Keep A Healthy Relationship With Your Child As A Weekend Parent

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Are you a weekend parent? Ultimately, it’s possible that your partner is the main care provider for your child due to your relationship ending. This means that you will likely only see your child at the weekends, some evenings or in the holidays. The reason for this is that courts don’t tend to provide equal custody unless you live close enough for the child to go to the same school while they are with you. This can be restricting because it limits how far away you can move from your partner and you probably don’t want to be close to someone that you have split from. 

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Keep Things Amicable 

First, you need to make sure that you work to keep things amicable between you and your partner. It’s important to ensure that your child doesn’t feel as though they are entering a battle ground when they see you or that they have to choose a side. This should start from the beginning because rather than heading to court for a divorce you can explore an option like family mediation. This will put far less of a strain on the relationship your child has with you and your partner. 

Make Your Time Together Count 

Next, you should think about the time that you spend together when they are in your care or at your house. It’s important that you make the time, however limited, count. This might mean that you should avoid going on your phone or another tech device when you are with your kids. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you are spending time that is focused on them or the both of you. 

Use The Tech At Your Fingertips

It’s important to use the tech at your fingertips when you are a weekend parent. You won’t always be able to see your child in person as often as you like. But there’s no limit on how often you can call them or speak to them. If you are comfortable with your former partner, then you can likely speak to them every day. That’s important as it ensures that you are a more active part of their life. It might seem unnecessary to ring them every day as very little is going to change in 24 hours. However, you can ask them about their day, make sure you keep up with their interests and be there if anything is wrong. 

Plan Activities 

Finally, you should think about planning out activities that you can enjoy together when your child is over or you are visiting. This will stop you from doing nothing for two days which can be dull for you and your child. Instead, you should think about engaging in lots of different activities. This could include everything from bowling to other sports or simple planning a movie night in the house. 

You might think that if you are only seeing your child on weekends or in the holidays then it could impact your relationship. The good news is that there are steps that you can take to guarantee this won’t happen. Here are some of the options we recommend. 

4 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence

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The more confident you are, the easier it is to get through life. When you have high self-esteem you are far more likely to pursue your goals and dreams than you would be if you did not feel happy with who and what you are.

By boosting your self-confidence, then, you can make pretty much every area of your life, from work to dating, better, more fulfilling, and ultimately happier. But, how exactly do you boost your self-confidence? Here are a few ideas:  

1. Write down your positive qualities

We all have positive qualities, but if your self-esteem is low, it might not feel like that. Sit down with your journal and spend as long as you need to jotting down your positive qualities. Are you a hard worker? A good friend? A committed volunteer? Pretty soon your pen will be flowing and you will come to see that, actually, as a person, you’re not bad at all.

2. Improve your appearance

Many people feel better about themselves when they look good. If you are one of them, doing what you can to improve your appearance, whether it’s getting a new wardrobe tailored to fit you like a glove or booking teeth whitening sessions with your dentist, once it’s done, you will look great, and looking great will help to boost your confidence, even if it’s only just a little.

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3. Be kind to yourself

You’re probably kind to everyone you meet from friends and family members to co-workers and the people you meet in line at the store, but are you kind to yourself? If you are the kind of person who never has a good word to say about yourself, it will obviously knock your self-esteem. 

If you want to be confident, you need to start being kind to yourself, so every time you think a bad thought, whether it’s I’m too fat or I’m useless at work, think about what a good friend would say and tell yourself that. This will require your brain to think more positively about yourself and you will see a vast improvement in your self-confidence if you keep it up.

4. Set yourself a challenge

If you have no self-confidence, you will probably hate the idea of setting yourself a challenge because you will probably feel worthless and ineffective. However, doing so is a really good way to turn things around.

If you set a challenge that is not too easy, but also not impossible to achieve, and you work on meeting your goals, you will have lots of little successes along the way that show you that you are useful and you can do things if you put your mind to it. This will build up your confidence better than almost anything else, and when you achieve that ultimate goal... well you’ll be absolutely beaming with confidence, that’s for sure!

You deserve to be confident, and high self-esteem can really open doors for you, so do whatever you can to feel better about yourself today!

PPD & Me: 5 Tips That Can Help You Manage The Situation

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Post Partum Depression is a very common issue facing new mothers and the symptoms can feel even worse in the post pandemic era. After all, we all (not just parents) have been more prone to bouts of sadness and a lack of energy. The truth is that there is no magic cure for the situation. On a brighter note, however, you can learn to manage PPD in a better manner.

The first step is to accept the situation and realize that it’s not your fault. You wouldn’t punish yourself for any other health complaint and should never consider ignoring PDD. Focus on the following responses, and you should see a noticeable improvement in the way you feel.

Focus on providing for your child

Becoming a parent changes your life forever. Even when you do not feel in control of personal matters, giving your child the best start in life will be a major triumph. Experts at Foryourlittleone can help you find the perfect baby products for the nursery and daily life. Aside from the right surroundings, you will want to master some nutritious meals for when your baby reaches the wearing stage. Remember that your childcare workers are available to answer your questions and provide any advice that you may require too. 

Establish a sense of organization

PPD can often leave you feeling all over the place. Therefore, restoring a sense of control should be one of the top items on your agenda. While it’s great to set long-term goals, learning to take each day as a new challenge is equally vital. There are many reasons to create a daily routine, but it will ultimately allow you to stay on the right track at all times. Likewise, you will find that a schedule is hugely beneficial for your child. It may help you with issues like establishing a positive sleep routine.

Talk

As a new parent, most of your time is dedicated to your child. While it is an amazing and beautiful thing, there is no doubt that it can leave you feeling a little lonely from time to time. Social activities with other adults will have a positive impact, and this should include time with non-parents too. Perhaps more importantly, you must also remember that keeping your PPD locked up inside will do you no favors. Mental health experts are available while even using forums like Whattoexpect can be useful. You will no longer feel alone on this journey.

Try to reduce stress

It would be impossible to eliminate stress from your life. However, high stress levels will continue to make your PPD symptoms feel worse. So, any opportunity to reduce stress should be grabbed with both hands. Gaining control of your financial health is a good starting point. Avoiding people and habits that trigger stress or responses that indirectly cause stress will help. If nothing else, it will free your mind and allow you to enjoy the moments where PPD isn’t in control. 

Live Healthily

As a new parent, your child will be the priority. Still, you must remember that a healthy and happy mom is a better mom. With this in mind, there should be no sense of guilt about taking care of yourself. Make time for meditation and exercise. Eat the right foods. And be OK with the fact that you need personal hobbies and daily activities that focus on you rather than your child. In many cases, your baby will still be involved. Even when they aren’t, the balanced lifestyle will allow you to become an even better parent while also reducing PPD.

Is Your Family Ready For A Puppy?

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During these coronavirus days, we can begin to reflect on what is truly important in life. For some, the annual summer vacation, having lots of money put aside for a rainy day, and achieving that promotion at work becomes a lot less crucial to our happiness. Instead, we care more about the health of our family, ensuring that we are able to manage our finances astutely, and having the job stability that everyone craves at the moment. 

When you consider your brood, you want them to be happy and fulfilled. The Covid-19 threat that is forever lingering in the air is forcing us to adjust to a new normal. This means homeschooling for many, working from home, and spending more time together as a family. As you are staying at home more, it makes sense that now is the right time to consider welcoming the patter of tiny canine paws into your home, doesn’t it? If you have the time and energy to dedicate to a puppy, this could be one of the most wonderful experiences you could offer your children. Dogs can be incredible companions, be playmates for the kids, and give your family something positive and innocent to focus upon. 

However, with a dog comes great responsibility. While you may assume that a pooch is ‘just’ a pet, you’d be mistaken. This creature will imprint on you, be endearing and capture your heart. A puppy isn’t like a kitten. Their eyes will draw you in and you will forge a tight and close bond. A puppy really is a new addition to your family. Take a look at whether your family is ready for a puppy.

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Time

Even though you are at home at the moment, there’s nothing to say that life will be this way forever. Welcoming a puppy into your home while you are working on your laptop at the dining room table seems ideal. But, what happens when you are having to do the usual nine to five in the office for five days a week? If your work doesn’t offer remote working as standard and you fear that your pup may be home alone, you need to consider whether this is fair. At the very least, you will need to think about those breeds that don’t suffer from as much separation anxiety. Breeds like miniature schnauzers make wonderful family pets, but they become such an integral part of your clan, they will be devastated to be left alone for hours at a time.

If you do have the time to dedicate to a puppy, think about the breed you would like. There are so many to choose from so thin about what you want from a dog. Does he need to be small? Does he need to not shed hair everywhere? Do you want a pooch that is easy to train? And don’t forget to consider suitability around kids. 

When considering the time that you need to dedicate to a puppy, think about him as a newborn baby. Yes, you really do need to be on hand twenty four hours a day. A puppy will need to go outside two or three times a night to do his business. He will need feeding small meals four or five times a day. He will need your constant love and attention. Play with him, hold him, and create that bond. The early weeks are important to foster positive behavior and that close bond that you yearn for.

Training

Some mutts are stubborn little things. They may be able to hear you calling them back when they are frolicking in the park, but if they are having too much fun, they will ignore you. This is why training is crucial. Don’t go it alone and head to a site like Puppy Trained Right to take a look at training videos and articles to help get your puppy on the right track. You need to think about dedicating enough time to training your pooch. Being young, they don’t have great attention spans. This is why it is important to do some training in ten or fifteen minute bursts.

To begin training, start with the basic commands of sit, down, stay and come. If you can hone all of these, you will have a well trained dog. Start early and make training sessions fun. Nearly every hound is food motivated so get tiny pieces of their favorite treat. This might be hotdog, chicken or cheese. Keep it to hand and let your pup know that it is there as a reward for excellent behavior. Your dog will be motivated to do well and please you in training sessions.

To make the sessions fun, play games. As your dog sits, give him some chicken. If you are looking for your dog to lie down, get him to follow you around the home before saying down. If you turn around and he is down waiting for the tiny piece of cheese in your pocket, reward him with it. 

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Commitment

A puppy requires commitment and dedication. However, he will help with your mental health, cheer you up when you are down, and make you laugh. This isn’t a pet that you can discard when times get tough. A puppy will challenge you as much as he pleases you. Sometimes, he may chew an expensive pair of shoes, he may pee on the new rug, or he might become poorly. You need to be there every step of the way. In the same way that all babies have different personalities, your puppy will also have his own sense of self. He might see himself as the leader of the pack, he might be super shy, or he may be fearful of traffic, other dogs or men with beards. There is no accounting for their quirks but they all have them!

Your puppy will grow into a dog that will be your faithful companion for the next ten to fifteen years. This is why you need to consider whether you can commit to that length of time. He will be by your side during family trips, vacations, and memorable events. It’s not unheard of for dogs to help walk people down the aisle, attend graduations, and be important members of a family.

Rescue

Remember, a pedigree puppy is only one route to securing a new member of your brood. You might wish to look into the rescue pups that are abandoned, placed into kennels, or rescued from puppy farms every year. Thousands of puppies are eager to look for new homes. If you can offer this sort of mutt a home, look in your local area and enquire.

Rescue puppies may be slightly older, but they can offer your family something unique. They may be more fearful of human contact and could require extra time and love to help them come out of their shell and become confident again. They don’t have the same price tag as a pedigree hound and can give back so much. If you aren’t fussy about the breed and it is the initial contact that is important, go rescue! If this is something that you could commit to, your whole existence could become more worthwhile and positive.

A puppy will bring love, warmth, happiness and contentment into your life. Your family will have a new member and you will be embarking on brand new adventures. However, a dog requires a wealth of commitment from you. If you feel like you can dedicate time, effort, energy, love and positivity to your mutt, you can enjoy the company of a faithful companion for years to come.

Supporting Your Child Through Life Changing Events

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When it comes to childhood, we like to think of it being a time of fun and carefree days and nothing untoward that will ruin that. As magical as we want childhood to be for our children, things don't always pan out the way we want them to. It is a sad reality that at some point children may experience the kind of issues that even adults struggle to process and deal with effectively.

Fun Ways to Strengthen Family Bonds

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When you’re a parent, one of the most important things you can do is build a strong bond with your children and ensure that they have strong bonds with all of their family - the more loving people a child has around them the better! 

For most people, bonding comes pretty naturally, but it is still a good idea to take the time to strengthen and solidify those bonds on a regular basis. Here are a few ways you can do that:

Tell personal stories

Kids love hearing personal stories about their parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles from the past. They enjoy hearing what their adult family members did when they too were young and care-free, and it’s a great way to show them that as well as being mom or dad you are a person in your own right. Sharing your past ‘secrets’ with them can also make them feel special and help to build a stronger connection between you. Just make sure your stories are appropriate!

Book a family photo session

What could be more fun than gathering everyone together for a family photo session? A good family photographer will know how to make the process lots of fun with jokes and a few well-placed props and you’ll get to show just how much you love each other not only in the moment but captured forever in the images your photographer snaps.

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Have a movie night

Something as simple as snuggling up together on the couch watching a favorite movie can be so special to a child. They’ll feel safe, secure, and loved and you won’t even have to leave the house or go to any special effort other than perhaps buying some of their favorite candy to chew on while the movie’s in progress so it’s perfect for those busy weeks when you just want to relax in your downtime.

Ask them about their life

One of the best ways to build a strong bond with children is by taking them more seriously and listening to them when they speak. Every day, you should make a point of asking your children not only about their day but at least one question about their personality such as their favorite book or what they love most about nature. They’ll feel more appreciated as a person and they’ll be more likely to open up to you in future if they know that you will listen, and more importantly, that you really care about what they think and feel.

Cook together

Cooking with children is a great way to get them interested in food and healthy eating, It’s also a great way to spend some quality time with them, especially if you sit down to eat whatever you’ve created together afterward. 

Go on vacation

Taking a family vacation where you can dedicate all of your time to each other is ideal for family bonding. You’ll build up more shared experiences and have unique adventures that you’ll all remember forever.

How do you strengthen the bonds with your children?

What Makes A Children's Party Great?

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If you are thinking about throwing a party for your child, then you are obviously going to want to ensure that it goes as well as possible. You want them to have the best time possible, whether you are throwing them a party for their birthday or any other occasion. There are a lot of things that you are going to need to be aware of, and there is a lot of work involved too. In this article, we are going to take a look at just what makes a children’s party great, and how you can make sure that you are throwing the best possible party for your child.

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Lots Of Invites

In general, you will want such a party to be as busy as possible, so that it feels much more like an event. Your child is bound to be excited if there are plenty of people in attendance, and it’s one of the hallmarks of a good party of any kind. So that means that you need to think about sending out a lot of invites as early as you possibly can, once you know what date you are thinking about having it on. You can even ask around first to see whether there is a date which seems best for most of the parents you know, so that you can increase the chances of there being good numbers. The more invites you are able to send out and get RSVPs for, the better.

Great Food

It’s not a party without food, and it is likely that this is one part of the day that you are going to spend a lot of time and money on. You need to make sure that the kids are going to love the food, and that part is easy enough. But you also need to consider the possibility that there will be kids who have particular dietary requirements. Make sure that their parents are including that information on the RSVP, so that you can prepare for it as well as possible. Beyond that, consider whether you want to get hold of a caterer to help you out with the food, or whether you are going to do it yourself - perhaps with the help of another adult who might be assisting you in planning the day.

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Entertainment

You also need to think about what kind of entertainment you are going to provide for the children. Many of the classic types of children’s entertainment are still going to work here, and you should think about whether or not you are going to want to include all or some of these at least. That could include looking out for a jumping castle rental, or getting a children’s entertainer or magician to come and do a show. You might also want to consider having pass the parcel and other classic games like that. The more entertainment there is, the better. You could even go down the pinata route if you want something a little different, and the child is not too young.

Decorations

You will probably find that you spend a lot of time decorating the party venue too. That is something that you need to think about in advance. Is there any particular theme that is likely to go down well? You could simply ask your child what they want - there is a chance they will have a clear idea, after all - or you could try to work it out with them if they are not quite sure. Then you can start to think about decorating the venue according to that theme, and in so doing you should be able to make the day much more memorable indeed. This is one part of the process that you might find you want some help with, as there can be a lot involved to get it right.

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Venue

Speaking of which, you will also need to make sure that you are clear on which venue itself you might want to use. There are many options that you can consider here, and it all depends on the nature of the party and how much of an event it is going to be, including how many likely respondents you will get to your invitations. But make sure that it’s somewhere people can get to easily, and which is going to have enough space for all to enjoy themselves. If you can do that, you are going to find that the day is much more of a success.

Having a Baby? Here are 3 Top Tips to Ensure You’re Prepared

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Finding out that you’re pregnant is one of the most exciting experiences in your life. However, it’s also one of the most daunting. Although no one can be fully prepared for what comes your way, it’s good to do your research so that you’re as prepared as possible. Motherhood and fatherhood is a journey unlike any other, and without this preparation, it might come to the due date and you’re not ready for the changes.

Gifts to Give a Pragmatic Parent

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Do you dread getting your parents gifts whether if it's for Christmas, birthdays or holidays? It's not because you don't love them, quite the opposite actually. 

Supporting Your Parents In Old Age

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It can be a difficult thing to face up to, but it is a fact of life: we all get old. As children and younger adults, we look at our parents, and they can seem almost immortal. It isn't until we begin to get older ourselves that we notice the signs of aging - the grey hairs increasing, the skin getting more and more linked, the creak of the hips and knees, and perhaps the odd moment of forgetfulness. At some point, we have to accept that they may need a little extra support to help them live out the later years of their life in comfort.

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Here, we look at a few of the ways that you can support your parents in their old age.

Assess their needs

Organizing additional care and support for a parent can seem daunting because you are not sure exactly what needs to be done. What you need to do is to take a step back and think about how much help they need with various aspects of their everyday life.

Some of the things to consider include:

• Staying safe in the home
• Personal hygiene
• Cooking and eating
• Cleaning
• Mental health
• Shopping
• Social interaction 
• Mobility
• Medical needs

How much support do they get for each thing, and how much help do they actually need to stay safe and healthy? By looking at each situation individually, it allows you to see where the support is necessary so that you can plan it accordingly. This may be in the form of help in the community, or it may be that they are better suited to a care home. Make sure you do your research to find reputable support, and if you come across one that doesn't treat their residents with the utmost care and respect, Chony can help.

Consider your own needs and abilities

You are allowed to be a little bit selfish. You don't have to take on the full responsibility for caring for elderly parents, and it is okay to say, ''I can't do that''. Even if you want to, can you?

• Does your own health allow you to care for someone physically?
• Do you live close enough to visit when needed and be there at short notice?
• If you work, can you have time off to deal with issues?
• Do you have the relationship that allows you to care for them without any hostility or negativity?

Your main aim is for your parents to be healthy and safe. It isn't selfish or heartless if you are not the best person to take on the job of all-round care.

By looking out for their health and safety and getting the assistance they need, you're still a loving and supportive child.

If you take on too much responsibility and can't manage either physically or emotionally, you're not going to be able to support your parent or yourself, and that is not going to help anyone.

Accepting old age can be difficult, but it is inevitable. By considering the points above you can make sure that the process for everyone involved is calm, safe, and above all, happy.