Bette’s Blog
Me Time for Mom/Fun Time for Kids
Now you can let go of guilt (if you have it!) for wanting time away from your kids. Not only is it okay for kids to have some fun time on their own, it is a good way to build some independence and self-confidence in them and replenish energy, enthusiasm and patience in you. In training the kids to play alone, play with friends, or if [...]
Moms– Thrive in Connection and See Parenting Improve!
Married, partnered or single, moms are working hard in the home, outside of the home, and usually both! Often moms are so busy and stressed, that they may feel alone or isolated. Have you ever experienced thoughts like these or the feelings that go with them? “I’m going stir crazy just home alone all day talking to a two year old!” “All I do is [...]
Key Advice for Single Parents
Being a parent may just be the most important job in the world. Being a single parent may just be the hardest. Single parents need a tool kit of practical strategies to use along with common sense, and a healthy dose of mother's (and father's intuition!) Having raised two daughters on my own after their father and I were divorced, (and after he died!) I [...]
Single Parents: Tips for Surviving the Stress…and Beyond
Being a single parent is tough. You have too much responsibility; too many tasks; too many demands; not enough time; not enough sleep; not enough energy; not enough patience; and almost always--not enough money. However, even when you have faded, and your checkbook has fizzled, you can survive and thrive as a single parent. By using the following five effective strategies, you can find strength in [...]
Single Moms and Summer: You Can Survive the Season!
School will be out soon, and summer, beautiful as it is, can be a challenging time for single moms. Summer's requirements for keeping children busy and safe can present problems not easily resolved without extra financial resources. However, taking care of the kids during the summer on a single mother's budget is possible. It requires some thinking, some planning, and some resourcefulness, and it can [...]
Children’s Bedtime/Help and Hope for The Bewitching Hour
Are you bothered and bewildered at the bewitching hour between the “day” job, and the “night job,” aka dinner time and bedtime for the kids? If so, there is hope. By incorporating five simple strategies, and a few tips, into the hours before the kids are tucked away, and as they are going to bed, can build connections rather than create conflicts. The following tips [...]
Teens and Cliques: An Adolescent Phenomenon
Teen Cliques are developmentally normal in adolescence. When these groups of tightly connected young people are founded on positive ideas and principles, they can promote the healthy emotional and psychological growth needed for learning how to cope effectively. While earlier life stages are involved with identification with the nuclear family, adolescence is a time for teens to begin to individuate and separate from the family [...]
Teach Your Children to Love Learning!
The most effective way to encourage your child to love learning is to model it, engage in it, and above all to enjoy it. And to do this you do not have to be wealthy or even highly educated. When you engage in learning activities with your child, your child will see it, and the encouragement to love learning will be natural. Even after bringing [...]