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Tips for Parenting an Only Child

Parenting an only child is often a bit different from parenting siblings. There are certain characteristics that most only children share and special concerns that parents of multiple children generally don’t have to consider. Keeping some basic rules and tips in mind will help you to raise a happy and well-adjusted only child.

Create Social Groups
Only children lack the built in social scene that siblings are thrown into from childhood. They don’t have to find their place in the birth order, fight for attention, or learn to share possessions at home. For these reasons, it is important to create some early settings for socialization. Try to find play groups with children of the same age or a place where you can take parent and child classes early on. If your child has cousins of the same age, try to get them together frequently. These things will all give them good social skills and ensure they are not caught off guard when they start school.

Watch Them with Adults
Only children are frequently considered to be much more mature than children with siblings. They often spend a lot of time as the only child in a group of adults and therefore learn how to relate well with adults from an early age. Be sure to watch these interactions and give your child time to just play and be a child. It’s all about finding a balance.

Encourage Positive Traits
Only children have many wonderful traits, an independence, confidence, and maturity that comes from being an only. As you try to avoid the pitfalls of only children, be sure to also applaud the good traits that your child is developing. Offering praise and encouragement will help your child find a place and continue to develop these skills as he or she grows up.

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Preparing Children for International Travel

Talking to your child about other countries in the world is an important part of planning for a trip overseas. It can be tempting to think of traveling with a child only in terms of logistics and planning out hotels, but it is equally important to help your children understand the concept of other cultures and prepare them for life in an increasingly global world.

Talk About Language
For some small children, the idea of foreign languages can seem very distant and remote. Other children may be used to hearing many languages at school or in their city. Talk about what language the people speak in the country where you are traveling. You may want to help your child to learn a few basic phases, particularly ones they could use to greet people or to ask for help if they should become separated from you in a public place.

Talk About Children
One easy way to teach children about culture is to talk about the children in that other country. What is their daily life like? What do they eat for breakfast? Do they go to school and what would their school look like? Learning about children is very relate-able for young children and will help them to understand that while many things are different, there are also a lot of similarities in how children live and play.

Talk About Places
Look at a map or a globe, either in person or on the computer, and identify the country where you will be visiting. Show your child where the plane will fly to get there and talk about neighboring countries, important cities, and landmarks. Feeling like they can identify where they are going will help your child prepare for the trip and talk to other children and adults about their plans.

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Selecting Activities for a Child

It can be difficult for parents to resist signing a child up for many classes and activities. Early in life, children often have many different interests and it is tempting to try to follow through on all of them. Preparing a realistic schedule for your children will help everyone to try new things without a lot of added stress.

Pick the Best
Help your child to identify activities that they really want to do. Maybe your child has wanted to take a ballet class or play soccer since birth, that’s something worth trying out. Choose activities that are low pressure, but fun for the child. Some children may also want to choose activities where they can take a class or be on a team with their friends, this can make the activity a lot more fun.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No
If a class isn’t a good fit for your child or they seem stressed by having to go to art class each week, consider not signing up again. Too many parents feel pressured to continue, but it should really come down to what is best for you and your family. Talk to your child about their activities and which ones they enjoy the most. It’s your job to help facilitate good decisions and pick the schedule that meets their needs.

Leave Time for Play
Avoid over scheduling their children to the point that they don’t have time to play on their own. Children need that time to explore new interests, develop the ability to have fun on their own, and just enjoy being a child. Some signs that your child may be over scheduled include a reluctance to go to activities, complaining of being tired even after a good night’s sleep, and complaining that they don’t have time to play. Play is important and deserves a spot on every child’s schedule.

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Communicating with Your Child’s Caregivers

When your child spends a portion of their day with another caregiver, be it a teacher, day care staff member, babysitter, or extended family member, it is important for parents to make a point of sharing information. Pieces of information that seem trivial when you are the one doing the parenting, can help to clue caregivers in when it comes to your child’s moods and behaviors. There are a few things that you should always share with caregivers.

Changes in Routine
If your child’s routine has been shaken up recently, it is important to let other caregivers know. This includes drastic changes in sleep schedules, medical updates, or a child spending more time with other relatives at home. If your child has been struggling with some aspect of their routine, caregivers will be able to use this information as clues as to why behavior may be different at school or while the child is under their care. Little details can help to answer big questions.

Family Issues
If one of the child’s parents is traveling for work, this can have a big impact on a child’s behavior and daily mindset. Caregivers may notice that a child is fussier or has trouble following directions when their home life has been shaken up. If something bigger is happening at home, like a death in the family or parents separating, giving a discreet note to a caregiver can help them to understand the child’s actions.

Phases and New Things
If your child is going through a specific phase or you’ve noticed a behavioral change, it is worth mentioning to a caregiver. You may be able to work together to figure out what has caused the change or at the very least work together to find ways to manage this new mannerism. When you work as a team, parents and other caregivers can find ways to improve the child’s life.

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Parenting a Gifted Child

Parenting a gifted child, whether it’s a young child who has been identified as having above average intelligence or a school-aged child who has recently been given this label, comes with its own unique set of challenges. Parents of gifted children must offer support, encourage the child’s growth, and help them to understand that all children have gifts.

Encourage Them
If your child is constantly asking questions about the world or showing an interest in a certain topic, try to run with it. Take them to the museum, the library, or to lectures in your area. Show that you want them to explore their interests and your child will be more likely to learn and grow. For many gifted children, having a parent’s support can be the difference between feeling special and feeling alienated.

Support in School
For many people, it’s not readily apparent why a gifted child would have trouble in school. Still, many young children who are above grade level in reading, math and general comprehension skills may struggle to stay interested and find their grades suffering because they are simply bored in school. This is when parents can support their gifted child by letting them know that they understand it’s not always easy to stay focused, but it’s important to do the best work possible anyway. If your child’s school does individualized education plans, make it a point to show up for the meeting and help teachers find ways to challenge your student in the classroom.

Give Knowledge
When your child gets to school, read books about the different types of intelligence and encourage your child to see how all of his or her friends and classmates have specific talents. Your child’s gifts have been identified in the classroom or by an expert, but it’s equally important to value other people’s unique talents too. This is one of the best gifts you can give your child.

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Birthday Traditions in Asia

Children’s birthday celebrations in many Asian countries are marked by special rituals and traditions to bring good fortune and luck to the birthday child and to the birthday child’s family. Each country has its own traditions and superstitions, similarly, each country believes that certain birthdays are more important and more significant occasions than others. While some parts of the celebrations will be familiar to children around the world, like birthday desserts and candies, others are very different.

Birthdays in China
The China, first birthdays are very important. Parents may place their one year old in the center of a group of objects and tell the child’s fortune based on which object the child picks up. Sixth birthday celebrations are also very important in China. Birthday children are often given gifts that have pictures of tigers on them, the tiger is thought to offer protection to children. Clocks are an unlucky gift for a birthday celebration.

Birthdays in India
First birthdays are also important to Indian culture. When a Hindu child turns one year old, the head of the child is shaved to symbolize a spiritual cleansing. Birthday children may visit a shrine to receive a blessing and children in school hand out candies to their classmates. Instead of a birthday cake, a “dudh pkh” is served on birthdays. This is a pudding-like dessert filled with spices, nuts and dried fruits.

Birthdays in Japan
In Japan, the third, fifth, and seventh birthdays are considered to be important times in the child’s life. In the years that children turn these special ages, they dress up and visit a shrine with their family members and ask for blessings and give thanks for the good things in their lives. This is a very old tradition with roots in the fact that many children long ago did not survive to these birthdays.

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Birthday Traditions in South America

Parents all over the world find ways to make birthdays special for their children. Children’s birthdays often involve special traditions and customs that are unique to a country to to a part of the world. While many cultures have desserts, games, and parties, they all vary in how the events are handled and the parts of the celebration that contain meaning. In South America, there are many unique birthday traditions.

Birthdays in Argentina
Birthday celebrations in Argentina, like in many South American countries, are lavish events, just about as lavish as the family can afford. The birthday child is usually dressed up and the entire community would celebrate the occasion. One unique tradition: the birthday child in Argentina would have his or her earlobes tugged gently, once for each year in the child’s age. This is considered good luck.

Birthdays in Brazil
Birthday celebrations in Brazil call for lavish decorations. The home of the birthday child is filled with banners and brightly colored decorations. Children’s birthday parties are considered family events and both adults and children gather to celebrate the occasion. In addition to a birthday cake and a full spread of food, there are also special birthday candies shaped like fruit. These candies are often coconut flavored and very sweet.

Birthdays in Peru
Party hats are common at Peruvian birthday parties and often homemade out of colored paper. Just as children in the United States receive goodie bags at many children’s birthday parties, children in Peru receive specific party favors when they attend the birthday party of a friend. The favors are known as “recordatorio” or souvenirs of the event. The first recordatorio is a bag of treats. The second recordatorio is an elaborate pin, like a collectors item, that children keep to remember the event. The birthday child’s pin is made in honor of their birthday party.

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