Parents Want to Know 101

Welcome to Parents Want to Know 101. Parents Want to Know 101 was created for parents and those interested in parenting issues and trends, from birth to college, and beyond. It provides exposure to important and current information, relevant to raising a healthy, happy, independent, successful child. What should we, as adults, contribute to our families, the community, and our country to make this happen? The children are our future. Parents need one another; it does take a village.

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Winter Weather Safety: Protect Your Child from Frostbite and Hypothermia

By Sharon Rose

Building a snowman is a great childhood memory of mine. In many cities, snow is falling and children are excited to play in it. Our children should be dressed properly, and parents must decide if the temperature is too low, or not, for your child to play in.

Frostbite is the freezing of superficial tissues of the face, ears, fingers and toes. Signs and symptoms include: numbness, pain, tingling, burning, skin turns hard and white, skin starts to itch, skin starts to peel or blister, etc.

Always remember to wear gloves in snow and freezing temperatures. Frostbite can occur.

Hypothermia is a more severe reaction to exposure to cold, is defined as a significant drop in body core temperature. Symptoms of hypothermia includes: shivering; as well as, intense shivering, lack of coordination and sluggishness; cold sensation, goosebumps, confusion, and numbness; difficulty speaking, mental confusion, stumbling, depression; unconsciousness; trouble seeing; etc. *Check out more symptoms, safety tips, and how to treat frostbite and hypothermia at our ‘source,’ to keep our children and yourself safe, in the winter weather. If either is suspected, call 911. Bundle up and dress for the weather!

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Language in Toddlers: Milestone Year, Age 2

By Sharon Rose

Let’s talk about language in the milestone year, age 2. This will be a memorable year. There will be much growth and development in independent behavior and language will be a big part of that. How exciting when your toddler starts to communicate with you! Although every child grows and develops at their own pace, toddler speech development follows a fairly predictable path. By age 2, your toddler should have a vocabulary of at least 50 or more words. Several of the more common words most likely mastered are: Mommy, Daddy, juice, milk, cookie, hot, hi, bye, car, see, and ball. Your 2 year-old should also be putting together two-word sentences, such as: “more juice.” They are listening to you and understand much more than they can say. Don’t use ‘baby talk!’ As well, Mom and Dad, watch what you say if you don’t want to hear it repeated. Don’t worry about how your toddler pronounces words, that will improve in time. However, you should be concerned if your toddler is not responding to you when you repeat something over and over again. In this case, a middle ear infection or a speech delay could be of concern. In either case, check with your pediatrician and/or a speech-language pathologist. A health care professional can help parents understand the difference in a ‘late talker,’ which children grow out of, and developmental issues, such as autism and cerebral palsy.

Gestures are also a part of language development. Out stretched arms, which signals, “Pick me up,” is one of the first gestures babies use, early, in language development. You may find that your toddler does a lot of pointing. For example: If he points to the refrigerator, ask, "Do you want something to drink?" (Wait for a response.) Then say, “Do you want juice?

(Wait for a response.) You say, “Ok, let’s get some juice." Interactions matching their gestures with your verbal responses are behaviors that will encourage your toddler to respond and participate in conversations. Further, encourage this by playing gesture-games, like ‘Pat-a-Cake,’ and ‘So-Big.’ Help your toddler learn the appropriate words for body parts, pictures in books, objects, and familiar people: "Where is your ear?", “Where is your nose?”, “Show me the ball," and "Where is Mommy?" Educational toys and books are great tools to help encourage language, naturally, without seeming to instruct or push. Play time and story time can become a fun part of your toddlers day, as you see their language grow right before your eyes!

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The Illinois Commitment: For Illinois College Bound Students, Fall 2019

By Sharon Rose

FREE TUITION - College bound students and their parents are always seeking scholarships and other various means of financing a college education. A college education has become more expensive each year. So, here is important and welcome information for students and their parents who reside in the state of Illinois. A new program called, Illinois Commitment, was recently introduced by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The university will offer FREE TUITION to qualifying students. Students whose combined household income is $61,000 or less can qualify for free tuition starting fall, 2019. The university’s website states, a student qualifies for free tuition if they meet the following criteria:

1. They are an Illinois resident (parents listed on FAFSA must also be residents)

2. Their family income is $61,000 or less

3. Their family’s assets are less than $50,000

4. They are admitted as a new freshman or transfer student

5. They are under the age of 24

This is a great opportunity that will create a brighter future for the students of Illinois.

*For more information please visit: https://admissions.illinois.edu/commitment.

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Sunday, July 29, 2018

When to Start Teaching Children to Pray

By Sharon Rose

Children can start learning to pray even before they learn to speak in coherent sentences. Proverbs 22:6 says: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." You can start by teaching a very young child to make prayer hands and saying the words of the prayer for them. In doing so, for children as young as 12 months, (or when the child starts eating at a feeding table) you are building and reinforcing prayer as a good habit. Once your child learns language and begins to speak, he will learn various prayers through listening to the repetition of them, for example: in the morning, at mealtime, and at bedtime.

Children love rhyming phrases and will enjoy learning prayers that rhyme. So, start by teaching prayers that rhyme or have poetic rhythm. Most children learn these quickly. Your child will come to understand that praying is a part of his family's daily schedule by seeing you pray at certain times of the day. Have children to understand that God is our helper who loves us and that praying is having a conversation with God. Keep it simple.

Monday, July 16, 2018

6 Dinner Conversation Starters

By Sharon Rose

Dinner conversation starters can help make eating together at the table a tradition in your household. Table boredom, OUT! There is promising news for strengthening family bonds, that studies show most families eat dinner at home most nights. But I have found no clear studies as to what percentage of families are actually sitting down at the table, together, to share a meal. Often times, TV shows and social media are a distraction, with family members scattered in various rooms at mealtime. With this valuable old tradition, this quality time will not only strengthen relationships, but improve family nutrition. Parents are right there to encourage children to make good food choices at the table. Parents and children can also find a comfort level in communicating with one another. It's a great time to find out more about one another, from how your day went, to what your dreams are. The family will be happier and healthier! Here is our Dinner Conversation Starter List. Have your questions ready and add your own questions to the list. Personalize it! Make it fun!

Trivia Questions:

1. On what date was the Declaration of Independence (U.S.A.) signed?
Answer: July 4, 1776

2. What city is the Golden Gate Bridge located?
Answer: San Francisco

3. Name a musical group, past or present, made up of family members only.
Answer: The Jackson 5, DeBarge, BeBe & CeCe Winan, Bee Gees, The Osmonds, Von Trapp Family, The Carpenters, Ashford & Simpson, The Staple Singers, The Everly Brothers, Gladys Knight & The Pips, LMFAO, The Pointer Sisters, Sister Sledge, The Ronettes, The Isley Brothers, Hanson Band, The Jonas Brothers, and more.

Choices Questions:

4. Do you prefer dogs or cats?

5. What genre movies or TV do you prefer: dramas, comedy, or adventure and action?

6. What is your dream career?

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Important Role of 'Dad' in a Child's Life

By Sharon Rose

In his lifetime, any man can be capable of fathering a child, but what role in his child's life will cause that man to become a Dad. How special to be called, Dad. Let's look at the important role a Dad has in a child's life.

Children benefit emotionally and psychologically from the presence of an involved father, who fill the role of a Dad. Dads are so special! From birth, children of involved Dads are more likely to be emotionally secure, confident to explore their environment, and create more healthy social relationships with peers, as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood. They are also, less likely to get into trouble at home, school, or in the community. Babies who get a lot of affection and playful interaction from their Dads feel more secure. A Dad's playfulness with his children is more stimulating than the kind of playful activity mothers present. Rough housing with Dad can teach children how to react to aggressive impulses and physical contact without losing control of their emotions. Dads more so, encourage independence and a lack of fear of the world outside the home. Our Dads also encourage achievement and competition, while mothers are more likely to stress nurturing, both of which are important. The balance between the two is needed. A study of school-aged children found that children with involved Dads are less likely to experience depression, drug abuse, or display disruptive or delinquent behavior. Dads hold an important role in benefiting a child’s growth, development, and future that cannot, likely, be filled by anyone else. We are not saying that there are no children who did not have the benefit of having a Dad present in their lives, who do not succeed; there are. However, they can give testament to the rough road they and their mothers traveled to get there.

Another important role of Dad to his children is his behavior that is modeled when the children can observe a positive relationship between Mom and Dad. Children learn so much more from parents as role models than they do from what the parents say. When a son sees Dad showing respect to Mom, he learns from this modeling, how to treat the women in his. A daughter gains self-esteem, as a developing young woman should, and an expectation of how she should be treated by men in her life. This learning experience will carry over into their adolescence and adulthood.

Happy Father's Day to all our Dads!! You play an important role in the lives of our children and in our families, and we celebrate you on this very special day!