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.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

How to Talk to Your Child

By Sharon Rose

It’s important to start early in your child’s life having age appropriate talks during a relaxed time to build trust and a bond. Don't wait until there is a problem to talk to your child. Start with positive language and listening. How your child 'feels' about daily experiences, traumatic events, his environment, including how you and others communicate with him, will be reflected in his behavior. Be prepared to talk to your child in a way to bring greater understanding to any situation and soothe fears away.

If your child questions your authority, has a temper tantrum, starts a fight with a sibling, or is whiny and fretful all day, don't react by yelling or becoming snappy and fussy. You will have missed a teaching moment. Remain calm and find those positive words that are needed. Avoid negative language like, “no,” and “don’t.” Use statements that express what you expect. For example: “Only walk inside.” Instead of, “Don’t walk inside.” Eliminate language that makes-fun-of or is name-calling. For example, eliminate phrases like, “You’re such a big baby;” or “You’re a bad child.” This will take practice and will lead to good communication with your child. Start talking to your child, today!

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

I Love Books!

By Sharon Rose

I Love Books! ....and I wanted my children to love books too! Nurture a love for books in your child by starting early. I started reading to each of my 3 children at 3 months old, just so they could hear more of my voice. However, 4 or 5 months is a good age to start reading to your baby. Reading a good book to your baby allows them to hear your voice more, and learn to recognize it. As my children grew to 6, 9, and 12 months old, they looked at the pictures more and more, at each stage. Babies tend to hit the pages, coo, and squeal with delight, as they marvel at the pictures on the pretty, colorful pages. My own children loved to put the cloth books in their mouths! I liked the cloth books for them when they were babies. I could pop them in the washing machine and they were all clean again. Books were fun for them!

As toddlers, they easily turned the pages and showed an interest in listening to what the story was about. They also had their favorite books they wanted to read, over and over again. It's fine if they won't sit still to listen to the whole story; that will come, in time. There may even be a few scribbles with crayons and torn pages, here and there, but the reading readiness benefits are worth it.

Bedtime stories often become a favorite, too. Many parents, as did I, find that establishing this routine is a good way to help their toddler calm down, after a day filled with play, and reduce their stress level, making it easier to fall asleep. The sound of a parents voice is soothing and reassuring. Also, by the time your child is a toddler, provide crayons and paper for him to play-write (scribble) and draw in his own beginners way. This activity encourages the imaginary stories and ideas that help stimulate a desire to learn to read stories. One day they will be reading to you! I Love Books!

*Added Resource - How to choose books for your young child: http://www.parents.com/kids/education/reading/get-your-kids-excited-about-books-3-to-4-years/?sssdmh=dm17.608615&esrc=nwpmmdailytip072712&email=4307291495

Friday, February 8, 2019

Physical/Movement Development Milestones for 2 Year-Olds

By Sharon Rose

Most babies walk between the ages of 9 - 12 months, however, it is perfectly normal for babies not to walk until they are 14 to 17 months. By the time you experience the first year of walking with your toddler, and he turns 2 years-old, he is beginning to run. I was so excited at the prospect of my first baby, a son, walking! When the ‘walking’ milestone time was near, I didn’t want him out of my sight for a moment, because I didn’t want to miss seeing his first steps. He walked at 9 months! I was lucky to be there to see him step away from the table in our living room. He had pulled himself into a standing position and circled the table for a month. Then, suddenly, he stepped away! He looked as surprised as I did! That same excited, watchful, but worrisome feeling followed with my second and third child, both daughters. Many parents miss the moment of those very first steps becaue it could happen at any time in the milestone life of a toddler. Parents have to get their energy level up with all the exploring and play that goes on as your toddler approaches 2 years-old. At 2 years-old the toddling walk will start to become more confident and the running and jumping will start. Get ready for more excitement! Here’s what else you should expect during the year of the 2 year-old.

Physical/Movement Milestones of the 2 Year-Old:

1. Can feed themselves well, but still needs to work on neatness.

2. Beginning to run and jump.

3. Can walk up and down stairs holding a rail.

4. Can kick a ball.

5. Climbs onto and down from furniture without help.

6. Draws circles and straight lines.

7. Can build a tower of 4 blocks or more.

8. Throws ball overhand.

9. May start to use one hand more than the other.

10. Stands on tiptoes.
11. Mostly plays beside other children, but is beginning to include other
children in chasing games.

As your toddler starts to use his whole body to carry out gross and fine motor skills, you can count on your 2 year-old becoming better at climbing and taking advantage of this skill to sit down in a chair and climb on other furniture. At this stage, it is a time that parents must pay even closer attention to safety issues. Accidents happen with bookshelves that can fall over on a child, and household chemicals that are not out of reach of a toddler who can climb. So, securely attach bookshelves, continue to use baby safety gates, and give your 2 year-old close supervision. You’ve heard the phrase, “They are so quick!”

Parents are the best playmates for their 2 year-old! This is a stage that will really take you back to your memories of being a child. Playing with your child at the park on the swings, on the slide, and playing ball.

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