Tips for Parents Whose Children Are Becoming Adults

Parenting can be a thankless and never-ending job that you wouldn’t trade for anything. Challenges exist at every age, from infancy to adolescence. Even if it gets simpler over time, the task is far from done after the kids have moved out. Many parents exhale a sigh of relief, but establishing a new connection with an adult kid may be challenging. Here is some parenting advice that can assist in finding that balance.

Get to Know Them

Every parent has an epiphany when they see how much their young child has grown, which can be both a sad and wondrous revelation. Treating him with the same respect you would any other adult will strengthen your bond and make your interactions with one another so much more enjoyable.

Avoid Backseat Parenting

Watching from the sidelines when your kids have children may be difficult. Never publicly criticize the parenting style of your adult children. If you must intercede, avoid the urge to jump in with judgment. Speak in a calm, non-aggressive manner. Have an open dialogue; don’t take it personally if your youngster ignores your advice.

Call Before Coming Over

You owe it to yourself and your adult children to call before you visit them. Even if your adult children enjoy your visits, you should still respect their privacy and give them a call before you drop by. It will give them a few minutes to prepare and show them that you treat them as equals.

Avoid Interrogations

Intervene with advice when there is a severe life crisis or a life-or-death circumstance. Your kid will seek guidance from you if you have a good relationship. He will value your opinion even if he doesn’t follow your recommendation. Regarding dating, it’s normal to wonder why your gorgeous, perfect, good-looking kid is taking a long time to meet his soulmate. Although you may have good intentions, resist the impulse to inquire about it whenever you have the chance.

Take Loans Seriously

When children receive an allowance or compensation for chores, the money belongs to them unconditionally. Your adult kid may want a loan from you at some point, which is a whole new ball game. Financial support from parents promotes adult children’s independence, but you need to be sure they understand expectations. It’s up to you how much interest they need to pay, but be sure you have a clear repayment plan. Be honest and open-minded with terms. If you have additional children, inform them of the loan to avoid jealousy.

This article was originally published at bryandunst.com.

Understanding the Term Gentle Parenting

Respect, sensitivity, and understanding are the cornerstones of a nurturing style known as gentle parenting. Unlike highly strict or permissive parenting methods, gentle parenting falls between the two. It combines positive virtues while promoting proper conduct at the same time. Gentle parenting has relatively few downsides and rarely affects kids’ mental health. The emphasis is on being compassionate and consistent in your restrictions while encouraging positive qualities.

To develop content, self-reliant, and self-assured children, there are four fundamental components – cooperation, empathy, respect, and boundary-setting. Gentle parenting encourages age-appropriate discipline that teaches valuable life skills. Families are encouraged to work together to educate kids on expressing their emotions in age- and socially-appropriate ways. These types of rules and limits put the focus on a child’s cognitive state. Mimicry is a powerful teaching tool. When we are kind to our kids, we set an example for them and help them develop the inner voice that will guide them throughout their lives. Parents discipline them to teach rather than punish offenders. Parents demonstrate patience and adaptability when they are kind, particularly in difficult situations. This sets the stage for healthy growth and development. Children learn to maintain composure while being kind and firm.

It’s necessary to distinguish between gentle and lenient parenting. Gentleness does not imply minimal expectations or a lack of discipline. While gentle parents punish their children using age-appropriate methods, permissive parents sometimes never reprimand them. Even though permissive parents can have better relationships with their kids, they often struggle in circumstances that call for discipline and rule-following. By offering direction and support while firmly outlining limits, gentle parents seek a compromise between tiger parenting and permissive styles.

Conversely, some people use strict parenting techniques emphasizing motivated, accomplished children. As a consequence, tiger parents often insist that their children put in long hours of practice or study, sometimes at the price of enjoyable activities like sleepovers, playdates, or other adventures. The high expectations that tiger parents place on their offspring have been found to have unfavorable effects. Anxiety, despair, and poor academic performance are some of the most significant issues.

The gentle parenting philosophy begins with respecting your child’s emotions throughout every developmental stage. With their incapacity to control their emotions and conduct, babies and toddlers may be challenging since it seems complicated to establish any routine. Respond to your child in a manner that considers their capacity for cognitive understanding. You’re instilling empathy at a young age by consoling your screaming infant rather than becoming angry with them.

This article was originally published at bryandunst.com.

Choosing a School for Your Child

Careful planning is essential whether you homeschool, pick a private or public school, or both. As you select a school for your child, remember to seek one that will make learning rewarding for you and your child.

Start by listing your top search criteria. If your child needs specialized educational or language assistance, put those at the top of your list. As you narrow down school options, update and alter your other items. Other factors to take into account are how your child learns. Ask yourself whether your child needs more structure, more challenging coursework, one-on-one tutoring, extra time to complete tasks, or a creative environment. 

Instruction methods vary by school. If your child is more visual or prefers a hands-on approach, consider that. Some children learn better through listening or reading. Does your child embrace music or painting? Ensure there are classes in the curriculum to support those interests. Some children thrive in a collaborative setting, while others prefer to work alone. 

When it comes to location, choose a site that fits your family’s schedule and comfort level, safety-wise. If your child is self-reliant and capable of riding the bus, then you’ll want to look for bus stops nearby. If you live in a neighborhood with same-age children who get along, your child might prefer attending a school with friendly faces. If you are interested in before- or after-school care within the school, assess the proximity to your home or workplace. 

Once you decide on a potential contender, it’s time to do your due diligence. Consult your friends and neighbors who are familiar with the school, and research online using available tools. Websites like greatSchools and schoolResults can provide trustworthy information.

It would be best if you learned about the school’s policies and services in addition to its courses and philosophies. Parents may also consider the school’s after-school activities, such as extracurricular activities, clubs, tutoring, or academic enrichment. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program of the U.S. Department of Education provides funding for after-school programs at some schools. These facilities offer educational activities that complement what is taught before and after school or during the summer vacation. You should also find out if the school provides free after-hours tutoring or other extra educational services as required by No Child Left Behind.

The topic of safety has become a primary concern for parents. Research how well the school handles bullying, harassment, cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. Find out the exact policies in place to protect against violence. 

This article was originally published at bryandunst.com.

Tips for Balancing a Career and Parenting

Parenting is a full-time job, but many parents also work full-time outside the home. This can make it hard to balance their parenting and work responsibilities. Having a balanced work-life balance can be very helpful. It allows people to remain involved in their children’s lives while still being able to work. There are a variety of ways to keep this balance in mind.

Stay Organized

Some days, you may find that you’re able to dedicate more time to your children, while other days, you may be required to focus on the tasks you’re working on. You can’t spend all of your time doing both things. It’s vital to make the most of the moments that you have. Avoid getting distracted at work and home. Efficiently utilize your time at work, so you don’t have to go to the office later to finish your tasks. Set aside time for phone calls, emails, and other tasks that can get in the way of your other work.

A meal plan is one of the most critical factors when preparing healthy and tasty meals for your family. This can help you and your children eat healthy and satisfying meals each week. It can also help you relieve some of the stress you’re feeling from the thought of preparing something.

Stay Positive

It’s easy to feel guilty about spending time away. Being pessimistic about how you can’t always be there for your kids when they need you can lead to frustration. However, it’s important to remember that your job is helping to provide for their financial well-being. Your income pays for various expenses, such as college tuition and a family vacation.

Stay Focused

Try to spend some time with your children at home in a way that’s entirely focused on them. The quality of your time with them is paramount, so you must limit your time with your phone and other electronic devices. 

Take Care of Yourself

Getting some time for yourself can help maintain sanity during stressful times. In your downtime, try to do something you enjoy and relax, such as going on a hike, practicing yoga, or working on something you’re passionate about. Getting enough sleep and eating well are also important, even if it’s hard to do both simultaneously. Having a consistent meal plan and letting yourself get enough rest on days when you don’t have to go to work can help you get through your day.

This article was originally published at bryandunst.com.

4 Great YouTube Channels For Struggling Parents

It’s typical to feel lost at times as a parent. The fact of the matter is that you’re not going to have every answer, and you’re not going to know how to approach every situation. One of the best resources available to parents today is the internet, with YouTube in particular being extremely handy. There are loads of videos on the platform created by real parents, for real parents, meaning they’re full of advice, they’re relatable, and many are highly entertaining. Here are a few of the best Youtube channels on parenting.

High Energy Parenting

The High Energy Parenting channel aims to help parents live a life that’s full of passion, energy, and love. It has plenty of videos that are focused on living a healthy life, as well as plenty of parenting advice. There are also various techniques that can help parents release their worries, talk to their kids about doing the things that they need to do, and increase their willpower. If you’re feeling exhausted and want to start feeling like yourself again after having a baby, then High Energy Parenting can help.

Hand in Hand Parenting

For over 25 years, Hand and Hand Parenting has been providing parents with the necessary resources to connect with their kids. They’ve now launched a YouTube channel to help parents navigate through the various challenges that parenthood can throw at them. Their weekly videos are designed to help moms connect with their kids and you can also find videos about everything from parenting anxiety to helping kids overcome their fears. In addition to these, the channel also has a variety of other content that’s designed to help parents navigate through various other issues.

The Parenting Channel

If you’re a creative mom who wants to be a better parent, then The Parenting Channel is the account for you. It’s the creation of T.V. host and twelve-time Emmy-award winner, Vida Urbonas, and it has tons of great videos that will keep you entertained. In addition to these, it also has tons of tips and tricks for early childhood parenting.

Smart Parenting

Smart Parenting started as a magazine and has since become a popular YouTube channel dedicated to helping parents raise healthy and happy kids. They put out new videos every week, and have a ton of videos on their channel already, meaning it’ll take a bit for you to run out. You’ll find fun food and craft ideas to do with the kids, educational videos that can teach you proper procedures when raising a baby, and so much more. If you need help with something, Smart Parenting likely has a video for you.

This article was originally published on BryanDunst.com

How To Talk To Your Child About The Death Of A Loved One

The loss of a loved one can be extremely difficult. It can be confusing, make us angry, and make us sad. Sometimes we look for people or things to blame. For children, it’s even more difficult. Adults are often unsure of how to approach the grieving process when they lose a loved one, so imagine what it must be like for our kids. As parents, it falls on us to be there for our children when a loved one passes, even if we ourselves are struggling with it. But how do you approach that conversation? Here are a few ways to help you talk to your child about the death of a loved one.

Be Open and Honest

Your best bet when initiating a conversation about the death of a loved one with your child is, to be honest with them. Don’t use euphemisms such as telling them the loved one went to sleep. This will just cause confusion for your child, and potentially scare them since sleep is such a regular part of our lives. While it may be confusing and scary, explaining death to your child will help them understand that this is a natural thing that we all experience while allowing them to develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Explain How Things Might Change

The loss of a loved one can bring major changes into your child’s life if that loved one was around a lot. It’s important you explain to your child how things might change now. If a grandparent passed away and your child spent every other weekend with that grandparent, they’ll be confused when they realize they’re not going to visit anymore. If you’ve spent a holiday at this loved one’s home for many years, your child might not react well to suddenly having to celebrate that holiday somewhere else. These are all normal responses, and it’s important you try and prepare your child for the inevitable feelings they’ll be experiencing when they realize how different things are now.

Discuss The Funeral

If you’re planning on bringing your child to the funeral and viewing services, it might be a good idea to discuss the events with them before you go. As this is likely their first time going to a funeral, they may not understand what’s going on, or who all of the people coming are. Give them a rundown of how it will all go down, and explain why we have these types of events when loved ones pass away.

Share Your Feelings With Them

While this will be hard for your child, the fact of the matter is that it will be hard for you too. And that’s okay. What’s best is to share your feelings with your child. Show your child how you’re also going through this, that it’s okay to be sad and to cry. This will help them feel better about their own feelings, and let them know that we’re all going through this together.

This article was originally published on BryanDunst.com

The Best Apps For New Parents

Becoming a parent is tough, but modern technology has simplified things a little bit compared to the generations that came before us. One of the most useful innovations is the hundreds of applications we can download on our phones in a matter of seconds. Countless apps exist that can help parents out, whether it’s with tracking things, keeping the kids busy, or a slew of other options. With so many apps out there though, you probably want to know which ones are actually worth your time. Well, look no further. These are some of the best apps that parents can make use of in 2022.

Tinybeans: Family Photo Album

A startup company known as Tinybeans was created by parents with young kids to create a private social network for sharing photos and other personal moments with their friends and family. The app, which is a modern baby book, is very useful for parents as it allows them to keep track of their child’s activities and milestones without having to give away their ownership of the photos.

Moshi Twilight

This app, which is known as Moshi Twilight, is a bedtime story app that helps kids fall asleep easily. It features calming audio stories and a variety of guided relaxations. This is a great app for parents who are looking to help their kids get a good night’s sleep.

Basket

Now that you have a baby, it’s important that you know where to find the best deal on food and diapers. With the help of an app known as Basket, you can easily find the lowest prices on both in-store and online stores. This app will allow you to compare the prices of different products from different stores within your area in order to help you save as much money as possible.

PlayItSafe: MommyMeds

Getting the right medication for your and your baby is very important, and with the help of an app known as MommyMeds, you can easily find which medications are safe or unsafe for soon-to-be or new mothers. This app will allow you to search through thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications and find the best safety and efficacy recommendations, just by scanning the barcode with your phone!

Eat Sleep: Simple Baby Tracking

The newborn stage is all about sleeping and eating, and with the help of an app known as Eat Sleep, you can keep track of all of this in one place. It will allow you to monitor your baby’s sleep and wake up at the right time. You can also keep track of the time that your child has been eating and drinking, as well as the dirty diapers that they’re wearing.

This article was originally published on BryanDunst.com

TED Talks Every Parent Should Check Out In 2022

We can find a lot of different resources for being a parent in today’s world. Books are one of the first things we might think of, and with the power of the internet, we can find plenty of websites and podcasts as well. One of my favorite resources is TED Talks. TED Talks often serve as sources of inspiration, and as a parent, they tend to do a great job of reminding you that you’re not alone in this whole being a parent thing. Parenting isn’t easy for anyone, and we all stumble from time to time. Check out some of these great TED Talks on parenting the next time you’re looking for a self-esteem boost.

Every Kid Needs A Champion – Rita Pierson

One of my favorite TED talks is about the importance of connecting with your kids’ teachers. According to Pierson, kids don’t learn from people they don’t like. The role of teachers in our kids’ lives is so powerful, and many parents know just how amazing they are. However, they’re still learning about the impact they have on their kids. Having a teacher who values our kids and doesn’t just push them to the side can have a life-changing effect. Even decades after they were taught, many people still remember their favorite teacher. This is the reason why every kid needs a champion.

What Adults Can Learn From Kids – Adora Svitak

I absolutely love this talk, especially because it’s being delivered by a 12-year-old. Adora believes learning should be a two ways street, with adults learning from kids and kids learning from adults. She also talks about how kids don’t see obstacles like adults do, which makes them more capable of navigating through them. This talk is a great reminder to us that we can’t do everything that our kids want to do. It also encourages us to connect with our inner child and ask ourselves what we would see differently if we were looking at situations through their eyes.

Exploding 4 Taboos Of Parenting – Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman

Every parent will relate to this, as Alisa and Rufus created the website Babble to share their own parenting experiences. Their talk is uplifting and funny, and it opened my eyes to how many parents are feeling the same way. It reminded me that there is a community out there for parents, even though we sometimes feel like we are alone. Sometimes all we need to do is look for resources that can help us navigate through the various challenges that parenting can throw at us.

This article was originally published on BryanDunst.com

The Best Books To Read On Parenting In 2022

Whether you’re having your first child or you’re on your third, parenting can be tough. It’s a constant learning experience, and sometimes you might feel lost, or like you should give up. A great way to learn more about being a better parent is to read a few great parenting books. Countless parenting books have been written over the years meant to share thoughtful advice in order to help parents be better for their kids but to also help them understand that they’re not alone in this endeavor. Here are a few great parenting books worth checking out this year.

The Gift of Failure – Jessica Lahey

Today, parenting is often defined by being overprotective and attentive. Some people refer to it as helicopter parenting, and others as snowplow parenting. In her new book, Jessica Lahey argues that this is not the way we should be parenting. Instead, it’s important that we don’t always get it right, and instead learn from our failures.

Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children – Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D.

In her new book, Shefali Tsabary, a clinical psychologist, explains how parents pass on their own emotional and mental traits to their kids. This book aims to help parents identify their own barriers so they can help their kids grow.

Unequal Childhoods – Annette Lareau

Understanding intersectional parenting is very important to anyone who wants to be a better parent. In her book, Annette Lareau explores the ways that race and class affect our children’s upbringings. If you’re able to get the second edition, you’ll see how the author revisits the families she wrote about originally over a decade later.

How To Raise an Adult – Julie Lythcott-Haims

One of the most important things that you can do to guide your child through life is to over-parent. In her new book, Julie Lythcott-Haims talks about the concept of helicopter parenting, and she debunks the harmful effects of this type of parenting. This book is very relevant to parents who are raising kids of any age. However, it’s also very helpful for parents who have teens.

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character – Paul Tough

Despite the importance of kids’ math and science skills, it’s also important that they develop other skills such as character and curiosity. In his new book, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter most in life are those that are related to character and skills such as perseverance, self-control, and optimism. This book has been very successful in the category of problem solving and decision-making.

This article was originally published on BryanDunst.com

The Best Podcasts For Parents in 2022

Raising a family is hard work. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent or are working full time, you’ll be hard-pressed to find downtime to relax, and you’re probably going to make mistakes. A great way to spend some of your parenting time and learn more about raising a family is to check out some podcasts that are centered on family. These podcasts range from educational, teaching you how to approach certain situations you may run into with your family, to straight-up entertaining, with hosts sharing their funny and unique stories about their own families. Read on to learn about some of the best family-oriented podcasts worth listening to.

That New Mom Life

That New Mom Life is a 12-part podcast that aims to help new moms navigate the first few months of parenthood. It’s hosted by Grace Bastidas and Desiree Fortin, who are the editor of Parents Latina and an Instagrammer mom of triplets, respectively.

The hosts talk with experts about various topics, including sleep deprivation, parenting, and emotional ups and downs. You can listen to the show on various platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

We Are Family

The show was created by the people at Parents, who are known for celebrating diverse families. Co-hosts Shaun T, who is the creator of the Insanity workout and the father of twins, as well as Julia Dennison, a single mom and the executive editor of Parents.com, talk about various topics related to parenting such as being an LGBTQ parent, adopting your children, and so much more.

Mom and Dad Are Fighting

This weekly podcast from the online magazine Slate provides advice and resources for parents of kids, teens, and toddlers. It’s hosted by Dan Kois, who is a writer and editor for the magazine, as well as other experts such as Elizabeth Newcamp, a mother of three boys who blogs about parenting at Dutch, Dutch, Goose.

The hosts openly discuss their experiences as parents. They can be found on various platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Slate.com.

The Mom Hour

The Mom Hour is a weekly parenting show that features the stories of mothers everywhere. It’s hosted by Sarah Powers and Meagan Francis, who have eight kids between the two of them. They talk about various parenting-related topics, such as sleep deprivation, puberty, mom-shaming and so much more. You can check the show out for free at various places, such as Spotify, Stitcher and so much more.

This article was originally published on BryanDunst.com