Parenting Tips

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Parenting Rule #1: Listen to your kids!

Catch your child being "good" and praise him or her.

Watch your child’s behavior. Sometimes your kids will tell you everything is fine when their behavior tells you it is not.

Listen to your child with your eyes and your ears. Give your child your full attention.

Encourage your child to express his or her feelings. Then show that you understand what your child is feeling by restating what your child has said.

Make sure you say, "I love you." Don’t forget to touch your child, affectionately.

Today, set aside ten minutes to play with your child. Let your child direct the play. Offer assistance or advice only if your child asks. Watch and listen and give your child your undivided attention.

Accept your child for who he or she is.

Feeling good about your body will help you feel good about yourself. The following nutrition tips are useful for you and your kids. (Taken from Fitness Management Magazine, Your Health & Fitness by Barbara A Brehm, Ed.D.)

Good nutrition during childhood helps support optimal growth and development. It can also reduce risk for chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease later in life. Good eating habits and food choices, along with plenty of physical activity, help kids to maintain a healthy body weight and prevent obesity.

In general, parents and caregivers need to help children to replace empty calorie foods such as soda and candy with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Occasional treats are fine, but these should supplement, not replace, a well-rounded diet. Many treats and snacks can be nourishing, as well as delicious.

Simple changes introduced gradually with love and some nutrition and education work best for most families. Here are some suggestions for simple changes that can improve your family’s eating habits.

	Increase the variety of fresh fruit you have on-hand for snacks and meals.
	Serve the vegetables that your children like best as often as possible.
	Ask children to try just one bite of new foods at mealtime.
	Serve small portions of a variety of foods.
	Sneak vegetables into snacks and meals.
	Look for creative ways to replace empty calorie foods, such as mixing fruit juice with seltzer to make spritzers.

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