Curtail Your Toddler’s Tantrums

Thursday, July 5th, 2012

It’s dinnertime: The phone is ringing, your testy toddler is throwing her peas on the floor, your eldest is refusing to eat, and the dog is barking at nothing (again). And you? You lose your cool and have, regrettably, a mini mommy-tantrum.

If you’ve ever had a toddler, this scenario probably sounds familiar. Even the most patient of parents can find themselves at wit’s end when dealing with a tricky two-year old. However, frequent outbursts of agitation may be negatively impacting your child’s social development—and prolonging those temper tantrums. A study from Oregon State University and various contributing institutions found that parents who over-react and anger easily have toddlers who experience more meltdowns than normal for their age. The way you handle everyday annoyances in your child’s first few years of life is directly linked to your toddler’s behavioral development, researchers say.

Of course, you’re only human, and sometimes stress just gets the best of you. But instead of taking your anger out on the dog, take a time out and try our sanity-saving mommy midterm. By the time you’re done with this de-stress test, you’ll have forgotten all about the picture your toddler just drew on the wall.

…Well, maybe.

Image: crying little kid photo via Shutterstock

A Sister’s Special Powers

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

As a parent, you want nothing more than to have your children love one another and play nicely. Not only is a sibling bond important, researchers say it’s also good for your child’s emotional health. According to a study from Brigham Young University, kids who had a sister throughout their childhood were less likely to feel fearful, lonely, or unloved than kids without sisters. Even if your children only show their emotions through endless arguing, researchers agree that sibling conflict is still far less detrimental than complete lack of affection.

Although kids don’t always get along, what if your child wasn’t even able to talk to her sibling, let alone utter the words “I love you”? One mom shares the story of both her daughter’s struggle to communicate with her brother, and her son’s single heartbreaking wish: to hear his sister say his name. To read Amy Kohn’s touching tale, check out our August issue or click here.

Image: happy sister and brother together via Shuttershock

Kid Careers of the Future

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

Would you be surprised to hear that kids today are more technologically savvy than ever before? Probably not. But what if we said that your child’s dependence on the Internet is actually affecting the life she’ll someday lead?

According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, today’s kids are learning to rely on the Internet as a second brain, changing the way they’ll approach problems later in life. They belong to an “always on” demographic, dubbed Generation AO, and are growing up in a hyper-connected culture of instant gratification and serious multitasking. Not only are 95% of tweens and teens online, the survey finds, but 76% of them are already using social networks. This rapidly evolving culture is leading experts to believe that tech-wired kids are the key to opportunities and careers we can’t yet fathom.

So how do you prepare your children for jobs they will invent themselves? Well, we’ll let you know when one of them figures that out. But while you’re waiting for your kids to write the future, we’ve stolen a peek at it and found the top 10 careers Generation AO will most likely covet. Of course, this doesn’t mean your child’s dream of becoming a princess or superhero can’t still come true—these just have better salaries.

Image: Little girl using a laptop via Shutterstock.