If you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, don’t forget to take the time and be thankful. For many of 
us are day is filled with hectic activity. Cooking, cleaning, making sure the kids are ready (for company or to travel), and more fill this holiday.
However, this day is based on the need to give thanks. So, as a simple way to do this, when you sit down for dinner, before everyone begins to eat, ask each person to share one thing that he or she is grateful for. Make sure everyone shares and also that everyone listens without commenting.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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Today I found a study published by the Talk to Your Baby group that researched the effects of the direction a 
baby/toddler faces in her stroller (toward or away from the pusher). The conclusion drawn from this study was that, “life is emotionally impoverished for too many babies in buggies facing away from their pusher.”
Reviewing the study it seemed like a pretty generous conclusion. The study had 2 parts. In the first, babies/toddlers in strollers were observed in public situations. However, the observers did not follow the strollers, thus they only viewed each baby for 10 – 20 seconds. In the second part, babies/toddlers were placed in strollers facing the pusher for 15 minutes and then in strollers facing away from the pusher for 15 minutes. Determinations of the babies/toddlers’ happiness was based on the babies’/toddlers’ heartbeats, babies’/toddlers’ vocalizations, and pushers’ vocalizations.
The basic premise of their theory makes sense. If one does not speak to his baby, the baby will be unhappy. However, it seems that the way a baby acts for a 15 second session, or even a 30 minute session, has no correlation to his happiness.
My conclusion: Talk to your baby. However, if you prefer a stroller that doesn’t face you, your baby should be fine.
Note, I have not conducted a study on this matter. Feel free to read the TTYB study, and share your feedback.
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Children depend on their parents for all kinds of support when they’re young. Aside from food, shelter, and clothing, kids also need to be nurtured, educated, and loved during their early years. However, it is also important for parents to remember to teach independence to their kids, especially as they progress to adolescence.
Every time parents send their kids to boarding school or even camps, they are filled with contrary feelings. They know that they’re doing the right thing, but they also feel protective of their kids at the same time. Parents may feel guilty if their children call them when they’re feeling homesick. According to experts, these feelings are normal. Aaron McGinley, a camp manager at Talisman said, “It’s healthy for parents to have some anxiety when their child is leaving home, whether for a few weeks or a few months”.
It is important to realize that this brief separation is healthy for both the kids and the parents. Kids learn how to be independent and self-reliant when they are forced away from their parents. In addition, kids also develop the sense of “determination”. Because they are forced into circumstances they have to deal with, kids learn to accept the inevitable and they become determined to deal with it.
With that being said, a child’s first camp experience can be very emotional for both parents and kids. It can be very difficult for parents to attain a balance between nurturing their kids while fostering independence, but the lessons their kids will learn from the separation is critical. Kids learn to thrive in new surroundings, make new friends, and be independent.
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Recently, my husband was in the Dover area with two of our four children. With a day of rain forecast for Saturday, he was looking for something to amuse our seven and eleven year olds. Luckily for him, he found the Biggs Museum of American Art.
To read his full review and learn why this is a great place to go with kids, visit our sister site, Good Life Review.
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We all have experienced it- that strange feeling that something isn’t quite right. Of course, gut instincts aren’t 100% accurate, but they should be trusted. Children get these feelings also, but they may not know what to do with them. That is why it is very important to tell your child to trust gut instincts, especially when the instinct is telling your child that he doesn’t want to be touched by someone.
Every child needs 
to be taught that she has the right NOT to be touched. Whether it is a friend or family member, no one has the right to hug, touch, or kiss her, unless she wants that to happen.
There are three important things a child needs to do if he gets that weird feeling:
- Tell the person that he does not want a hug (or whatever physical contact is being suggested) in a polite manner.
- Offer an excuse. Explain to your child this is one time where a white lie is ok. (I have told my children to say they have a cold starting or don’t like to give hugs anymore.)
- Tell a grown-up that he trusts about this weird feeling.
As a parent, support your child in this decision. She needs to know that you support her for not wanting to hug, touch, or kiss whomever. Making your child feel safe and secure is the most important thing.
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