Telling gagging and choking apart can be difficult, but having a good understanding of what is and isn’t normal could one day save your child’s life.

read more Baby gagging vs. choking: How to know the difference

If you are a parent in the pre-empty nest stage, there is help to understand what empty nest syndrome is, what its possible causes are, and what you can do to avoid it.

read more Empty nest syndrome
How can parents support their children in academics?
Tags: Edtech, Childcare, Education, Parenting Advice, Parenting

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Learning does not stop and end at school. The best learning programs have parents and teachers in sync so that whatever is taught in school every day is supplemented with practice at home. For this to be achievable, parents need to reform the way they understand teaching and learning. We have a few tips parents can rely on that will help them establish an academic driven relationship with their children. Here’s how:

1. Regularly communicate with teachers/school:

Parents need to know what is happening in class every day so that they can oversee what their children are learning each day. Establish a good relationship with their teachers, especially those teachers who teach subjects your child struggles with. Find a system that works for you. For instance, you could get the teacher to send in the portions that were completed for the day so that you know what you need to help your child focus on.

2. Buy your children resources based on their needs:

It is no secret that each child learns differently. Request the school to conduct a learning type aptitude test and determine what category your child falls under. Based on that, make a resource kit that your child can use and only invest in those!

3. Save them from enrolling in unnecessary tuitions:

Tuitions are bridge education programs that are wonderful for recapitulation and student-specific focus. Tuitions are ideally most effective when they are at best, twice a week. Your child needs a break away from their books as much as they need to be in front of them. Tuition classes also make it difficult for students to tap into their self-learning needs. This has adverse effects since they use this as a fallback option to not pay attention in class or at home. So to save your child undue stress and make them independent learners, opt for tuitions only if necessary or limit their frequencies.

4. Set expectations with your child:

Children need to be taught that education is a democratic process. If parents enforce their expectations on their children, it hampers a child’s morale if they are unable to live up to it. So have a conversation with your children and understand their capacities before asking them to live up to yours. This fosters a wholesome experience for children as they won’t be afraid to tell you when they are unable to cope. More so, they are taught that they have a say in their futures and you’re only there to support them and not build pressure.

5. Enlist the help of professionals:

If you find that none of these methods is working, you should consider approaching a learning coach or a counsellor who can professionally deal with the situation at hand. It takes years of training to become a good teacher and it is only natural that parents struggle in this domain. Getting a professional to guide you will help you understand and refine your techniques and as a parent, you also enforce the idea that no one person has all the answers. This teaches your children to seek help whenever they need it!
Children are a Heritage- A Gift and Blessing from God
Tags: Believe In God, Children Rights, Children, Christian Living, Parenting Advice

God has specifically chosen you and entrusted you with the gift of a child.

It’s our responsibility therefore as parents to nurture, discipline and provide an environment of love, support and safety. It’s important therefore to train them up in the ways of God.

God has promised that when they are old they will not depart from it.

Your Blueprint

Many parents would remark that there is no blueprint to raising a child but the bible has many instructions and wisdom for us as parents to guide and raise our children. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes has a lot of wisdom to help us with our decisions and choices as parents.

Let look at some bible verses about what Jesus said about children

- But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Luke 18:16

- Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 18:10

- But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6

In these verses, we see Jesus’ love and protection for children and His warning to those who abuse them. For they have angels who are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

Child abuse is an offense to God.

Parents should never abuse their children in any way for it is an offense to God. Whether it is physical, verbal or sexual.

Abuse takes children away from their godly heritage and on a path of destruction and dishonor. I am sure if you speak to some criminals they will tell you of some circumstance that happened to them as children that changed the trajectory of their lives and led them to a path of crime.

As parents, we have been entrusted with a serious responsibility. It’s only God who can help us in raising our children to have a godly heritage. I remember when my son was a newborn, I asked God to help me raise him and God has been faithful to me. He has helped me and is still helping me today even though my son is an adult.

May God help us to be the parents he has called us to be and may our children be nurtured in God’s word so they can carry on a godly heritage.

Also view: Praying For Your Children And Not Giving Up
Top Picks- Here’s what you need to know about Child and Adolescent Depression Management
By: Lina Ashar
Tags: Parenting Advice, Parenting

Top Picks- Here’s what you need to know about Child and Adolescent Depression Management Lina Ashar Mar 8·3 min read

I am Lina Ashar and I want to jointly explore the power of parenting with you. Join me on my journey to educate our children in unlocking their extraordinary human potential.

Childhood Bullying Linked Strongly To Adult Depression, Study Finds: [Forbes] In recent years, bullying has come into the spotlight as a major contributor to mental health problems in young people. According to stopbullying.gov, up to 28% of kids aged 6–12 have experienced bullying, and 20% of high school students have, though other studies have reported considerably higher numbers. There are consistent links between bullying and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, and even more heartbreaking, suicide, as kids age. A new study tells us more about the connection between childhood bullying and early adulthood depression. And the one seems to contribute significantly to the other.

A Journey in Mental Health, Understanding the Needs of Your Child: [TED Talks] Watch Miryam Utset share the story of how her son suffered from a mental health illness. She describes her experience of standing up for her son and going against societal norms. Miryam hopes to one day end the mental health stigma and allow those suffering from any mental health illnesses to feel comfortable enough to share their stories.

A New Behavioral Therapy Helps Kids With Depression — And Their Parents: [Forbes] The reality that little children — as young as three years old — can suffer from depression is pretty startling. What’s more, there seems to be a dearth of behavioral treatments, or at least effective ones may not be used often enough. Medications are sometimes favored, but these can carry serious risks for children and teens. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine finds an 18-week intervention, involving both young children and their parents, can reduce and even reverse the symptoms of depression. How long the treatment lasts is the next question — but the hope is that it can change the trajectory of a child’s mental health over the long-term.

Adolescent Depression: What Parents Can Do To Help: [American Academy of Pediatrics] What is adolescent depression?

Depression may be present when your teenager has:

A sad or irritable mood for most of the day. Your teen may say they feel sad or angry or may look more tearful or cranky.

Not enjoying things that used to make your child happy.

A marked change in weight or eating, either up or down.

Depression in Children: [FirstCry Parenting] Depression can occur in people of all ages. It is defined as a low mood that is marked with apathy, sadness and an aversion to things that ordinarily bring joy to the affected person. Learning to identify the signs and symptoms of depression is the first step towards seeking a diagnosis and eventually treatment aimed at recovery.
Screen Time Deadly Weapon for Kids:
Tags: Parenting Advice

In this article I am going to talk about the various struggle we as parents face with respect to restricting our children screen time, its harmful effect on brain and physical well being, the negative impact on children, It becomes the compulsory action to be taken by the parents to restrict the screen time and for it the parents have to take out time to read books to their kids ,play at least one sport or role play ,play indoor games and make them learn swimming, tennis, gymnastics, dance or judo. We should condition the child brain with new language, new sport, new stories, visiting museum, zoo, botanical garden.

With current scenario and technological advancement and our dependency on Smartphone, we have become a slave to technology rather we should take charge of technology and use it for our requirements to facilitate our living and not become part of our living. There is no such need for children of for age group 1 to 9 years old to use smartphones. New Rules should be made to restrict the use of Smartphones, tablets, TV.

#schoolMykids #easyParentingadvice

Screen Time Limits should be set. Experimenting 30 Day screen detox. Teaching Emotional Intelligence Parents should start watching TV shows and movies with children to keep a track and monitor their media usage. Limit cell phones for all meals on the dining table Indulge your child to play more outdoors the way we use to in our childhood. Play Dates should be encouraged more. To develop Reading habit amongst kids.

The importance and criticality for keeping the kids away from smartphones and restrict their screen time it’s because early experience matters the most, the first two years of life the brain develops the most. It is necessary to stimulate the brain appropriately by its usage but Overstimulation or Inappropriately stimulation of brain is not good and results in various problems amongst kids they suffer from a short attention span, short memory. The reason for short attention span is because what they see on screen in video is fifty scenes changing in one cartoon which is not true and very different from the real world, hence the expectation from the real world is too much and when they don’t see as per their expectations they find it boring and return to virtual world again.

As per my experience keeping the kids engaged in extracurricular activities is the best way to keep them away from the screen. They develop one sport, art, language and condition their brain and this good stimulation.

“Change the beginning of the story and you change the whole story”.
Parenting Strategies:
By: Faaiz Mushtaq
Tags: Parenting Strategies, Your Upbringing, Upbringing Your Child, Parenting Advice, Parenting

Express your Love for your child:

Alway remember the child wants your love so never hesitate to express it,hug him,praise him,comfort him so that the Child should feel safe to express himself to you.

If the child not receive love from his parent he starts making a wall to isolate himself to hide his problem.You will think he is becoming arrogant but he is having difficulty to express himself as he has not seen or remember how to express.

Let child choose and support his decision:

Let him choose from his childhood.I am not saying that let him choose his wife in this early age.or some bigger things but give him a chance to choose smaller thinks like his favourite toy,clothes etc,so that he can have the ability to make big decision.

Be there for your child:

When ever the child needs you, you should be there for him so that when ever he is feeling demotivated you can boost him up and give him new inspiration.when ever the child is feeling low he remembers the person he loves the most ,so be that person.

Let him know the consequences of his decision:

Every child can not make a perfect decision so let the child know the outcome of his decision, guide him the consequences so that he can make a good decision.he is just a child let him do some smaller mistake so that he can learn from that mistakes and be a better man.

Know the strength and weakness of your child:

Start learning about your child what he is good in and what he is not so that you can guide him about his weakness to overcome them and make him more stronger in his strength which will be good in making his career.

If a child is stronger in management then start giving him a task of management and encourage him to choose a career which suits his abilities like admin,office, business.

Alway remember you are the living example of your child:

Some parents are expecting a certain thing from his child which a parent doesnot do. So the child will never do that. Suppose if you want your child to talk politely to others so first of all make changes in yourself start talking politely with the people around you so that the child can learn from you. He lookup to you whatever you do he will follow and learn.

“Lets build a bound between you and your child”
Today We Tried Moving During Covid
Tags: Podcast, Startup, Parenting Advice, Parenting, Covid 19

Our podcast, Today We Tried (iTunes, Spotify), is all about giving parents the confidence they need to take on parenting challenges by breaking them down to make them feel less daunting and more doable. As the COVID crisis continues, parents find themselves making all sorts of moves to keep their family healthy and sane. For some parents, that means literally moving, whether that move is temporary or permanent, planned or unplanned.

In this week’s episode, Today We Tried Moving During COVID (iTunes, Spotify), Christy, Chief Parent Officer at Colugo, is joined by a special guest, Kesha Leets, who manages Colugo’s Customer Experience team. Kesha recently moved with her family — her husband, toddler and 100-pound dog — without much time to prep. Christy and Kesha discuss what worked and what didn’t during her move, including what to look out for when hiring movers and how to deal with the unexpected. Kesha also shares how she and her husband are making WFH work for them.

Mentioned in this episode: the surprisingly fraught process of choosing a pre-school, Trader Joe’s, Grove Collaborative, encouraging independent play, and being Type A.

Share your thoughts or submit a question by heading to Colugo’s Instagram or emailing Christy at cpo@hicolugo.com.

New to Colugo? Learn more about our story here. Follow Colugo on Instagram at @hicolugo and Christy at @christy_and_co.

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
What works best to foster creativity in kids?
By: Supdup Kids
Tags: Kids Activities, Parenting Advice, Creativity, Parenting

What works best to foster creativity in kids?

Creativity is essential for the cognitive growth of kids and the improvement of their problem-solving abilities. SupDup Kids Jun 22·2 min read

A creative kid can find their way around difficult tasks and ideas. Creativity gives birth to quirky and innovative ideas that hold the potential to become great ideas in the future.

As parents, you may wish to foster creativity in your kids to increase their capability to resolve issues at hand with ease and come up with solutions that startle everyone.

Well, as opposed to the common belief, creativity can be fostered in kids, and here’s how you can do so:

#1- Let them find their way: You may wish to help your kids every step of the way, but if you want to see them grow, refrain from doing so all the time. Let kids find their way around problems. Help them only if there’s absolutely no way ahead of them.

#2- Get creative in play: Don’t let your kids waste their childhood on video games without experiencing the joys of playing on playgrounds or boards. Let them feel the thrill of sports and board games firsthand. You can play with them too.

#3- Allow them to explore: Expose your kids to a wide range of subjects and allow them to navigate their way through it. You can assist your kids here and guide them through areas that interest them the most.

#4- Give them toys that enable creation: Legos, Mechanix, puzzles, Rubic’s cube, etc are great toys to give to your kids. It pushes your kids to think, build and solve creatively.

#5- Learn about innovations: Introduce your kids to stories of great innovators and innovations. Stories inspire kids to make creations of their own. It teaches them how to dream bigger and better.

SupDup facilitates the fostering of creativity alongside parents.

With its fun challenges, workshops, SupDup creates an environment of fun with learning.

Peer learning and peer watching help kids learn from each other while developing a healthy sense of competition and a sportsman spirit.

Intresting right? Well, your wait is now over. You can download the SupDup app here!
How Mindful Parenting Can Help You Communicate Better with Your Children
By: Illuminations World
Tags: Parenting Tips, Mindful Parenting, Mindfulness, Parenting Advice, Parenting

How Mindful Parenting Can Help You Communicate Better with Your Children illuminations world Follow Feb 26 · 3 min read

By Jcomp

For many, the words — mindful parenting — may seem intimidating. The immediate image that comes up when you think of a mindful parent is someone who is in control of their emotions all the time and does not lose their cool. However, mindful parenting is so much more than that.

Let’s take a look at the importance of mindful parenting and how it can help you manage your relationship with your children better.

What is Mindful Parenting?

Practicing mindful parenting does not mean that you will not be critical of your child, or that you will never have any dreams or expectations for them. No, that’s very much a part of being human and a parent.

Mindful parenting is a practice where you train yourself to be a witness to what is happening, to be able to pause and ask yourself, “What is the best and kindest way to respond to this situation?”.

Mindfulness parenting pioneers Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn, who have authored ‘ Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting ‘, say that the practice involves focusing attention on the child-parent relationship and not just on oneself.

Mindful Parenting Can Help You Communicate Better with Your Children

More often than not, we work in a reactive mode driven by our subconscious beliefs and past patterns. As a result, we keep re-creating the past as if we were on automatic pilot.

Instead, if we become mindful by committing to live in the moment and to be present, then we can completely change the way we react to any situation. It can also help the relationship between you and your child strengthen and become more open-hearted.

Therapists and researchers say that mindful parenting involves the following:

Listening to the child with attention

Accepting yourself as well as your child fully, without judgement

Being emotionally aware of yourself and your child

Self-regulating your method of parenting

Self-compassion and compassion for your child

Mindful parenting is about being present moment-to-moment so that you can see your child’s unique nature and talents, appreciate and nurture them. By being mindful, you step away from the traps of placing the burden of your own unmet needs and dreams on your children.

You may also be able to identify dysfunctional family roles that your child may be susceptible to fall into.

It is important in this day and age to master the art of managing the child-parent relationship with mindful parenting techniques. Because every thought, word, and action uttered by the parents in the early years of childhood shapes the child’s development and how they view life in the later years.

You will also get the beautiful gift of seeing that your children become mindful too in their own lives!
Are Your Children Cooperating?
By: Michael Adelizzi
Tags: Integrity, Cooperation, Children, Parenting Advice, Parenting

Four years ago, I was chatting with Jan, a German expert in outdoor education, in a tiny pocket of forest just outside the city limits of Guangzhou, China. Jan was one of many occidental education experts our school would see in the first couple of years of its opening. They served as consultants to help model our forest school (China’s first) after a Western, outdoor pedagogical framework. It was part of my job to help them acclimate to Chinese social and professional culture, so I spent a lot of time observing their work and interacting with them, particularly Jan.

That day in the forest, I was telling him how enamored I was with the idea of having children, but that I was terrified by the thought of failing to raise them well. I asked him to recommend some literature that might help ease my conscience.

Admittedly, my bias on child-rearing and education already leaned Montessori and Waldorf, given the time I’d spent working with the school and other foreign experts, so I welcomed his recommendation.

If you’re unfamiliar with Montessori and Waldorf philosophies of childhood development and education, I highly recommend a peek at a recent ThoughtCo article by Robert Kennedy. He provides an adequate explanation of them by showing their differences.

Jan suggested I read Jesper Juul’s, Your Competent Child.

As a renowned family therapist and author on the family, Juul’s work bursts with insightful material on improving relationships within the home. His objective is to shift traditional, hierarchical perspectives of family roles to ways that cultivate equal dignity and collective growth. His effort begins by disabusing long-held beliefs about what it means for our children to cooperate.

“When children cease to cooperate, it is either because they have cooperated too much for too long, or because their integrity has been harmed. It is never because they are uncooperative.” Jesper Juul

Cooperation Misunderstood

For many children of my generation and those before me, cooperation was a word often paired with obedience. If we weren’t cooperating, it meant we weren’t behaving.

Teaching children how to cooperate is part of what it means to be a parent. What would it say about your adequacy as a parent for your child to disobey and misbehave? For some parents, that meant delivering verbal or physical punishment, fearing the child would end up controlling the relationship if they didn’t.

Juul points out that through imitation, children actually cooperate all the time; we’re just not seeing things from their perspective.
5 Wise Parenting Tips amidst the COVID 19 Outbreak
By: Suzan Wakahu
Tags: Parenting Advice, Parenting, Covid 19

Quite frankly parenting has become challenging with the outbreak of Corona virus.

With families all over the world isolating and practicing social distancing, keeping the calm at home can be a pain in the ass.

Living with uncertainty and unrest can lead to distress to both adults and kids. So how exactly can parenting during this pandemic be less daunting?

Here are 5 tips that will make the new normal quite normal in your family.

1. Establish a new routine

Working from home has become part of life. With unemployment predicted to hit nearly 10% by the end 2020, majority of the population have been laid off. Losing momentum of normal routines with everyone at home is quite easy.

Create a new schedule that will accommodate your working hours and allow you to spend time with family. Establish a routine for waking up and having meals. Keep your kids occupied with healthy online activities and indoor games.

2. Balance alone time and together time

”Without great solitude no serious work is possible.” — Pablo Picasso

Spending time with family is simply a healthy culture to nurture. Staying at home has positively impacted on families exploring new hobbies and skills.

However this maybe overwhelming and desire for solo time may kick in. It is important to schedule time where every family member can be alone and recharge.

3. Open communication

Children need to understand why they can’t meet their friend; go outside to play or visit amusement parks.

Parents should therefore communicate with children about the Covid 19 in a way that will foster developmental growth.

Reassure children that you are there for them giving them support. Parents need to manage media consumption to avoid news overload that may be irrefutable to children’s health.

4. Keep children safe online

All this new technology, all this time with kids! It’s almost impossible to avoid the internet.

What better way to entertain your child as you do some house chores other than putting on the telly or giving them an iPod to play with. Not to mention that so much has shifted online; even music lessons are done online.

UNICEF proposes that parents should use technology to protect them. Spend some time with them online; communicate openly about interactive online practices and inappropriate online activities.

5. Practice positive disciplining

This is a stressful time and we all have fears. Children may act on their stress by being irritable and a change in their behavior thus needs to practice healthy disciplining.

Understanding why your child is acting up is key. Be sensitive when responding to misbehavior. Communicate effectively to create an understanding.

Most importantly, squeeze in time to have fun with your child this will build some relief to their anxious energy.

Remember

It’s okay to have a bad day.

It’s okay to make mistakes.

It’s okay to take a break.
I still remember those days when my mother used to stay awake late at night while serving some of…
Tags: Care, Teenage, Kids, Parenting Advice, Parenting

I still remember those days when my mother used to stay awake late at night while serving some of our paternal guests.. like they were habitual of sleeping late…but she used to wake up early in the morning and used to prepare breakfast for us..she just never sent us school without breakfast.. and still she does same for us… that’s a mother thing…

but now I just know lots of kids who go to school regularly without breakfast.. how can a mother do this with her child !?.. You can’t even grow them as you should then you expect them to be a well-known person in the future.. you want them to have high grades in studies!! How’s this possible ..?

Breakfast is the major meal every person should have.. being a parent is your first duty… it’s my request to all parents and future patents to must send your child after proper breakfast…if your kids do not feel like to do breakfast ..like I know some parents whom I asked so they replied to me that their child isn’t habitual of it…so for those my words are.. make them habitual.

Don’t destroy a kid’s mental health, please. It’s my request to all of you.
A Full-plate Parent Recommits to Healing the Climate
By: Stacy Hernandez
Tags: Hurricane, Eating Locally, Parenting Advice, Climate Change, Carbon Footprint

My first baby registry listed cloth diapers, organic clothes, and bamboo toys. I bought most of my food in bulk and avoided non-renewable packaging.

I don’t know what happened to me. After my son was born, all I cared about was his immediate health and happiness. I turned a blind eye to the long term. Once I started working full-time again, Convenience became a god, and very few people will frown on an enemy for such a sin as that.

I began resenting the idea that I should forgo the conveniences of American life in a futile attempt to heal the planet. There’s no accountability. Nobody’s watching me. I’m just one person. Why am I washing out a peanut butter jar to recycle it except to make pollution demons laugh? “Pathetic! She’s just making herself feel better so she can order a pizza tonight.”

I’m won’t attempt to enlighten you about nitrous oxide and carbon emissions, but rather to speak about my own epiphany. It’s irresponsible farming that’s at the center of the problem. Big, corporate farms are death; good, local farms are life.

Even though I am busy with work, managing my home, caring for my children, and still trying to make time for friends, I cause a massive ripple effect by shifting to local food and eating less takeout.

We all can, and we all need to think like that.

A house that eats locally and responsibly grown food is beautiful and powerful.

If you have a local farmer’s market, you are blessed.

If you have any free day to cook for the week, you are blessed.

If you are inclined to make this shift, then we are all blessed, and I welcome you to the movement.