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Most kids love pets of all sorts; dogs, cats, hamsters–they want all of them and, regardless of age or ability, they promise to take care of them. If you are parents I’m sure you’ve heard this plea from your kids. Pets are great for kids; they learn a lot from having them. They learn what it is like to have someone or something depend on you. That is a big responsibility for a child and why it is crucial, before agreeing to the pet, for parents to educate their kids on how to care for their animal. Most of the time that means the parent needs to do research about the pet. Take your time when deciding on a pet for your kids and family. This is very important for both you and the pet. Some things you need to consider are:

- Can I afford it-not just the initial purchase but the ongoing needs (i.e. food, vet bills, etc.)

- Where will it live?

- Does it need care daily (during working/school hours)?

- Does it fit our lifestyle?

- How long does the animal live?

It is important to remember that your child’s promises to care for the pet are authentic.  They believe they can, and will, follow through. We know better and must be willing to take on the majority of the responsibility.  It is important however, to assign your child age-appropriate tasks such as putting food in the dog bowl each morning or making sure the hamster’s water bottle is full.

Perhaps the greatest learning and growing experience pets can offer a child is that of experiencing loss and grief.  Pets do not live as long as we do.  Many use this as a reason for not having a pet; they don’t want their child to go through the loss.  Learning to cope with strong emotions and life events as a child makes for an adult who typically experiences less fear and anxiety about life.  They have experienced loss, cried, felt sad and learned that they made it through.  This is a benefit animals provide even during the most difficult time of having a pet.  This being said, please don’t bring a pet home simply for the purpose of teaching your child about death.

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If you’ve forgotten, you have the perfect teacher in your child. Let your child guide and teach you through their world of fun. Something they like will re-ignite that child in you; and then, just go along with their games. As you play you can add your ideas as well. I have found this is a great way to bond with your kids and to mix your imagination with theirs. Even if this is not your favorite thing to do, taking time to play with your kids on a daily basis is essential to their development and your relationship with them. Playing is a kid’s whole life; this is what they live for. Being involved in your child’s play will also tell you what they are interested in. This always makes for a happy child. Playing with your child is also key in supporting self worth, as you, the person whose approval matters most, is interested in and actually likes that which your child holds so dear-their play. It can be equated with approving of your teenager’s friends; when you like what they like they feel validated.

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Some kids want to participate in everything, and are perfectly happy to have structured activities each night of the week. With other kids, parents have to push and prod to get them to willingly participate in even a single activity. Balance is the key for happiness and overall family time quality. Consider a child’s age and interests and be sure to weigh those against what your own dreams of what you hope your kids will thrive in. Accept that your kid’s may not share your passions or interests, and then find out what does make them excel. Let your kids chose what they want to do if you think they might really like something but don’t at first. One of the best ways to get them to like something or become interested it’s best to educate them on it, then their interest might grow.

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Diapers: Most babies that are fed using the PDF method usually need a diaper change at each feeding time. This means that your baby will need about 6-8 diapers a day or more. Many new parents time the diaper changes with the after dinner bowel movement, but if you miss it, you will just have a few more diapers to change during the day.

Diaper rash: Sensitive skin is a common problem for some babies and they may get a diaper rash due to a food allergy, yeast infection, sitting too long in a wet or messy diaper, or teething. If you notice your baby beginning to get a diaper rash, talk to your pediatrician about which diaper rash medicine will work for your baby.

Growth spurts: Growth spurts can start as early as 10 days after your baby’s birth. Growth spurts usually are preceded by a sleepy, lethargic day and a big jump in appetite. Growth spurts may happen again at 3, 6, and 12 weeks and again at 4 and 6 months. If you begin to notice that your child is not as satisfied with the amount that you have been feeding her previously, then she may be beginning a growth spurt period. If you are breastfeeding, you may want to add a feeding or two to satiate your baby’s appetite and to help increase milk production.

Immunizations: With all of the conflicting reports on immunizations, you may be unsure about whether or not you want your child to receive immunizations. I think that there are simply too many fatal diseases that can be prevented by immunizing your baby to take the chance. If you are unsure, then you need to talk with your pediatrician, but understand that the reason that the infant mortality rate is so low in this country is because immunizations are routinely done.

Pacifiers & thumb sucking: If you breastfeed, do not allow your child to use you as their pacifier. If your baby seems to have a need to suck beyond eating, then you need to give them a pacifier. There is no “nipple confusion” between a breast nipple and a pacifier as they are very different in feel and taste. Babies will know the difference between the two. Some children do not want a pacifier but will suck on their thumb. If you don’t have a problem with it, then let them.

Spitting up: It is very common for babies to spit up, but some babies do it more than others. If your baby is growing normally, then there is no need to worry about it. Projectile throwing up is not the same as spitting up. Projectile throwing up is a violent reaction to reject the contents of the stomach and not just “burping” up a little milk. If your baby does this frequently, consult your pediatrician.

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Parents and children need to communicate with one another before a problem occurs. Your child should know that they can come and talk to you about anything that is on their mind. Parents usually think that this is the case with their child but often they fail to continually tell the child that. Children often do not understand unless told that there is a constant open line of communication and support available to them.

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There are two things kids love the most: playing and their toys. Some of the hardest lessons to teach kids relate to having and getting toys and belongings. I think parents have to really be careful when buying “things” too much. One of the main reasons is the degree to which they learn to value what they have. If they get new toys all the time I believe it somewhat degrades the value of their other toys. It is also our job to teach them to care for their things. I will be the first to admit I sometimes give in quite easily, but I also try to instill the value of caring for belongings. One basic example of this philosophy is to make it routine that your child pick up and put away after playing. Especially when the child is young or this idea is in the beginning stages of being taught and learned, the child will complete the task, well, like a child, often leaving the parent the job to re-do at a later time. Sometimes I notice kids might not pick up everything all the time, but if you remind them they remember and you gradually see the process becoming more routine. Some kids that I have had experience with seem to display a lack of respect for belongings, treating them as easy come, easy go. One sign of this I have encountered frequently is a child who brings out several toys but, at clean-up time, can’t recall where any of them are. To me, this is a sign that they do not value things or toys much. I think another good thing to do when your child wants a new toy or priviledge is to have them earn it. You can do this with a chore or a life lesson that they are struggling with like brushing teeth, homework or housework. This seems to give them value in getting and caring for things. Another good thing for parents to do is care for all of what you have. Kids see everything that you do–that is how they learn, by watching you, the parent. It also amazes me to see which toys they really value the most. Sometimes, I think we all assume, kids are most “wowed” by the bigger, more costly toys. Although the large ticket items definitely can make the best toy “A-list,” the most loved, endeared, “I can’t live a day without you” toys are frequently the small, cheap, (often quite horrific) little items that were most definitely going straight to the trash until, just as you opened the trash door and almost dropped the worthless-in-adult-world item into the can you hear your child calling out, “Have you seen my…? I guess that’s just genuine love–not because of cost or coolness. Sometimes it’s just the simple things; perhaps if we stop to listen, children might just be the best teachers of the lesson to enjoy the small things in life.

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After picking up my daughter from school today we went to one of our favorite parks nicknamed “green slide.” It is not all that big but it’s next to the Jordan River that runs all the way through the Salt Lake Valley. So, other than the park there is really a lot of cool things to do and explore there. Ther are ducks in a small pond, but we forgot to bring some bread for them. That’s probably best because ther are signs that specificaly say, “Do not feed ducks.” Sometimes we do anyway because the ducks there are so friendly you can pet them while feeding them bread. Some of the fun stuff there is throwing and skipping rocks into the river. This was a lot of fun teaching my daughter to skip rocks across the water. Stuff like that is so awsome! Moments like that are, for me, what being a dad is all about. My daughter also likes gathering sticks–and not just little ones. The next thing I knew she was calling, “‘D’, I need help with this one.” It was a ten foot long branch that had been trimmed from a tree. Yes, we also had to bring it home. I love being Dad.

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Tonight I am playing monster with my daughter Addison. This is were I am a monster she and her friends hide and the monster tries to find them, scare them, and chase them.

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