Search Results for: blog what your preschooler should know part i

How to Prepare Your Child for a Real Job

If you don’t want to be the family with the 20-something adult child laying on your couch, then you have to get started early with helping to prepare your kid for his or her first real job, one that can support a basic lifestyle and have an expectation of self sufficiency. Ideally, you have been giving your child or children important money lessons since they were preschoolers, but the most critical time comes when they reach the age of 13 or 14. That is when they need to know that when they become adults, they will be expected to hold … Continue reading →

When Play Dates Go Wrong, Part 1

A group of moms get together with their preschoolers for an afternoon of fun and fellowship. We envision good conversation and happy playing children laughing in the background. Sometimes it does not work out and instead of laughing there is crying. One child pulled another child’s hair or took another child’s toy. Another child said something mean to a child and now tears are flowing. Perhaps one child in particular is a problem with hitting, spitting, or taking toys. These are sure fire ways to bring an end to a happy play date. A play date loses its purpose if … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Children about Strangers

The homeschooled child is unique in that their interaction with strangers is limited. When they go out into the world, they are usually with a parent or another responsible adult. They have a tendency to naturally trust those around them, and this is wonderful, in that they are able to form friendships, but on the other hand, a child who is too trusting can find themselves in uncomfortable situations. Of course, we can’t be with our children twenty-four hours a day, although I admit, there are times when I wish I could. The world is a scary place and it’s … Continue reading →

Does Your Preschooler Have Swimmer’s Ear?

Summer is here, which means you and your preschooler will likely be spending quite a bit of time at the pool or beach in order to cool off. But, what happens when your pool plans are put on hold because your preschooler develops swimmer’s ear? When a child complains of an earache most parents automatically assume that their son or daughter is suffering from an inner ear infection. However, during the summer months when recreational swimming increases, doctors say most of the earaches they treat are related to a condition called swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear is caused when excess water … Continue reading →

The Sensitive Preschooler

I’m beginning to suspect something. I should have known it when my daughter refused to be put down, or when she screamed when I stepped away from her. Or perhaps the fact that I had to bounce and swaddle her to sleep and that I still put her to sleep through touch should have been a good indicator. I have a sensitive child. Being a mom of one, it’s sometimes hard to compare your child’s everyday habits with those of other preschoolers. Sure, I teach toddlers and preschoolers all the time, but it’s not the same. I see them at … Continue reading →

Sleep and Your Preschooler

I have a guilty secret. My daughter sometimes – dare I say, often – goes to bed late. She also sleeps in. With the onset of kindergarten next year and its earlier arrival times, we’re going to have to change this. However, in a family with two parents who are working outside the home, I find it to be a struggle to get her in bed by 8 pm. After all, my husband arrives home at dinner time, we eat, and then it would be bed time. On the days when I work outside the home, dinner tends to be … Continue reading →

Getting to Know The Mei Tai or Asian Baby Carrier

I love mei tais. And at this my dad giggles madly, thinking that I’m talking about some sort of beverage. No, I’m talking about the Asian Baby Carrier, which is fabulous for back and front carries. It’s also very small and easy to pack around. Mei Tai carriers are similar to soft structured carriers like the Ergo or the Patapum. They just don’t have as many formal, clickable straps. In Asia, mothers have worn children from newborn to preschooler in mei tai carriers for hundreds of years. These carriers are so flexible that you can use them while you vacuum … Continue reading →

Preschoolers and Happy Meals

It’s official… I’m old. An impromptu trip to McDonald’s with my preschooler late yesterday assured me of this fact. My daughter is partial to Ronald’s Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich and rarely ever requests a Happy Meal unless the toy is too good to resist. So when we entered the fast food giant yesterday and she saw the huge Happy Meal display containing dozens of stuffed animals, she just about fainted. She is the queen of fluffy fake pets, after all. The reason for the colorful menagerie of mini fluffballs: McDonald’s is celebrating the 30th birthday of its iconic Happy Meals. … Continue reading →

Parents of Preschoolers Outraged Over Nude Figures

Get this: In Florida, where nude beaches are a dime a dozen, a sculpture of a naked family outside a shopping center west of Delray Beach is causing quite a stir… especially among parents with young children. The brouhaha, which was started by mom of a preschooler, has escalated into a full-blown community-dividing controversy. According to reports, the mom was offended by the bronze statutes, which depict a family in the buff (though the statues’ genitalia is by no means the most striking aspect of the piece). The mom says she was forced to shield her preschooler’s eyes while walking … Continue reading →

Do You Attend Parties with Your Preschooler?

Unless my name is on the invitation I typically don’t make a habit of hanging out at other people’s birthday parties. But what happens if the party invite is addressed to your preschooler? Are parents required—or should I say, welcome—to attend to? Since the bulk of my preschooler’s party invites have been for children (and subsequently, parents) that I know very well, I usually do one of two things: Ask if the birthday child’s parent(s) needs help during the festivities and stay OR Drop off my daughter and hightail it home to see how much I can accomplished in three … Continue reading →