Well School is starting back up and for many people this is a stressful time of the year. Your children need new supplies and clothes and as a parent you want to do the best you can to help them to fit in and not look like a misfit, but you also don't want to break the bank. Here are some ideas to help you get through the school shopping days.
GARAGE/YARD SALES
I know these have a major stigma attached to them, but if you are select in what you purchase then it won't be obvious that you bought stuff from a yard sale. Normally blue jeans don't change much from year to year so if you buy your blue jeans from a yard sale you can save anywhere from $20 to $30 a pair of pants. Make sure they are in good shape without rips or tears. You will also want to check for parts that are wearing thin. If you child wants the extra decorations that are on quite a few of the jeans today, then go to your local craft store and buy a set and you can attach them to the jeans. You daughter will have a nice pair of jeans and they will be unique and she will be able to show off her own style.
CLEARANCE RACKS
You can find some wonderful deals on clearance racks, but be warned it is difficult especially for girls to wear last years fashions. Look over this years fashion and normally you can find some items that are similar to last years and add accessories to bring them up to the current style. The accessories is normally the key to creating unique and stylish outfits that your girls will love. Boys are much easier and are normally happy with t-shirts that you can pick up on any clearance rack, but take them with you because they can be picky on what type of t-shirt it is.
SECOND HAND STORES
This can be a lot of fun, because you can normally find clothes from different eras that you girls especially will love to try out. This is when they will be more likely to try something different and maybe work on creating their own style. Have fun with them and don't discourage their creativity unless it starts looking indecent. But most of all have fun.
A FEW EXTRA TIPS
Some cheaper ideas that will help the school year start out right. A nice haircut will go a long ways to helping your child's self esteem stay high and help to prepare them for the new school year. Sometimes buying new accessories will make outfits from last year seem completely new. And finally a new pair of shoes can go a long way to helping the school year start out right, and payless normally has the buy one get one half off sale going on this time of year.
You can help your child have new clothes and a good school year with these few simple tricks and not have to feel like you need to take out a loan to have them start school.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Becoming a Better Parent
Before you become a parent you believe you are going to handle situations different than everyone else. Your child isn’t going to throw a temper tantrum in a store or your child is going to be better behaved in public. There are many different scenarios that you believe you will handle differently than the people you see around you. Parenting is just like any other job, it is a skill you have to learn with great patience involved. It isn’t something you just know how to do, you have to work at it and find the way that works for both you and your child. Listed below are a few concepts that might help you become a better parent, but remember just because something works with one child doesn’t mean it will work with all children.
TIME
Spending time with your children is essential to their growth and well-being. The more constructive time you spend with them the better they will be able to understand their boundaries and what behavior is acceptable and what isn’t allowed. By creating boundaries for children they are generally happier and better adjusted to their environment. They will be less likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol because they know the results of these items in their lives. The time you devote to your children will be rewarded by children who are more comfortable with themselves and don’t feel they need to act out to get attention.
TELEVISION
Television isn’t a babysitter for children. Putting on the popular television shows for children isn’t the way to teach them how to read, talk to behave, unless you want a child who has a hard time reading, enjoys backtalking and misbehaves because they think it is funny. Many programs today are geared toward a child’s entertainment not necessarily the way you want them to behave.
We monitor the television shows our children watch and are thankful we do. Our children were watching a show as we walked through the room, the show stated that it was okay to lie as long as it was a small one. We immediately had the children turn the show off and banned the show from our house. The children have learned when there is a banned show that there is a reason behind it and besides asking for the reason of the banning, will generally follow our rules. Our daughter has even gone on to leave a house that was watching a show that she was banned from watching. We, as parents, have to be mindful of what our children have access to, whether it is television or the Internet. Most parents will monitor what their children does on the Internet, but don’t think twice about letting them watch anything on television. Some of the programs out there today aren’t appropriate for adults let alone children.
BOOKS
Banning books can be a dangerous subject, but it is our job as parents to monitor what media our children are exposed to which includes books. We have banned certain books from being read by our children and explained to them the reasons why. There are some things we don’t want them exposed to which include witchcraft and spells, because of this we have stopped them from reading certain books and they are in agreement with our choices. Not everyone will choose to ban certain books, but you need to watch what your children read because it could be too graphic for them whether in violence or in sexual exploits.
MUSIC
My son had a hard time when we informed him of certain musicians we wouldn’t allow him to listen to. We sat him down and reviewed the lyrics with him and explained the problem we had with some of them. Once he understood that some of the lyrics were inappropriate, i.e. suicidal, degrading, sexually explicit and too violent, he was able to agree with our choices. He is now at a point where he will come to us and ask us to review a band or singer to find out if they are appropriate to listen to, and has even rule out some bands because he didn’t agree with their lyrics.
As with anything with children, explaining why you are doing something is much easier than just saying absolutely not. If they understand why you are doing something they will be more inclined to agree and not go do it behind your back. By spending time with them, you get to know them as a person and know what they are capable of doing and you also get to know their friends, which will help you understand the outside influences in their lives. When we have children we are taking on the responsibility for life not just until they turn 18. They will move us to great acts of frustration and anger, but also greater feelings of love and happiness. Enjoy each moment you have with them because you will only have that moment once.
TIME
Spending time with your children is essential to their growth and well-being. The more constructive time you spend with them the better they will be able to understand their boundaries and what behavior is acceptable and what isn’t allowed. By creating boundaries for children they are generally happier and better adjusted to their environment. They will be less likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol because they know the results of these items in their lives. The time you devote to your children will be rewarded by children who are more comfortable with themselves and don’t feel they need to act out to get attention.
TELEVISION
Television isn’t a babysitter for children. Putting on the popular television shows for children isn’t the way to teach them how to read, talk to behave, unless you want a child who has a hard time reading, enjoys backtalking and misbehaves because they think it is funny. Many programs today are geared toward a child’s entertainment not necessarily the way you want them to behave.
We monitor the television shows our children watch and are thankful we do. Our children were watching a show as we walked through the room, the show stated that it was okay to lie as long as it was a small one. We immediately had the children turn the show off and banned the show from our house. The children have learned when there is a banned show that there is a reason behind it and besides asking for the reason of the banning, will generally follow our rules. Our daughter has even gone on to leave a house that was watching a show that she was banned from watching. We, as parents, have to be mindful of what our children have access to, whether it is television or the Internet. Most parents will monitor what their children does on the Internet, but don’t think twice about letting them watch anything on television. Some of the programs out there today aren’t appropriate for adults let alone children.
BOOKS
Banning books can be a dangerous subject, but it is our job as parents to monitor what media our children are exposed to which includes books. We have banned certain books from being read by our children and explained to them the reasons why. There are some things we don’t want them exposed to which include witchcraft and spells, because of this we have stopped them from reading certain books and they are in agreement with our choices. Not everyone will choose to ban certain books, but you need to watch what your children read because it could be too graphic for them whether in violence or in sexual exploits.
MUSIC
My son had a hard time when we informed him of certain musicians we wouldn’t allow him to listen to. We sat him down and reviewed the lyrics with him and explained the problem we had with some of them. Once he understood that some of the lyrics were inappropriate, i.e. suicidal, degrading, sexually explicit and too violent, he was able to agree with our choices. He is now at a point where he will come to us and ask us to review a band or singer to find out if they are appropriate to listen to, and has even rule out some bands because he didn’t agree with their lyrics.
As with anything with children, explaining why you are doing something is much easier than just saying absolutely not. If they understand why you are doing something they will be more inclined to agree and not go do it behind your back. By spending time with them, you get to know them as a person and know what they are capable of doing and you also get to know their friends, which will help you understand the outside influences in their lives. When we have children we are taking on the responsibility for life not just until they turn 18. They will move us to great acts of frustration and anger, but also greater feelings of love and happiness. Enjoy each moment you have with them because you will only have that moment once.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
