natural family living, natural home,  natural home magazine, natural parenting, natural family

Featured Advertisers: Natural Products Guide | Birthstone Jewelry

Why the changes to the site?
We look a bit messy while make some extreme changes to the look and the way we publish the website.
 
Scroll down to continue to enjoy our great articles!

We're your "how-to" resource for natural family living, natural beauty, natural home, health & wellness, and natural parenting. No matter what your personal or parenting style, we offer tips, tools and information everyone can use!
Why do we have advertising on our site?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NFO Home
Bookmark us
NFO Chat Groups
Can't find what you need? Use our web search function near the bottom!
Subscribe to NFO's free eNewsletter!
Natural Living
Natural Living
Entertaining & Holidays
Natural Beauty
Natural Pets
Product Reviews
Book Reviews
<empty> 
Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness
Children's Health
Natural Soulooooo
Vegetarian Lifestyle
Food 
<empty> 
Parenting
Attachment Parenting
Babies & Children<empty> 
Breastfeeding 
Natural Family Living
Pregnancy & Birth
<empty> 
Free Baby Website - Affordable Baby Web Site
FREE safe and secure baby & toddler websites!
<empty> 
Shopping/Info.
Buy Books!
Mountain Rose Herbs
FREE Baby or Child Website
Balter Catalogue Co.
Shopping 
Resource Links
<empty> 
<empty> 

Contact
Contact & Reprints
NFO Staff & Contributors
Advertise with us
Writer's guidelines
<empty> 
Google ads are not personally selected by our admin team.
Find out more.

Babies & Children Articles
Join our newsletter for new article updates!


Getting Kids to Organize Themselves

By Colleen Langenfeld

The school year is in full swing again in many places -- and with it, another opportunity to make the days run a bit smoother than they did before. Like most parents, I've discovered there are a handful of challenges each year that need to be addressed to make for a productive, successful school year.

Do any of these scenarios ring true for your family, too?

If something's bugging you, it needs fixing! If each year you find yourself nagging about the same issues, pay attention! Sit down and figure out what's really going on, then formulate some different approaches until you're seeing tangible improvements.

Lay out expectations clearly. Whether my kids are 7 or 17 (and I've had both), they deserve to know what is expected of them up front. They will develop more confidence and live up to their responsibilities more often if given a clear game plan to follow that's appropriate to their age and abilities -- in other words, not too hard but definitely a stretch. Such a plan, followed through on, will make them feel great about themselves.

Make sure everyone's in charge of themselves, then give them the tools they'll need to live up to their responsibilities. Reward appropriately when they follow through. A son who doesn't have his own alarm clock is not likely to even try to get up on his own. Want your daughter to make her own lunch? Make sure you have the healthy food on hand she needs to get the job done.

Everyone needs a space: a space for homework, studying and stuff, a place to dream as well as to work. It doesn't need to be fancy, big or expensive, but it should be kept neat and reasonably organized. Encourage your kids to take pride in their accomplishments and take care of their possessions. Yes, this requires discipline. That's the point.

Set limits. Children needs boundaries, no matter what they say. When teachers set homework deadlines, back them up at home. Chores, curfews, bedtimes, TV/computer time and regular schedules all are tools parents can use to teach self-discipline and respect for others.

Do unto others ... If sibling rivalry is approaching a severe level in your home, perhaps a season on the Kindness Team would be valuable. Like most sports, this requires daily practice, coaching and a team approach. Drills are vital. You can track progress through a simple scoring procedure and you'll see real results in no time.

Am I confusing you? Let me spell it out: nagging never works to get kids to be kind to each other, but make a game of it (literally) and you will see progress. Be creative and enlist your “team's” aid. Then point out at every opportunity how much better daily life is when people are getting along. This is an ongoing learning activity, and one they'll take with them for the rest of their lives.

These are some of the challenges in our family that often seem to crop up each new school year. Watching our children mature is a true joy, but definitely not one that comes without cost. Both parents and children have a part to play in this engaging drama. This year, make your parenting efforts pay off and use your energies to make lasting changes in your home!

© Colleen Langenfeld


Colleen Langenfeld offers helpful ideas to busy working moms. Use our resources to make your life feel easier, healthier and smarter now!

 

<empty> 
<empty> 
<empty> 
<empty> 
<empty> 
<empty> 
Google ads are not personally selected. Find out more.
 

Google
 
Web www.naturalfamilyonline.com

Natural Family Online Home Baby Care Feeding Baby Solids Parenting Teens
FREE Baby or Child Website Baby & Kids' Teeth Flu Articles PMS Articles
Free NFO eNewsletter Baby Sleeping Gentle Child Discipline Positive Parenting
NFO Chat Groups Babywearing - Baby Slings Homeopathy Articles Potty - Infant
Balter Baby Breastfeeding Information How to Use Homeopathy Potty Learning - Potty Training
Balter Catalogue Company Breastfeeding Problems Homeschooling Articles Pregnancy Health
Balter Wholesale Company Breastfeeding Milk Supply Healthy Body Pregnancy Homeopathy
Balter Catalogue Blog Breastfeeding - Other Healthy Home Pregnancy Morning Sickness
NFO Shopping Pages Breastfeeding in Public Healthy Mind & Mental Health Pregnancy Nutrition
Natural Family Resource Links Breastfeeding & Thrush Health & Wellbeing Pregnancy Problems
Natural Family Online Blog Breastfeeding Weaning Herbalism Pregnancy & Relationships
Blame Mama Zine Children & Healthy Eating Internal Cleansing Pregnancy Articles
Blame Mama 411 Circumcision - Circumcise Kid's Education Reading to Kids
Disclaimer and user agreement Cloth Diapering Kids & War Sleep Articles
<empty> Co-sleeping & the Family Bed Natural Cleaning Stress Articles
<empty> Dad Articles Natural Family Lifestyles Unschool Articles
<empty> Diaper Rash Natural Family Meals Vacation Articles
Natural Family Article Index Do it Yourself Gardening Natural Family Planning Vaccination Articles
Alcoholism & Homeopathy Do it Yourself - Home Natural Labor & Delivery Vitamins & Minerals
ADD - ADHD Do it Yourself - Hygiene Natural Parenting Winter Health & Family Articles
Attachment Parenting articles Do it Yourself - Kid's Crafts Natural Soul - Home Articles Women's Health
What is Attachment Parenting? Emotional Intelligence in Kids Organic Food Articles Yoga Articles
Baby & Child Natural Remedies Exercise Articles Parenting Stress <empty>

© 2003, 2004, 2005 Blame Mama Media All Rights Reserved. Web Hosting by Blame Mama Media. Most Graphics by .