Earth Day is a couple of days away and most everyone is looking for ways to give back to nature. Though I see this flurry of activities in a positive light, I believe that “going green” is something that we have to pay attention to in every day of our lives. Being conscious of the environment and how our actions affect it is not a one time big time thing. It is something that we impart to our children right from the outset. It is learned throughout their childhood and carried on to their adulthood.

I distinctly remember my parents teaching us little practices by which we could be environmentally conscious. For example, when we eat candy while we are in the playground and we cannot see a trash can nearby, we were taught to put the wrapper in our pockets instead of throwing it on the ground.

My parents set good examples as well. One picture that I cannot erase from my memory is our family in a car on the highway. We were eating some chips and we were done, we dutifully placed all the trash in a bag – to be disposed of later. There was this really nice car in front of us. In a little while we discovered what they were having for snacks – corn cobs flew out of the window. Soda cans followed.

That image has been imprinted permanently in my mind – bringing up kids to realize how they can help the environment out does not have to be a very big deal. We do not have to buy all organic food. We do not have to buy certain labels at the grocery store all the time. Teaching our kids the little things that they can do everyday – like the illustration I shared above – is more lasting and more important in my mind.

How do you teach your kids the value of the environment?

I have always believed that mental skills depend both on genetics and parenting. A recent article published on CBS News provides proof for the latter. It talks about a study conducted at the University of Oregon which focused on poor families. Here’s an excerpt from the news article:

They looked at measures of thinking skills in young children before and after parents had special counseling.

One of the researchers, Courtney Stevens, PhD, presented early results from the study today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.

Fourteen children aged 3-5 were tested on language ability and attention, and they had brain scans before their parents began the counseling. Another 14 children had the same tests, but their parents did not receive any special counseling.

The findings of the study?

Though many of us probably know the importance of good parenting with regard to our children’s mental skills, it is still assuring to hear of scientific findings such as this one. I guess we don’t need any more motivation to practice good parenting, huh? What do you think?

If there is one thing that I will treasure most from my childhood, it is the fact that my parents always took the time to read books to me – always. Our situation may have been a bit extraordinary as we grew up without a television at home so we ended up loving books with a passion. Still, I believe it was our parents’ initiative that nurtured that love of reading which has undoubtedly contributed much to our formative years.

Now that I am in my mother’s place, I recognize the importance of reading to children, no matter how old they are. From infanthood till the time your child learns to read, reading to them everyday is important. Simple stories, picture books, and the like – these are vital in the development of your child.

Once he learns to read on his own, should we still read to him? I think that it shouldn’t stop just because he can do it by himself. Bedtime stories are one of the things that your child will remember when he grows up. More than an intellectual activity, this is also a perfect way to bond with your child. It is one way of showing him that he is important and a priority for you. I still remember slowly drifting away to Neverland with the soothing voice of my mom or my dad in the background – a perfect way to sink into the thralls of night of peaceful sleep!

So, do you read to your children? Do you spend enough time doing this?

“Where do babies come from?”

Ah, the dreaded talk. It’s the moment that parents don’t really look forward to. And sometimes it’s the moment that kids (especially those old enough to understand) don’t really want to go through. But then when is the right time to have “the talk” and what is the most appropriate way to go with it?

This is especially true with conservative societies. Some people would rather sweep things under the rug, escaping responsibility because talking about it might be considered taboo.

To the contrary, the topic of sex should not be something hidden behind an iron curtain. As parents, we should understand that humans are sexual beings at–and even before–birth. We were made to be male and female, and there should be no malice with how we discuss these matters with our kids. Reproduction, after all, is a God-given gift. These things should be handled with openness, and yet with sensitivity.

So do away with the “birds and the bees” or the “Mr. Pelican” talk. It’s time kids learn about the truth.

It’s important for parents to be there to guide kids about matters about sex. Children today can be overwhelmed by inputs from the media and from their peers. For all you know, they could be getting the wrong ideas and false information about sex. These could lead to dangerous situations later on (such as unreported sexual abuse, teenage pregnancies, and the like). It’s best for kids to be aware of themselves and their sexuality so that this could not be exploited by other people.

The Mayo Clinic has a great introductory article about having “the talk” with your children. It involves dealing with human sexuality at various stages in a child’s life. This is probably a good reference when you feel the time has come for that talk.

Incidentally, this will be my last post here on the Parenting blog for a long time. Lara has come back from taking care of the Pirates stuff. I will perhaps post here from time to time, though. And of course, I’ll still be around as your host at several other Splashpress blogs like the Blog Herald, Jack of All Blogs, Gadzooki.

Ok, it isnt such a far-fetched idea really, but given the day and age we live in, when it comes to video games and kids, its just a matter of time (unless you live in Outer Mongolia - but then again, even there they’ve probably got some bootleg gameboy from the mainland).

Not that I’ve decided to give in and allow N to have one just yet- I think its better to get all the facts and get oneself ready to make the best out of a situation.

So here are some tips I found:

1. Find the “good” games and stay away from the “bad”

Find games that people can play together (team building and sportsmanship) like sports and action games. Make it more social, as opposed to a “mind-numbing” activity. Steer clear of violent titles, do your research and check out online reviews first.

2. Get �Active� Games

If like me, you’re concerned about the health aspect, then get some games which will get the kids (and maybe even yourself) out of the sofa and moving! These usually come with a dance pad, which younger kids will enjoy. Karaoke games are fun too, like Singstar, which can get the whole family spending some fun quality time together.

3. Be Involved

As with most things in your child’s life, take an active involvement. Try and spend some time together playing and discover why your child loves it. In my case though, it will be my husband playing the sports and action things - I’ll just stick to the karaoke.

The same pro-video game parent who inspired these tips had this to say (he does have a point).

Don�t believe all the popular media about violence in video games. While there have been a great deal of sensationalist news claims over the years, little legitimate supporting research has been presented that makes a strong link between games and violence. In 2001, the Surgeon General of the United States released a report that concluded, �[t]aken together, findings suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence.” Besides, the debate becomes mute if you pay attention to the content of the games your child is playing.

It�s easy to want to say no when your kid asks for a video game system for Christmas or for a birthday; after all, we�ve all seen various news reports about the dangers of video games. But next time your child makes such a request, don�t be so quick with that knee-jerk reaction. Two thirds of parents with children under the age of 18 say that they feel video games are a positive element of their child�s life. You don�t have to feel guilty next time someone asks you, �You let your kids play video games?� Just look surprised and say, �We play video games together. Why? Don�t you?�

You might be surprised at how nice a ring that line has.

Kids are like sponges. Especially at the preschool age, they absorb just about anything they see or hear. Kids are like parrots, too. Often they would repeat just what they hear other people say. My two-year-old daughter, C, is like this. She repeats everything her older sister says. And most of the time, she understands just what is being said–she has quite a wide vocabulary already. Otherwise, she would repeat what has been said and ask, “Dad, what’s that (the thing that had just been uttered).”

Unfortunately, kids can also easily pick up on foul or mature language, whether from other people or from media like television or radio. And things like these are very very difficult to unlearn.

So it pays to be careful with what you say around kids. They can easily imitate. Of course, it helps to know that they probably don’t understand much of what they’re saying (like foul language). But then again, these aren’t very pleasant to the ear, and they might keep on uttering these until they eventually learn the meanings when they grow up a bit.